Catch this!

Joe Cleveland sat in the Dawg Pound on Sunday and listened as Buffalo Bills fans made our Stadium sound like theirs in Orchard Park, N.Y.

It was embarassing, and if the players are hurt by that, so be it. It is on them to change the culture around here, and the only way they do that is by winning football games, especially at home.

It's kind of hard to cheer when your team gives up two quick first quarter touchdowns and then has to play from behind the rest of the game.

The Browns had to play from behind last week in Cincinnati and also had to play from behind in Week 1 against Philadelphia. Thanks to an opportunistic defense and an all-around poor game from Michael Vick, the Browns actually had the fourth quarter lead, but couldn't hold on.

One common denomonator for all three of these games is the wide receivers' inability to do the one fundemental thing that makes them receivers -- CATCH THE FOOTBALL!

If it seems like the Browns always seem to have the market cornered on receivers who do everything well except secure the football with their hands when it is thrown in their direction, you wouldn't be too far off.

You can see a Greg Little and raise him a Braylon Edwards.

You can see a Josh Gordon and raise him a Quincy Morgan.

And on and on and on.

Heck, ever since the Browns let Reggie Langhorne, Webster Slaughter and Brian Brennan leave the team as free agents in one fell swoop following the 1991 season, the team has collectively struggled to catch the football.

When the original Browns moved to Baltimore (who, coincidentally, the current Browns will be seeing Thursday night in Crabcake-ville) and the Browns were reborn three years later, the dropsies only seemed to get worse and magnified with each regime in charge.

Because the best way to deal with frustration is by simply poking fun at the problem, Joe Cleveland has decided to rank the Top 13 Worst Wide Receivers the Browns have had. Drops and attitude are the two biggest factors in this list, and the Browns have been rife with receivers with plenty of both. Draft position and starts were also considered.

I did not factor tight ends into this equation, or else Kellen Winslow, Rickey Dudley, O.J. Santiago, Irv Smith and Mark Campbell would certainly crack this list. I just stuck with wide receivers -- the list was bad enough.

1. Braylon Edwards: 4.5 seasons (2005-09), 238 catches, 3,697 yards, 28 touchdowns, 1 Pro Bowl -- With his numbers, you would think that a guy like Edwards, the third-overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, would be lower on this list, if not completely off it. However, Edwards was not only a notorious pass-dropper, his attitude was probably one of the worst a Browns player has ever had (and there have been plenty of divas). He was not happy to be here, and from Day 1, he made no secret about that. He carried himself with an undeserved sense of entitlement from the get-go, never blamed himself for his or his teams problems, got into visable altercations with his quarterbacks on the sidelines, undermined the coaches he played for, only seemed to play well on games that were nationally televised, took plays off, unintentionally spiked a teammate when he raced him during training camp while that receiver had stocking feet, and was out with that same receiver on the night that player drove drunk and struck a pedestrian, killing him (then, proving lessons aren't learned, was arrested for a DUI less than a year later). He ripped on Cleveland fans both before and after he was traded midway through the 2009 season. His 2007 Pro Bowl season proved to be an abberation. His attitude was too much for even the acerbic, trash-talking New York Jets and they let him leave as a free agent. Since then, he's had forgettable seasons in San Francisco and (currently) Seattle. Browns fans will never forget Braylon Edwards, and he will be booed every time he plays in Cleveland for the rest of his career.

2. Donte Stallworth: 2 seasons (2008-09), 17 catches, 170 yards, 2 touchdowns -- Stallworth was the 13th overall selection by New Orleans back in 2002, but he was essentially a journeyman receiver who was coming off a decent season in New England with the Browns invested in him as a free agent. He was the receiver who decided to race Edwards while Edwards was wearing cleats and he was in his socks and had to miss a few games with a wound to his heel. When he returned, he didn't do very much very well and was largely a forgettable free agent bust in 2008. But, during the offseason in 2009, Stallworth left a party thrown by his buddy Edwards drunk, drove home, and struck and killed a pedestrian who was crossing the street. Stallworth was suspended without pay by the NFL in 2009, and the Browns quietly released him following that season. He is currently out of football after bouncing around for a few teams. Stallworth was supposed to be a signing that put a 10-6 Browns team over the top. Instead, it sunk them.

