THE DAILY BLOVIATION
Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!
IT'S GAMEDAY!! CAN YOU FEEL THE EXCITEMENT???!?
Alright, it's perfectly fine if your answer is "Meh" or "Nah." We all know what we'll see a little after 4:00PM today is a glorified practice with no starters playing. The real action was during the week at the scrimmages against the Vikings. That's where the starters got playing time, and the coaches were in control.
This episode this afternoon? The NFL requires the game, although one gets the impression that the coaching staff just wants to get through it as healthy as possible.
I'm at least interested in seeing if Dorian Thompson-Robinson can pick up where he left off last week against the Packers, and I'm hoping Jamari Thrash gets some action in the first half. I was impressed by both against the Packers' bottom of the roster. I want to see how they fare against better players. I'm interested in seeing Cedric Tillman's further development, and whether Myles Harden can continue his hot pre-season.
I heard bad things about the Brown's offensive line, particularly after the Wednesday practice and penalties, and I hope that's been cleaned up, but, unfortunately, the first string will have their butts glued to the bench. We won't have any indication if they've gotten their act together.
If you're a hard-core fan, to be honest, there are a lot of things to keep an eye on this afternoon, and it's better than spending the afternoon with your butt behind a lawnmower cutting the yard. That's the way I look at it. The weeds can grow a little taller. I'll deal with them tomorrow.
Nonetheless, we'll be here throughout the game and afterward with a post-game show on YouTube and Twitch that will start around 7:30PM. We'll have three ways you can interact with each other and the OBR team before, during, and after the game:
Watercooler Game Thread
Insider Game Thread: Vikings vs. Browns
I hope to see you there. With electricity again flowing through OBR World Headquarters, I'll be there, bouncing around between all three threads, talking about the game with whoever wants to talk. I hope to see you there.
Here are some LINKS OF MODERATE INTEREST. Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
5. EX-BROWNS QB FEELS EARTH MOVE UNDER HIS JOB
Former Browns QB, Heisman Trophy winner fired by ESPN - (cleveland.com)
Ex-Browns QB Robert Griffen III has been dumped by ESPN. Griffen was a smart announcer who could push buttons but was inexplicably fired by ESPN in a move justified by the network as "cost-cutting" shortly after he slapped around Paul Finebaum on social media for saying Florida State would finish the 2024 season unranked. But, yeah, cost-cutting, I guess.
4. BROWNS MAKE BOTTOM OF THE ROSTER MOVES
Cleveland Browns Sign Former Packers Player They Played Last Week - (wkbn.com)
Browns sign S Tyler Coyle, LS Rex Sunahara - NBC Sports - (nbcsports.com)
Minor NFL Transaction: 8/16/24 - (profootballrumors.com)
Browns sign S Tyler Coyle and LS Rex Sunahara - (clevelandbrowns.com)
The Browns must have liked Tyler Coyle of the Packers because they signed him yesterday, while cutting Brady Breeze (who saved a TD in a risky Cover-0 against the same Packers). The team also re-signed back-up long-snapper Rex Sunahara for reasons.
3. SOMEONE'S HAD ENOUGH OF THE BROWNS
These are not our fathers’ Cleveland Browns - (tribtoday.com)
Man, I thought I could be jaded sometimes. Wow. Ed Puskas, an editor at the Warren Tribune-Chronicle unloads on the Browns, Deshaun Watson, and the idea of a Brook Park dome in this editorial.
2. ROSTER BATTLE OVER THE NUMBER 3 QB JOB
Are these former BYU and Utah QBs fighting for their jobs in this week’s NFL preseason action? - (deseret.com)
What to watch for: Competition for Browns third QB job highlights Vikings preseason game - (audacy.com)
In contrast to the above, you can tell how good the Browns starting roster is these days by the roster battles we're following. For example, the riveting battle for the #3 quarterback spot between Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Tyler Huntley. DTR seems to have a quick lead after the Packers game, but let's see if things turn around as their order in the exhibition game is reversed tonight, with Huntley getting a chance to pick on the third-rounders.
