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What you said Cal! lol

AND....


The fact that we played a cupcake schedule last year. I'm as excited as ever for the 2008 season, but keeping things in proper context. I think a great year would be going 10-6 again.

I feel people expecting 12-4 or better are a bit ahead of themselves, team still has alot to prove before it goes from being a good team, to a great team.

Cal, you are right that I haven't been this optimistic about a Browns' team. I have always told it the way it was.......at least through my eyes, *L*............but, I'm telling you.......I see some real positives w/this team.

Now..........perhaps my expectations for this upcoming season are not as high as some others, in terms of wins and losses, but what I'm real excited about is that I see a foundation being built. I see some quality players. Guys like Joe Thomas, Steinbach, K2, etc. I see a good offense w/a good mix of a big armed QB, playmaking receivers, and a workhouse RB.

I still think the defense needs quite a bit of improvement and I think we are probably a year away, but we are a team to be reckoned with now. We should be exciting again this year. I mean.........we could go 8 and 8 and I think I could still be happy, as long as I see improvement being attained. And I think the following year is when we should really see something.

With that said...........hell, we could break out this year too. There are some pieces in place. I kinda doubt it will happen, but it could. And that is the big difference between this team and the one of the past several years. We have legitimate hope. And for me............that is exciting.

ditto

10-6 is my prediction.

And I think it'll win the division. Hell, 9-7 might too.

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Yeah, I'll buy all that. I'm just not quite ready to crown the team the division winning playoff bound team that so many others seem to be, including the press

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I am....
On paper... name a team that will dominate us. Ok... name a team that will beat us hands down....
Ok name a team that should beat us.
Naw.. we're at least as good as any team out there. bar none.

If we only played these teams on paper... Having said that, Pit, the Colts, Dallas, Pit, Cincy, the Giants, Cincy... You get the point. I don't believe any team can be barred, but I'd much rather see you proven right than the alternative.

9 wins takes the division this year.

You did!

Considering that teams that the Browns play, several more might be see a larger audience as well. The Browns play Dallas, NY Giants, and Indy also. Generally speaking, one of the two Steelers' games is also often shown to a wider national audience.

NRTU, but the wife said that we might not need to get the NFL Sunday Ticket this year with all those prime time games and that I could just go to Pat's in Syracuse for the others.

Post deleted by Referee6

When I saw the schedule this morning, I jumped online and bought a plane ticket to Cleveland for the Nov. 2nd Rats game. It's finally time to get really excited about an upcoming season. If the Browns play up to their potential, there will be many more victories than losses and old C-town will be hoppin'.

I refuse to get bogged down in negative thinking about this team. Been doing that for too many years already. Go Browns! You have earned the spotlight. Make yourselves and your fans proud in 2008!

Promising Browns get five prime-time games
Associated Press
The NFL thinks the Browns are ready for prime time again.

After being left out of the league's marquee contests for years, the Browns will play in five nationally televised games -- three Monday night games, a Sunday night game and a Thursday night game.

Browns get five prime-time games
For openers, how ‘bout them Cowboys? And how ‘bout who follows?

The Browns open the 2008 regular season at home against the Cowboys on Sunday Sept. 7, then host the Steelers in Week 2 in a Sunday night national TV game, the first of five nationally televised prime-time games the Browns will play.

The five national prime-time games are the most ever for the Browns, who haven't played on national television since 2006 and haven't played on Monday night since 2003. Complete story ...

Three of those games will be at home. The Browns host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, Sept. 14, the New York Giants on Monday, Oct. 13, and the Denver Broncos on Thursday, Nov. 6.

"We are excited for our fans, the City of Cleveland and the Browns organization that we will have the opportunity to be showcased in front of a national audience on several occasions," Browns coach Romeo Crennel said in a statement.

The Browns also will play Monday night at Buffalo on Nov. 17 and Philadelphia on Dec. 15.

Cleveland's last appearance was on Monday Night Football was a home loss to St. Louis in 2003. But a 10-win season and a high-powered offense led by quarterback Derek Anderson has put them back in the spotlight.