3. Andre Rison, 1 season (1995), 47 catches, 701 yards, 3 touchdowns -- I thought about ranking Rison higher on this list, but at least he didn't kill anyone. Rison was the Dead Judas' final act in Cleveland -- a marquee free agent signing following a Pro Bowl season in Atlanta who was going to be the team's missing piece in a run to the Super Bowl. Of course, we all know Judas had to borrow from at least two banks to pay Rison's $5 million signing bonus (which only added to his impending bankruptcy and his choice to move the team). Rison talked a big game and acted like he was too big for Cleveland, which didn't sit well with the blue-collar fanbase. Rison liked to preen and pose, but dropped a few passes, didn't block for his other receivers or runners and didn't mesh well with his quarterback, Vinny Testaverde, or his buttoned-up head coach, Bill Belichick. When the team announced they were moving, Rison added fuel to the fire when he said he "couldn't want to play in Baltimore" and ripped the Browns fans who booed the team during the team's final few games. Almost fittingly, Rison was the first player the newly-christened Ravens released upon the move being granted. He did rebound to catch a touchdown pass in the Super Bowl the very next season and immediately followed that up with a Pro Bowl season in Kansas City in 1997. But, those proved to be fleeting moments. He retired in 2000, never playing a game in Cleveland again.

4. Quincy Morgan, 3.5 seasons (2001-04), 133 catches, 2,056 yards, 15 touchdowns -- Morgan was the poster-child for Browns receivers who couldn't catch a cold if they were standing naked in Siberia. He was drafted 33rd overall with a high second-round pick by incoming head coach Butch Davis, and Morgan displayed some big-play ability whenever he decided to hang on to the ball. He led the NFL with a 17.2-yard-per-catch average in 2002, the last year the Browns made the playoffs. But, his preening after a questionable fourth-down reception late in 2001 gave the replay officials enough to time to request a review of his catch (well, not really enough time, since the Browns got a snap off and ran a first-down play), and the ball just moved enough in his hands for the replay officials to overturn the call, knocking the Browns out of playoff contention and starting a bottle-throwing debacle that is still known throughout the town as "BottleGate." Morgan's attitude and propensity to drop passes finally persuaded Davis to trade him to Dallas for another petulant receiver named Antonio Bryant, and Morgan wasn't shy about telling everyone his true feelings for Cleveland after he left, even though he didn't amount to very much after he left. His claim to fame was catching a garbage-time, rub-it-in touchdown during a Christmas Day 2005 Steelers blowout at Browns Stadium and then taking a kickoff out of the end zone with Denver one season later and getting blasted at the 5 by the Browns special teams, and not playing another down the rest of the day. Morgan only caught two more touchdown passes and played two more seasons after the Browns gave up on him, although he does have a Super Bowl championship ring as a member of the Steelers in 2005.

5. Derrick Alexander, 2 seasons (1994-95), 63 catches, 1,044 yards, 2 touchdowns -- Alexander was the Browns' second first-round draft choice (29th overall) in 1994 and was expected to immediately be the starter opposite Michael Jackson, who was having a fine career after being taken in the sixth round back in 1991. Alexander held out and then had trouble grasping the offense in 1994, although the Browns went 11-5, qualified for the playoffs and won a playoff game (the last time they did that in franchise history). During the Browns' 29-9 divisional round loss to the Steelers, Alexander was whistled for a back-breaking unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after he caught a first down pass and flung it at the Steeler guarding him, and then didn't catch another pass the rest of the day. Alexander battled injuries and a loss of playing time to big free-agent signing Andre Rison in 1995, making the rest of his Browns tenure very forgettable (15 catches, 215 yards, 0 touchdowns). He rebounded with some standout seasons for the pass-happy Ravens (1996-97) and the Kansas City Chiefs (1998-2000) and was reunited with Rison in 2000 for his best season (78 catches, 10 touchdowns). But, that's where the saga ends, and retired as a Minnesota Viking in 2002. Like Braylon, Alexander was from the University of Michigan, which puts two former Wolverines in the top five.

