From Browns.com,
Linky el' Dinky You want storylines? The Browns' 2007 schedule has plenty of them. Some are obvious. Others you might have to dig to find.
Either way, ClevelandBrowns.com has packaged storylines for you for every game of the 2007 season here in an early view of the '07 slate. These should get you excited for the season opener just 149 days away:
Sept. 9 vs. Pittsburgh: 2007 will mark only the fifth time in franchise history the Browns have opened the season against the Steelers. The Browns are 2-2 in those games including a 43-0 loss at Browns Stadium on Sept. 12, 1999 to kick off the Browns' new era. It's also the first game for the Steelers not coached by someone named Cowher or Noll since 1968.
Sept. 16 vs. Cincinnati: It won'tbe long before Eric Steinbach and Shaun Smith face off against their old team. Surely, the members of the Bengals will be looking forward to seeing their old teammates across the line of scrimmage. Steinbach will be out to prove to his old mates that he's effective with new guys around him, while Smith will look to help do what the Browns have been unable to do for the past several years: stop Rudi Johnson. In his last six games against the Browns, Johnson has averaged 5.1 yards per carry and 127 yards per game with 7 touchdowns.
Sept. 23 at Oakland: The Browns' first road game of '07 is in a familiar place: McAfee Coliseum, where they will visit for the third consecutive year looking for their third win in as many tries. Keep in mind, whomever the Browns select third overall in the upcoming draft will have been passed on by the Raiders with the No. 1 pick. That could make for some interesting motivation early in the Browns' rookie's career. Surely, though, this game will be about the on-field meeting of the team's respective first-round picks.
Sept. 30 at Baltimore: No question the No. 1 story in every sports section of every paper in the two cities during the week leading up to this game will be Jamal Lewis' first meeting against his old club. Get ready to see tapes of Lewis' 295-yard day against the Browns ad nauseum as he looks to do the same against his former club four years and two weeks after the record-breaking day in 2003.
Oct. 7 at New England: Once again, the story writes itself. Both coaches may try to minimize it but Romeo Crennel's return to Foxboro to face the team with which he won three Super Bowls will be on the minds of both he and Bill Belichick throughout the week. Meanwhile, long-time Patriot Willie McGinest will get his first crack at his old team after being released by the club in 2006.
Oct. 14 vs. Miami: Kellen Winslow and the Browns thought they could avoid Joey Porter after he was released by the Steelers earlier this year. But he signed with the Dolphins, who the Browns play in Cleveland in October. For an even better storyline, watch for Porter's return to Pittsburgh on Monday night, Nov. 26.
Oct. 28 at St. Louis: Just how far has the Browns' 3-4 defense come since Crennel and Todd Grantham arrived on the scene in 2005? We'll know after the Browns make a trip to St. Louis to play the Rams. Will Leigh Bodden and the Browns' young cornerbacks be able to slow Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce? How will Kamerion Wimbley stack up against Orlando Pace? And how will the Browns' revamped rush defense handle 1,500-yard rusher Steven Jackson? Talk about a measuring stick.
Nov. 4 vs. Seattle: A couple of veterans face off against their old teams in Browns receiver Joe Jurevicius and Seahawks safety Brian Russell. Jurevicius will see the silver and blue on the field in person for the first time since playing for the club in Super Bowl XL.
Nov. 11 at Pittsburgh: The Browns currently lead the all-time series between the arch rivals, 55-51. Include playoff games and it cuts the Browns' lead to 55-53. That means, with a win on opening day and a win on Nov. 11, the Steelers have a chance to tie the all-time series for the first time ever. The Browns have led the series since winning the first eight matchups between the teams from 1950-53, but have lost 20 of the past 23 games against the Steelers since 1994.
Nov. 18 at Baltimore: Lewis' first game against the Ravens as a Brown will be second only to his return to the stadium in which he ran for the NFL single-game rushing record in 2003. Since he was released by the club and didn't leave as a free agent, it will be interesting to see the reception Lewis gets from fans at M&T Bank Stadium.
Nov. 25 vs. Houston: The Browns have developed a mini-rivalry with the Houston Texans during the past several years. The Browns won the final game of the 2004 campaign at Houston spoiling what would have been the Texans' first .500 season in club history. In '05, the 0-6 Texans scored one of only two victories on the season against the Browns in Houston. Then in '06, the clubs met again in the season finale with offseason momentum on the line. The Texans beat the Browns, 14-6, to improve to 6-10 and deny Cleveland of their fifth win. This time the game could have playoff implications.
Dec. 2 at Arizona: Bill Cowher may no longer be coaching in the NFL, but his offensive coordinator is. The Browns will get to find out if they'll have any more luck against the disciple, Cardinals new head coach Ken Whisenhunt, than they did against the mentor. He even kind of looks like Cowher if you squint real hard...
Dec. 9 at the New York Jets: Jets' first-year head coach Eric Mangini had a pretty good year in 2006. He surprised many by leading his team to a 10-6 record and a trip to the AFC playoffs. He even beat his mentor, Bill Belichick, and his old club, the New England Patriots, in Foxboro. He didn't, however, beat his other mentor, former Patriots defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel. Mangini and the Jets lost to the Browns, 20-13, on Oct. 29. Mangini will get another chance against Crennel, this time at the Meadowlands.
Dec. 16 vs. Buffalo: If nothing else, it's Buffalo's first regular-season trip to Cleveland since the days of Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas and Andre Reed. Unfortunate considering the mere three-hour drive between the two cities. The Browns have lost three consecutive games against the Bills dating to a playoff win for Cleveland during the 1989 season. The Browns haven't beaten the Bills during the regular season since 1987. Wouldn't a foot of snow for this one just be perfect?
Dec. 23 at Cincinnati: Somehow I doubt Steinbach will be greeted nicely at Paul Brown Stadium come this late-season division matchup. Meanwhile, the Bengals are in the midst of their longest win streak ever against the Browns. They've won five consecutive games in the series with the last Browns' win coming in Oct. 2004. By sweeping the Browns for the third consecutive year in 2007, the Bengals can tie the longest win streak in the history of the Browns-Bengals series. The Browns won seven consecutive games against Cincinnati from 1992-95. With a season sweep themselves, the Browns could steal back the overall series slate, which the Bengals now lead, 34-33.
Dec. 30, 2007 vs. San Francisco: Looking to the future, who knows what the story will be by the final game of the 2007 season. But looking to the past, the Browns' oldest matchup against a still-existing football team is an Oct. 27, 1946 game against the 49ers at Municipal Stadium. It was only one of two losses the Browns suffered that year on the way to the All-America Football Conference championship. The clubs played each other 10 times during the their first six years of existence but have met only twice since 1990. Meanwhile, it will be backup quarterback Trent Dilfer's first matchup against the Browns since being traded away from the team in '06.
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