The Browns will open at home for the ninth straight season, facing off against the Dallas Cowboys, who will make their first trip to Cleveland since 1991.

Cleveland's slate is much tougher than the last-place schedule it had last season. The Browns' 2008 opponents had a combined record of 137-119 (.535) last season, including two games against each division rival.

Seven of the 13 teams reached the playoffs, including the defending Super Bowl champion Giants. The Browns have a bye in Week 5, which will give them two weeks to prepare for New York in a Monday night game in Week 6.

Only four opponents had sub-.500 records last season -- Baltimore, Cincinnati, Buffalo and Denver.

"Our schedule presents us with many challenges against a number of talented teams, however we will continue to work hard throughout the offseason to prepare for the 2008 season," Crennel said.

The Browns will save on their travel budget with no West Coast games. Their longest road trips are to Tennessee and Jacksonville.

The regular season ends Dec. 28 at Pittsburgh where the Browns haven't won since 2003.

The Buffalo Bills will play in Toronto on Dec. 7 against Miami as part of an effort to expand their market to Canada.

This marks the first time the Bills will play during the regular season in Toronto, about a 1 1/2-hour drive from Buffalo. The game was one of the highlights of the NFL schedule released Tuesday.

The season opens Sept. 4 with Washington at the Super Bowl champion New York Giants, a game already announced along with three others from the opening weekend: Chicago at Indianapolis on Sunday night Sept. 7 and two games Monday night Sept 8: Minnesota at Green Bay and Denver at Oakland.

For the second consecutive year, a regular-season game will be played in London at Wembley Stadium, with New Orleans the "home" team against San Diego on Oct. 26. The Dolphins and Giants played there last season.

New England, which was upset in the Super Bowl by the Giants but has a record 19-game regular-season winning streak, will open at home against Kansas City on Sept. 7. In what has become an annual highlight game, Tom Brady and the Patriots will be at Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night Nov. 2.

Washington Redskins coach Jim Zorn will make his return to Seattle just before Thanksgiving.

The longtime Seahawks quarterback and assistant coach will face his old team Nov. 23, one of the highlights of the Redskins' 2008 schedule announced Tuesday by the NFL.

"The league gave me an extra bonus in returning to Seattle to coach against my former team and great coach Mike Holmgren," Zorn said.

The first-year coach, hired in February to replace Joe Gibbs, will make his regular season debut in the previously announced Thursday night league opener on the road against the Super Bowl champion New York Giants on Sept. 4.

Even without Brett Favre, the NFL still considers the Green Bay Packers a prime-time attraction.

The Packers' 2008 schedule was released Tuesday and includes four nationally televised games. They will open the season Sept. 8 against Minnesota at Lambeau Field, the first of three Monday night appearances on ESPN.

Green Bay's other two Monday night games are on the road. They're at New Orleans on Nov. 24 and at Chicago on Dec. 22.

The Packers also are scheduled to make one Sunday night appearance on NBC. They'll play at home against Dallas on Sept. 21.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

NFL.com

EnglishDawg - Our time has come to come in from the cold.

20 years in the wilderness that is International Browns Fandom....and now we're back! Can't wait for this coming season!

To put this in perspective for you guys, i've watched maybe 5 Browns games in the last 10 yrs (including the Pitt playoff game.) and now we'll get to see 5 in one season!

Wow.

NRTU

The key is to win all or no worse then 5 of our division games. I don't ever really care to much about the full schedule. While it's important we all pretty much play the same teams with the exception of 2. Win your division games and you should always come out on top.

Don't care if the Browns are on Monday night football either, Sunday night or at 1PM on Sunday, just win our division games and everything else will take care of itself..

JMHO

Brown to the Bone

NFL Network is loving the Browns right now...

Non stop play of the Willie McGinnest, Brady Quinn, and Braylon Edwards commercials...

Just saw Braylon being interviewed talking about the schedule, and how he is excited to have his name announced on Monday Night (and also so he can say "Michigan" lol).