6. Greg Little, 1.5 seasons (2011-12), 68 catches, 783 yards, 3 touchdowns -- Little will always be stacked up against Atlanta's Julio Jones, fair or not. The Browns traded the sixth overall pick to the Falcons, who took Jones, while the Browns received two first rounders, a second and a fourth in 2012. That second-rounder was Little, who hadn't played the previous season due to losing his NCAA eligibility. Little was second among rookies with 61 catches last season, but led the NFL with 15 drops. That hasn't changed during his sophomore season. He dropped a potential touchdown pass in the season opener that wound up becoming the first of four interceptions thrown by rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden. Little redeemed himself with a good game against the Bengals, but drew fans ire with his excessive celebrations following the touchdown (which only cut Cincinnati's lead to 10 points) and for his Tweets afterward, in which he criticized fans who ripped him saying he doesn't care what they think. He then proceeded to drop several more balls during Sunday's game, made the overexaggerated Usain Bolt pose following his lone catch (a first down) and was yelled at on the sidelines by head coach Pat Shurmur and position coach Mike Wilson. Little has since said he wouldn't celebrate as much and would concentrate on catching the ball. However, it may be too late. Browns fans may have seen the next Braylon.

7. Darren Chiaverini, 2 seasons (1999-2000), 52 catches, 555 yards, 5 touchdowns -- Chiaverini was selected in the fifth round in the Browns' inaugural rookie draft. Not much was expected of him, but he wound up starting eight games as a rookie opposite fellow rookie Kevin Johnson and caught 44 passes with four touchdowns. He crashed back to Earth as a second-year player, starting only two games and only catching eight passes with a touchdown, and was sent packing by incoming head coach Butch Davis. Chiaverini caught 10 passes and two touchdowns as a Cowboys reserve the next season, but was out of football after a catchless season as a Falcon in 2002. He had no business being in the NFL, let alone starting for an NFL team.

8. Travis Wilson, 2 seasons (2006-07), 2 catches, 32 yards, 0 touchdowns -- Wilson, who was a third-round selection by then-GM Phil Savage in 2006, immediately put the target on him when he proclaimed that he was the best wide receiver in the entire draft class in his introductary press conference. He then had an ill-advised holdout and wound up only playing four games as a rookie (with one start), with those two catches. Wilson was deactivated for every single game his second year and was quietly released the following year, never playing in the NFL again. As far as his proclimations as the "best receiver in the draft," Santonio Holmes (first round) and Greg Jennings (second round) might take issue with that statement.

9. Brian Robiskie, 2.5 seasons (2009-11), 39 catches, 441 yards, 3 touchdowns -- Incoming head coach Eric Mangini acquired three second-round picks for his first (and only) draft, and proceeded to squander all three. The first one of those three, which was the second pick in the round, was spent on Robiskie, a Chagrin Falls product who had a productive career at Ohio State and is the son of a former NFL receiver and receivers coach, Terry Robiskie. Instead of showing everyone that he was the "most pro-ready receiver in the draft," Robiskie quickly became an afterthought. He only caught seven passes for 106 yards as a rookie, where he only played in 11 games and started one. He did better his second year, starting 11 games and catching 29 balls with three touchdowns. But it wasn't nearly good enough to show that he was worthy of being the 36th overall selection. After just three catches as a Brown in six games (two starts) last season, he was waived. He was claimed by Jacksonville but didn't catch a pass in six games and is currently out of football.

10. Andre Davis, 3 seasons (2002-04), 93 catches, 1,414 yards, 13 touchdowns -- Davis makes this list mostly because he could never stay 100 percent healthy during his brief stint with the Browns after he became the fourth-straight receiver selected in the second round by the team (joining Kevin Johnson, Morgan and Dennis Northcutt). Also, he wound up making his mark as a kickoff and punt returner and not as a receiver for the remainder of his career. A second-round receiver should be more than a good career kickoff guy. He was on the receiving end of the longest touchdown in Browns history -- a 99-yard pass from Jeff Garcia in a win over the Cincinnati Bengals in 2004. However, he was injured shortly after the play and wound up missing most of the rest of that season, only finishing with 16 catches. He caught 37 and 40 balls his first two years, but never caught more than 33 over the remainder of his career, which ended in 2009 as a member of the Houston Texans. He did have four kickoff return touchdowns (three with the Texans in 2007) in his career.

11. Patrick Rowe, 2 seasons (1992-93), 3 catches, 37 yards, 0 touchdowns -- Rowe was a second-round draft choice by Bill Belichick before he became a "genius." Belichick believed Rowe, who starred at San Diego State, would help the team overcome the losses of Webster Slaughter, Brian Brennan and Reggie Langhorne. He was WAAAYYY wrong. Rowe was lost for the season in his first training camp with a knee injury, and when he returned in 1993, he could barely get on the field. He only played in five games before he was released. Rowe never played another down in the NFL. Nice drafting, Genius!