1. MORE INFO IN THE MICHAEL HALL ARREST
Police release bodycam showing Browns DT’s arrest - (cleveland19.com)
New statement given by victim in Browns’ Michael Hall Jr. domestic violence case - (fox8.com)
The bodycam footage merely shows Hall in a nice suburban police station being escorted from a lobby to a holding cell. Yawn.
The victim in the case has given another statement to police, but the contents of that statement are being withheld until Hall's hearing, which will be on September 10th. Double yawn.
There's absolutely nothing here that will help fuel a wild-eyed editorial where I can spew venom of some sort or another and attain the instant columnist fame that surely awaits me. Darn it all.
BEST OF THE REST
Browns defensive line looks to forge their own path in 2024 with 2023 success in rearview mirror - (clevelandbrowns.com)
Browns MLB Jordan Hicks is week to week with undisclosed injury - NBC Sports - (nbcsports.com)
Browns defense dominant, offense shaky in joint practices with Vikings - (nytimes.com,paywalled)
Make of this what you will...
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) August 16, 2024Kevin Stefanski made his name using heavy personnel in Minnesota
he won coach of the year in Cleveland using:
#2 most 2-TE sets
#3 least 3+ WR setsthen the Browns signed Deshaun Watson
Watson likes 11, so…
Stefanski shifted to the #7 most 3+ WR sets
the results? not great pic.twitter.com/yAl2p990e5
THE LIFT
Positive news from the world of sports and beyond...
Scientists uncover biological pathway that could revolutionize anxiety treatment (psypost.org)
Do you know someone in your life who is a constant ball of stress? Whose anxiety is off the charts and struggles to step away from those worries to truly enjoy life? Who has tried meditation, various medical treatments, or homeopathic treatments such as the one I call "booze therapy" to escape their effects?
If so, there might be some hope as "scientists have uncovered a biological pathway in the brain that is highly sensitive to chronic stress and plays a critical role in anxiety-like behaviors. By manipulating this pathway in mice, the team was able to reverse anxiety symptoms, providing a potential new target for therapeutic strategies against anxiety and depression."
As someone who never, ever struggles with anxiety and stress (ever!), who would never resort to meditation or chemical agents to try to relieve it (gasp!), I'm not sure how I feel about fiddling with the brain to deal with the issues. My cure for anxiety and stress, which mostly involves being impatient with my dog, seems to lack efficacy, so what do I know?
YOUR MORNING NEWSWIRE SOUNDTRACK
Sean Green and Ran Kramer of The Sports Gambling Podcast join the show to answer your fantasy football questions, best Browns bets and more..
OBR VIDEO
THINGS I THINK I KNOW
OBR ARTICLES FROM YESTERDAY
Browns Add Safety, Long Snapper, Drop Leading Tackler from First Preseason Game with Injury Designation - (Fred)
Breaking Down The Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah Cleveland Browns Extension - (Jack)
Cleveland Browns Left Tackle Jedrick Wills Nearing Return - (Pete)
Martin Emerson went Toe to Toe with Leagues Top WR Primed for Huge 2024 Season - (Casey)
Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 8/16: Are We Worried about Deshaun Watson Yet? - (Barry)
FROM THE FORUMS
ASK THE INSIDERS (VIP)
Brady Breeze
INSIDER CENTRAL (VIP)
JOK Contract Numbers
THE WATERCOOLER
One overlooked positive of the Brookpark/Megadome Concept
Did Amari Cooper get hurt?
OT: The PMoF is > the MoH
OT: Dark Matters
Jameis On The Pat McAfee Show 8/15
LiveWire Thread for 8/16 - Twitter, Articles, Videos,OPEN THREAD
Daryl Ruiter
Fred on Wills and Snyder: 8/16/24 (AM, Audio)
Any deals on the ticket
WRAPPING UP
When not surprisingly ambivalent on a gameday morning, Barry McBride is the Publisher and Founder of the OBR and bloviates this nonsense every morning. You can follow him on Twitter @barrymcbride or write him at barry@theobr.com if you are so compelled.
CONTACT Barry to sponsor the OBR. We have plans for nearly any budget!
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