Overall, the schedule lays out pretty well.

If does from a personal standpoint as well except for the first 2 games as I will attend both of those...maybe I will just stick around there for the week...do Toronto or something.

So for me, it looks like I will go to the Cowboys, Steelers, Giants, Ravens, and maybe the last home game against the Bengals.

I like the schedule, it's tough...I'm not gonna predict any type of record, way to much to happen between now and than, but

It's tough so RAC better have these guys ready to play some Browns ball. I'm glad it's tough mainly because I dont wanna hear the media give us crap for winning and having a easy schedule, beating good tuff teams build charator & confidence, so why not this year.....

all I can say is RAC better have these guys ready, last year is over.

Indians found out just how many wins the media gives ya from picking you to win it all.......ya Media got us 0 wins & big heads.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/don_banks/04/15/schedule.snaps/index.html?eref=T1

Don't know if you've heard, but the color that will be all the rage in the NFL this fall is brown. Cleveland Brown. It'll be everywhere. Just watch.

The long downtrodden but recently resurgent Browns have been deemed ready for their close-up by the league schedule makers, and that's why we should all prepare to see plenty of Derek Anderson and the rest of his high-scoring, play-making teammates.

If there's anything that jumps off the page with the release of the 2008 NFL regular-season schedule Tuesday, it's those five prime-time appearances that Cleveland will make this season.

The Browns getting so much exposure is the sure sign that the NFL feels Romeo Crennel's club -- which went 10-6 but missed the playoffs in 2007 -- is a young, exciting team on the rise that bears watching. So we will. Watch that is. Cleveland, which hasn't made a Monday Night Football appearance since December 2003, will make three this season: Week 6 at home against the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants, Week 11 at Buffalo and Week 15 at Philadelphia.

The Browns will make their prime-time debut in 2008 with a Week 2 Sunday night home game against AFC North rival Pittsburgh -- their first appearance on NBC's prime-time showcase -- and they'll help kick off the NFL Network's third season of live late-season games with a Week 10 visit from Denver.

Entering their 10th season since being brought back from NFL extinction as a 1999 franchise team, the Browns have all the components that the league loves to shine a spotlight on. A high-powered offense -- led by Anderson, the out-of-nowhere Pro Bowl quarterback of last season -- some positive buzz created by Cleveland's acquisition of linemen Shaun Rogers and Cory Williams, and receiver Donte' Stallworth, and a challenging schedule that will test the Browns' ability to take the next step in their development as an AFC contender.

Cleveland plays eight games against 2007 playoff teams, including five of its first seven opponents. Overall, the Browns play 10 games against teams that were at least .500 last season, and the only team on Cleveland's schedule that won fewer than seven games last season is Baltimore, which went 5-11 to finish last in the AFC North.

Besides all those primetime appearances, the Browns will play four more 4:05 or 4:15 p.m. games, the first of which is Week 1 at home against the defending NFC East champion Dallas Cowboys, who had the best record in their conference last season at 13-3. By comparison, Cleveland last year played 12 of its 16 games at 1 p.m. on Sunday, with only four late-afternoon time slots and no primetime games.

From virtual obscurity to a headline act. That's the quick trip the Browns have taken. Like many, I have Cleveland as the team to beat in its division this season, with its first trip to the playoffs since 2002 predicted.

Make no mistake, Brown is very in this year.

• Here are the 10 games I don't want to miss this season.....

1. New England at Indianapolis, Week 9 -- The NFL's best rivalry resumes, and while putting this game on the first week of November has become quite familiar, the new twist is that this showdown will be played in the Colts' new Lucas Oil Stadium, which is set to open late this summer.

Between them, the Patriots and Colts own five of the past seven AFC championships, and there's always the captivating Tom Brady versus Peyton Manning debate to sink our teeth back into.