12. Antonio Bryant, 1.5 seasons (2004-05), 111 catches, 1,555 yards, 8 touchdowns -- Bryant came into the NFL with a reputation of having a bad attitude, and that attitude festered in Dallas. After an incident where Bryant threw a towel in the direction of either head coach Bill Parcells or owner Jerry Jones, his days were numbered. He was sent to Cleveland at the trading deadline in 2004 for butterfingers Quincy Morgan. Bryant did well upon the trade, catching 42 passes and 4 touchdowns during his 10 games in a Browns uniform, and much was expected of him in 2005 when he'd be teamed with incoming rookie Braylon Edwards, free agent signing Joe Jurevicius and second-year tight end Kellen Winslow. But, Winslow injured his knee in a motorcycle accident, Edwards underachieved as a rookie and Bryant was counted on to be the No. 1 receiver. He caught 69 passes for over 1,000 yards, but he still dropped a few passes and his attitude was never that much better. He left after the season as a free agent, spending the next three seasons in San Francisco and Tampa Bay before retiring in 2009 at the age of 28.

13. Lawyer Tillman, 5 seasons (1989-93), 36 catches, 636 yards, 3 touchdowns -- The Browns braintrust, led by Ernie Accorsi, was so enthralled with the 6-foot-5 Auburn product that they traded Herman Fontenot and next year's first round choice for the right to take Tillman in the second round in 1989. Tillman responded with a lengthy holdout, spending more time in the training room and on the operating table than on the football field and not performing very well whenever he was healthy and playing. He only played three of the five seasons he was with the Browns, missing two full seasons due to injury. His best season was his comeback season in 1992, when he caught 25 passes for 498 yards, but by then, he had been moved to tight end. He played five more NFL games with expansion Carolina in 1995 before retiring for good, going down in history as one of the Browns' most colossal draft busts of all time.

Honorable Mention: Rico Smith (1992-95), Dennis Northcutt (2000-06), Leslie Shepherd (1999), Carlton Mitchell (2010-11), Michael Bates (1995), Frisman Jackson (2002-05), Mohammed Massaquoi (2009-12), Zola Davis (1999), Kevin Johnson (1999-2003), Josh Gordon (2012).

Paul Warfield would be ashamed of that list. This is why the Browns have struggled to have any semblance of a passing offense since they've returned. Sure, the revolving door at quarterback hasn't helped, but if a receiver could stay healthy, shut his trap and catch the ball when it's thrown in his direction, perhaps one of those QBs stays a bit longer.

Hopefully, one of the guys on the current team can blossom into a reliable receiving threat to help out Brandon Weeden, Colt McCoy or whoever the next QB of the Browns winds up being (hopefully not Matt Barkley).

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!

Raising the roof

So, the Cleveland media and the local sports-talkers were all abuzz the last few days over an observation made by incoming Browns owner Jimmy Haslam III when he met with members of Cleveland's City Council.

Haslam spoke about making improvements to Cleveland Browns Stadium and making better use out of it than it is currently. One councilman asked if those improvements factor in a dome or retractable roof. Haslam did not answer it directly, but did say that he will have three well-known archtect firms take a look at the stadium to see what improvements can be done in the future.

Suddenly, everyone in this town got Dome-Fever all of a sudden. There was no happy medium -- you either are for a roof on the stadium, or you are against it.

Joe Cleveland can only chuckle about this latest prospect of a dome on Cleveland Browns Stadium.

I can remember growing up in the 1980s and seeing signs posted in Downtown Cleveland proclaiming it to be the "future home of a domed stadium" that would have housed both the Browns and Indians. As we all know, that plan never came to fruition.

Eventually, Cuyahoga County taxpayers approved the Sin Tax to help build the Gateway facilities -- Jacobs (now Progressive) Field and Gund (now Quicken Loans) Arena. They also voted for an extension in 1995 that helped build Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Neither of the two stadiums were built with a dome or roof of some kind.

Back when the NFL came to their settlement agreement with the cities of Cleveland and Baltimore that paved the way for the dead Judas to relocate his football franchise while forcing him to leave behind the name, tradition, history and colors of the Cleveland Browns, part of the agreement was that Cleveland build the new team -- one that would be relocated or an expansion team -- a new football stadium. The NFL kicked in some of the costs and controlled the courtship over which teams could potentially move to Cleveland or if there would wind up being an expansion team (which the latter happened).

When Cleveland set to build the new stadium, the subject of a dome came up. A good portion of the fan base who were very angry about the move were dead set against a roof of any kind being put over the stadium. Browns Football was about the elements, damnit! It's not Cleveland Browns football without games being played on grass, outdoors in December and January, with low temperatures and swirling snow coming in off Lake Erie.

This is the Browns Football our parents and grandparents remember.

But, Cleveland went to the NFL and asked if it was feasible to put a roof over the new stadium. And, if they did, would the NFL consider staging the Super Bowl at the domed facility in Cleveland?

The NFL, at the time, was reeling from a PR-nightmare that was a Super Bowl in Minneapolis. Players and league executives complained about the outside temperatures and how it prevented them from doing fun things away from the game itself. So, they told Cleveland officials that there was "no chance" that a Super Bowl would be staged in ANY cold weather city, much less Cleveland.

Cleveland officials, satisfied with that answer, went ahead with the plan to build an open-air stadium.

The Browns situation paved the way for new stadiums to be built in Tampa, Indianapolis, Chicago, New England, Detroit, Seattle, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Houston, and led to extended talks in both San Francisco and Minneapolis. The Bucs, Colts, Bengals, Lions, 49ers, Bears and Vikings all flirted with moving to Cleveland before an expansion team was awarded in 1998. Pittsburgh, seeing what happened to Cleveland and having it hit close to home, wouldn't let the Rooneys make a similar decision with the Steelers and built Heinz Field, which opened in 2001.

Shortly after the Browns began playing in 1999, Detroit built a domed stadium in Downtown near a new baseball park and a new casino. The NFL promised Detroit a Super Bowl if they built the new domed stadium, and they delievered on their promise. Since then, the NFL has awarded Super Bowls to other cities with cold-weather climates, such as Indianapolis and New Jersey.

Now, Cleveland and Browns fans were a little angry. If these cities can get a Super Bowl, why can't Cleveland? And, it harkens back to the dome.

Now, everyone wants be a revisionist. Now, everyone looks at the "Crystal Palace" (as Jim Donovan calls it) and sees a "Factory of Sadness" (as Mike Polk Jr. calls it) that is only used 10 Sundays a year with a handful of other dates sprinked in for high school football, Ohio State football and the annual Black College game, and wonders why this beautiful facilty is festering away on the lakefront.

People think putting a dome, or at the very least, a retractable roof, over the place would rectify these things.

Joe Cleveland is saying to slow down for just a second.

You may build it, but they still may not come.

If Cleveland can get the NFL to promise (IN WRITING) that they will bring a Super Bowl here if the city puts a roof over the stadium, than I may be on board. However, the NFL is not going to do that.

The main thing seperating Cleveland from Detroit and Indianapolis is hotel space. Cleveland has some nice hotels in town and in the suburbs. However, the lodging would be inadequate for a huge event like the Super Bowl.

OK, then, what about things like the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four, or the Big Ten Championship Game, or even the MAC Championship Game, or the Big Ten Basketball Tournament. Wouldn't a domed facility be attractive to hold those types of events?

Sure they would, but why would the NCAA and the Big Ten come to Cleveland? They can get a dome anywhere.

Once again, it comes down to hotels. Indianapolis, Chicago, San Antonio, Detroit and New Orleans have it. Cleveland does not.

Well, as a buddy of mine argued, don't you think that more hotels would come to town if a domed facility came to fruition?

Possibily, but let's point out one big giant fact here.

When the casino bill passed statewide, Cleveland was one of the locations. The plan was for a hotel and casino and restaurant to be built. However, all the other hotel and restaurant owners in Cleveland complained that it would hurt their businesses.

So, the city made Dan Gilbert build the casino without a hotel. He had to buy the neighboring Ritz-Carlton just to secure the hotel rooms for the Horseshoe Casino.

There was a golden opportunity to add to the hotel space in Cleveland, and Cleveland wouldn't do it. What makes you think that any other hotel operator would come here under these particular guidelines?

If Dan Gilbert, the golden goose of Cleveland, couldn't get a hotel built, what makes you think that anyone else would?

So, in the end, we'd be left with a giant albatross of a facility that would only bs used as much as it currently is.

And, who's going to pay for this upgrade, if it's even feasible? Do you think Haslam, after shelling out $1 billion to buy the franchise, would pony up for it?

Nope.

Will Cleveland pay for it? Hell no!

So, it would be on you and me, the taxpayers of Cuyahoga County, to furnish the money to build this roof that, quite honestly, we really don't need.