2. New England at San Diego, Week 6 -- The Chargers lost to the hated Patriots three times in a 13-month span of 2007-2008, the latest of which was in January's AFC title game in Foxboro, their second consecutive season-ending loss to Bill Belichick's bunch. That game is remembered for San Diego superback LaDainian Tomlinson sitting out almost the whole way due to a knee injury, but it's also notable that New England hasn't won since.

3. Indianapolis at Cleveland, Week 13 -- I don't know if any Browns fans noticed this, but if the Colts had beaten the visiting Titans last season in Week 17, Cleveland would have made the playoffs. It's true. I looked it up.

But alas, it was not to be. The Colts rested many of their injured starters (and some who weren't) and lost to the Titans, who qualified for that AFC wild-card berth that would have been the Browns'. The tank job turned in by the Colts still rankles aplenty in Cleveland, and Colts head coach Tony Dungy is almost certain to hear about it all day long.

4. Minnesota at Green Bay, Week 1 -- It'll all be so weird. Kind of like the first time we saw Giuliani without the comb-over. But the Packers will actually play a meaningful game without Brett Favre at quarterback for the first time since mid-September 1992, which, for perspective sake, was six weeks before Clinton was elected. Bill, not Hill.

Finally, in year four of his NFL career, Aaron Rodgers gets his first start. When was the last time we waited that long to see a first-round quarterback get his chance? Maybe never.

5. Indianapolis at San Diego, Week 12 -- Just the way the Chargers can't beat the Patriots, the Colts can't beat the Chargers. San Diego beat Indy late in 2005, ending their perfect season bid at 13-0. The Chargers beat the Colts twice last year, picking off Peyton Manning six times on that rainy Sunday night in San Diego in Week 10, and again, much more painfully, in the AFC Divisional playoff game, the final game ever played at Indy's RCA Dome.

The Mannings don't like San Diego to begin with, starting with that whole Eli mess in the 2004 draft. But now the Chargers are really starting to grate on Peyton's nerves.

6. Dallas at New York Giants, Week 9 -- The Cowboys thumped the Giants twice last year in the regular season, amounting to almost all of their eventual three-game advantage over New York in the NFC East. But when it mattered most, Dallas and Tony Romo choked on that big apple in their throats in the playoffs, coughing up the NFC's No. 1 seed and homefield advantage in the postseason.

That's going to make Romo vs. Manning must-see TV this year, times two. Wade Phillips can talk all he wants about Dallas winning 13 games and the division title. Tom Coughlin's guys shocked the world and copped the biggest prize of all.

7. San Diego at New Orleans, Week 8 -- No matter how much the NFL tried to hype the historic Giants-Dolphins Week 8 game in London last October, it still seemed like an afterthought due to the presence of the sad-sack Dolphins. The rainy, dreary weather and the slip-and-slide of a playing surface at Wembley Stadium didn't help.

But this year's England-based game should stand on its own two feet. The Chargers and Saints have two of the most high-powered offenses in the league, and you can make the case that the game is a possible Super Bowl preview without sounding like a complete idiot. It'll be Saints quarterback Drew Brees versus his old team, with the added bonus of Saints running back Reggie Bush facing off against his hometown Chargers.

8. Detroit at San Francisco, Week 3 -- The Lions and 49ers have had coaches in common before -- think Marty Mornhinweg and Steve Mariucci -- but it's never felt personal before. But there will be a bit of ill will in the air for this year's Mike Martz Bowl. The ex-Lions offensive coordinator is now the 49ers offensive coordinator, and he'd love to hang up a couple of very crooked numbers against Detroit, a team that never really embraced his mad-genius ways.

9. Seattle at Arizona, Week 17 -- Unless the Seahawks make the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season -- which is probably a pretty good bet -- this will be the swan song for Seattle head coach Mike Holmgren, who announced months ago that 2008 will be his final season. Holmgren has cut a rather unique -- somewhat walrus-like -- figure on NFL coaching sidelines since the mid-80s, and I'll miss the sight of him turning all red in the face at whatever miscue was just turned in by his quarterback, be it Brett Favre or Matt Hasselbeck.