Ticket prices would skyrocket for Browns games to help fund this roof, retractable or not. You think fans would willingly shell out $120 for tickets that already cost $60? I doubt it, especially if the team doesn't start winning.

Honestly, it would be in Jimmy Haslam's best interest to try to get the Browns to PLAY in a Super Bowl and WIN a Super Bowl and not worry about HOSTING a Super Bowl.

You want more revenue? Schedule some summer concerts at the stadium. The old Cleveland Stadium played host to numerous memorable concerts -- Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, The Jacksons, The Who, the World Series of Rock, the Concert for the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, the list goes on and on and on.

This past summer, Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw staged a concert at Cleveland Browns Stadium. I don't know how well it drew, but that should just be the tip of the iceberg.

If the "Big 4" of Metal (Metallica/Slayer/Megadeth/Anthrax) want to do a stadium tour, bring it to Cleveland Browns Stadium!

If Springsteen wants to play the stadium again, bring him back to Cleveland Browns Stadium!

The Who, the Rolling Stones, Van Halen, etc. Heck, go the country route again. Cleveland has a big country music fan base.

One thing the dead Judas did (and did well) was allow concert promoter Jules Belkin free reign to stage events around downtime that the Browns and Indians weren't playing. Cleveland Stadium truly rocked back in the 1970s, 80s and even the 90s before it got knocked down.

For whatever reason, the Lerner family never went that route.

You don't need a roof to stage a rock or country concert at the stadium!

Does Billy Graham want to stage a revival? Let him rent out the stadium! Does he need a roof over his head to do it? Isn't the whole point of a Christian revival to allow God in on the proceedings? Wouldn't an open-air stadium be perfect for that?

There's plenty of ways to use the facility without putting a roof over it, if it could even happen.

Joe Cleveland just isn't feeling the whole Dome-Hysteria, and it's not just because I'm a football purist at heart. Yes, I want my football played in the elements.

But, I think everyone believes that a domed facility would be the answer to all of our prayers and be able to stage all of these fantastic events, and I think those people are wrong.

It just reeks of Cleveland being late to the party and trying to cash in. If they really wanted a dome, they should have built one in the first place instead of trying to finagle some way to put one on the existing stadium.

In the end, I think Cleveland will lose more than they'll win. They'll lose without the additional revenue. They'll lose with higher taxes. They'll lose with higher ticket prices. And, if that's the case, they may end up losing their team ... again.

Stop worrying about the stadium and start worrying about the product that uses that stadium. If you build a winner, they will come.

Do you hear Pittsburgh, Baltimore or Cincinnati complaining that they didn't put a roof on their stadiums when they built them? I don't hear anything.

Do you hear New York and New Jersey complaining that they didn't put a roof on their brand-new stadium? I haven't heard anything.

Do you hear Boston and New England complaining that they didn't put a roof on Gilette Stadium? I can't say that I have.

Only in Cleveland do you hear these complaints.

To be honest, if the Browns were winning, you wouldn't hear any complaints. It would be like the good-ol' days of Paul Brown and the Kardiac Kids and Bernie Kosar all over again, games that were won and lost in the snow and freezing temperatures of old Cleveland Stadium while loons in the Dawg Pound barked without shirts on.

Winning cures everything. I'd rather have a winning team play on a parking lot than a losing team play under a dome.

If that means I "don't get it," than I guess I never will. But, you won't hear Joe Cleveland ever clamor for a domed stadium in Cleveland.

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!

'I had no choice'

"I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure." -- Mark Twain

Today, Joe Cleveland read the obituaries on one Arthur B. Modell with great pleasure. This will also be the last time I ever write or say his name. He is dead in more ways than one.

In one of my early blogs, I state the case as to why this man, the former owner of the Cleveland Browns who tore the heart and soul out of this region by cold-heartedly moving this franchise to Baltimore, should NEVER be elected to the Hall of Fame. That link is below:

http://joeclevelandblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/case-against-art-judas-modell.html

Unlike others, especially the Cleveland haters and history revisionists who work for that certain four-letter network, I will not try to give this man any more credit than he is due.

Sometimes, in death, folks tend to look at the bright side of people and point out the things they did right. Joe Cleveland, on the other hand, will call a spade a spade.

You want to see something gushy about the man I've referred to as "Judas," go to ESPN.com or the Baltimore Sun. If you want to read someone tell it like it is, you've come to the right place.