10. Miami at Buffalo (or Toronto), Week 14 -- Brilliant move by the NFL. Bills fans were irate at the idea of losing a home game to the good folks of Toronto, until they found out that it was only Buffalo's annual ritualistic flogging of the Dolphins in the wintry chill of Orchard Park, N.Y.

But the league didn't get off that easy, because now Canada is mad and the city of Toronto is threatening to host the game as part of a exhibition doubleheader with the CFL's Argonauts facing off against one of those teams named the Rough Riders. Or Roughriders. (And yes, I do know the CFL's Grey Cup has been played by early December, so hold off on those emails, dear readers. I only jest).

• Can't help but wonder if the NFL Network's season debut in Week 10 -- Broncos at Browns -- will be seen by all the fans who care to see it? If we're still talking about this particular showdown come November -- NFL vs. Big Cable, Part III -- things could get ugly with the nation's football fans.

Last year the Patriots had the NFL-maximum six night games, and five more games that were 4:15 p.m. Sunday kickoffs. Not that it fazed them much, since they still managed a perfect regular season. After having four of their first seven games start at 1 p.m. on a Sunday, the Patriots had just one more of those the rest of the year, which prompted New England owner Robert Kraft to request as many 1 p.m. home games from the league as possible.

But the league can't do much about the Patriots' killer road schedule this year, which includes four of the longest trips NFL teams can take -- from Boston to San Diego, San Francisco, Oakland and Seattle -- as well as New England's annual blood feud at Indianapolis.

• Then again, maybe the Patriots have a right to feel a bit picked on again this year when they look at Buffalo's schedule, their AFC East rival. The Bills have home games against San Diego, San Francisco, Oakland and Seattle, the same four Pacific Time Zone teams that New England has to travel to.

• You know what New England at Oakland in Week 15 means, don't you? Randy Moss back in the Black Hole for the first time since his entirely forgettable two-year stint as a Raider. The face-painting, chains-wearing crazies should be in full voice for that one. And if Moss has one of those monster days he's known for and makes his old team pay, I'm not sure Oakland owner Al Davis is going to be able to sit there and take that particular galling turn of events.

• Speaking of reunion games of headline significance, there really aren't many on this year's schedule. The Falcons' Michael Turner returns to San Diego in Week 13, and Julius Jones and the Seahawks make a trip to Dallas on Thanksgiving, but other than that, there's not much to get all worked up about.

Jerry Porter and the Jaguars don't play Oakland. Alan Faneca and the Jets don't get a shot at the Steelers. Asante Samuel and the Eagles won't have to defend against Moss, Tom Brady and the rest of the Patriots. Zach Thomas won't get to face Miami as a first-year Cowboy. Justin Smith and the 49ers aren't playing Cincinnati. Kris Jenkins and the Jets don't play Carolina. Cleveland's Shaun Rogers can't get revenge on the Lions, and ditto for Tank Johnson, he of the Cowboys but formerly of the Bears.

And lastly, if the Pacman Jones trade does eventually get done and Jones returns to the field this season, the Titans can't possibly pay for it this year. Dallas and Tennessee don't meet, which takes that potential hype-fest off the table.

* Of the potential coaching reunion games, the pickings are pretty slim as well. Rookie head coach John Harbaugh of Baltimore gets to match wits with his former boss of nine years in Andy Reid when the Eagles play at the Ravens in Week 12. And Washington's Jim Zorn goes back to Seattle, where he was quarterbacks coach for Mike Holmgren, in Week 12.

But all those ex-Dallas coaches who went with Tony Sparano to Miami don't get a shot at the Cowboys, and ex-Jacksonville defensive coordinator Mike Smith won't see the Jags this year in his new role as Atlanta's head coach. With the Falcons and Patriots not meeting, we won't get a Thomas Dimitroff trying to build a new version of New England down south storyline either.

• Miami at St. Louis in Week 13 is worth a look, if only to see the top two picks in this year's draft go head-to-head for the first time. It'd be kind of fun if it wound up being Dolphins defensive end Chris Long trying to get the best of Rams offensive tackle Jake Long all day....uh, long.

Or vice versa, with Rams defensive end Chris Long going up against Dolphins offensive tackle Jake Long. Take your pick. Lord knows I've tried.

• Holmgren's farewell tour in Seattle has at least one very nice touch to it: He and his Seahawks will face no fewer than four teams that are led by former Holmgren assistants: Washington (Zorn), Philadelphia (Andy Reid), Buffalo (Dick Jauron), and Tampa Bay (Jon Gruden). That should save Holmgren a few phone calls and goodbye emails.

• The Adrian Peterson Revenge Tour rolls on. Of the six teams that passed on the Vikings running back in the 2007 draft, he got to play against three of them as a rookie: Oakland, Detroit and Washington. He'll add two more to that list this season: at Tampa Bay in Week 11 and at Arizona in Week 15.

• Green Bay plays at Seattle in Week 6, in a rematch of their NFC Divisional round playoff from January, that memorable snowy tableau at Lambeau that wound up being Brett Favre's final win as a Packers icon (maybe). Here's hoping the weather gods even up the score for the hometown Seahawks with one of those drenching Seattle rains on game day.

• Somebody give me credit for getting through this entire story without once listing any team's strength of schedule percentage. In the NFL, where change seems to be the only constant, there is no less meaningful, but ever-popular statistic.

For once I'm looking at a tough schedule and not dreading it. I'm so excited for these matchups and being on the national stage.

I say "Don't sing it, bring it. Just bring it."

I think we're ready.

Same here, ammo.

It is a heck of a schedule. With the AFC South and NFC East, we get all 4 of last year's wild card teams, but so does our AFC North competition. The one consolation is Pitt has New England and San Diego where we have Buffalo and Denver.

We need to win the North. I do not see a wild card coming from our division. 3-3 against the North is not good enough.

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For once I'm looking at a tough schedule and not dreading it.

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Now that right there is the right attitude..

Thank god I have season tickets and no more school (Senior baby!)

Can't wait for this year, it is gonna be fun as hell (BARRING INJURIES )

On a personal level I don't like this schedule. Too many late or primetime games. I can't stand waiting for the Browns to play on Sunday. It's brutal. And I couldn't care less about national exposure.

What a lousy schedule - NFL football is meant to be played at 1:00 on Sundays. Monday Night Football is no longer the juggernaut it was back in the 70s, 80s and early 90s. Ratings are bad for Monday night games on ESPN and the glamour spot is now the Sunday night games on NBC. Too many night games and 4:00 starts for me.

Well, you better learn.

These primetime games will make my wife very happy. Except for that Thursday game when I have to go out to a bar. I already told her I was going and we will still be fighting as I head out the door in November.

An observation on the schedule: as someone who only goes to one, maybe two, games a season, I can't believe how much easier it will be to get tickets to the Ravens and Bengals games with the likes of Dallas and Indi coming to town. Of course the Bengals game might have been a little easier anyway w/ the cold weather.

jk


I'm just happy we have a schedule to look forward too, wasnt that long ago the schedule came out and Cleveland's name wasnt even on it.......

just clickin....


If anyone ever wanted a schedule for us to go against that declares loud and clear that "the BROWNS are Back", this one is it.

It is a very demanding schedule against the absolute best teams in the league and almost all of it will occur either in Prime Time or on nationally televised 4pm games.

If we falter and limp in we're just another team like the Bengals that were nothing but flash-in-the-pan pretenders.

If we stand strong and come through it with a trip to the playoffs, then it is a shot across the bow of the league that we've arrived and must be reckoned with.... that the AFC North road now goes through Cleveland and that we must be considered amongst the elite of the AFC... that we are legitimate contenders.

I don't see much of any middle ground in it either... we will either take the next step and claim our (rightful) place or we will take a step back and be on par with the Bengals of last year.

This schedule is a big, fat, giant storybook opportunity for us.