I've always said to my closest family and friends that the day Judas dies will be a day of great celebration in my house. But, I've got to say, when I woke up and and read all of the text messages I received from people, and then clicked on Facebook, I felt an odd sense of calm.

Did I celebrate? A little. But did my eyes tear up for some reason? They did.

They weren't tears of sadness directed at that man. Oh no, that man will never hurt me again. But, it brought me back to 1995.

What should have been one of the best years in a Cleveland sports fan's life -- thanks to the Cleveland Indians going 100-44 and reaching the World Series for the first time since 1954 -- was ruined in one fell swoop by a guy who owned the Cleveland Browns and four fateful words he uttered in a Baltimore parking lot on Nov. 6.

"I had no choice."

Bullcrap, Joe Cleveland says. You did have a choice. You had a choice to sell the team. You had a choice to try to negotiate further with the City of Cleveland. You had a choice to get in on the Gateway project when Cleveland came up with it. And, you had a choice to betray millions of people by making a sneaky underhanded deal with the people of Baltimore, Maryland.

You chose wrong, sir. YOU CHOSE WRONG!

I remember listening to the radio in the kitchen of my parents' house on Dec. 17, 1995. Two days later, I would turn 22 years old. But there was no celebrating on that day.

I listened as the Cleveland Browns, playing for nothing but pride, had one of their best all-around games of the season, beating the Cincinnati Bengals, 26-10. I listened as Earnest Byner, the man behind The Fumble, rushed for 131 yards in his final game in front of the best fans in the NFL at the old Pandemonium Palace.

I listened as Casey Coleman described some fans taking hacksaws to their seats. Some throwing them over the fences and onto the playing surface.

I listened, with my late mother, as Coleman described the impromptu gathering of the Cleveland Browns, wearing those orange helmets, brown jerseys and white pants, in the Dawg Pound, hugging fans and thanking them for their 50 years of support.

At that moment, we both hugged and cried.

"It's over, mom," I sobbed. "I can't believe it's over."

My heart, and the hearts of millions, were truly broken that day. That pain that I shared with my mom, and the pain I shared with my friends who were Browns fans, were the result of one man and his selfish, prideful reasons to move an NFL institution to a city that couldn't even keep their team over 10 years prior to that.

My eyes got misty because of that memory, and the fact that now, finally, after 17 years of frustration and hate for one man, I can finally put it to rest.

I look at the reincarnation of the Cleveland Browns, who have, by and large, sucked for the 13 years they've been back. I look at the fortunes of the franchise that he moved to Baltimore, which was rechristened the Ravens, and watch in disgust as they won a Super Bowl and have become a perennial powerhouse in the AFC (despite never getting back to the big game since the 2000 season).

Did we, as Cleveland fans, deserve this cruel twist of fate? No, we certainly did not. That man is to blame.

Joe Cleveland was among millions of you who called the NFL over and over to let them know that this atrocity would not stand. We flooded and crashed their switchboards. We made our voices heard. We filed class-action lawsuits against that man and what he was trying to do.

In the end, we forced the NFL to make Cleveland a promise (of course, we had to promise a new stadium would be built, which it was) -- a promise of a new football team in three years that would bear the proud name of "Cleveland Browns," complete with the Seal Brown and Burnt Orange colors and those orange helmets and that proud legacy of Paul Brown, Jim Brown, Otto Graham, Lou Groza, Brian Sipe, Bernie Kosar, Paul Warfield, Marion Motley, etc., etc.

Baltimore didn't get that, even though that man tried to bring it there. He tried to say later that he "willingly left the history behind," and the four-letter network tries to support that view, but that's a bunch of baloney.

I'm sure someone has a Baltimore Browns T-shirt or jacket somewhere. I know the team took ads out in Maryland papers selling tickets to the Baltimore Browns before NFL made them stop.

Thank God, they didn't get that from us.

I think, now, the spectre of The Move is away from the Browns franchise. I only wish the Browns would have gotten their act together sooner and won a championship while he was still alive. But, it wasn't meant to be.

Now that he's dead, the Baltimore Ravens are just another franchise, another rival to the Browns. That link to Cleveland has been severed.

Browns fans will never forget about The Move or the impact it had on them personally and professionally. Joe Cleveland will never forget.

However, will it be easier to digest now that the man is gone? I would like to think so.

You can hate and despise someone for a long time, but I celebrate the death because I don't have to hate and despise him anymore. The worms and maggots can take care of that for us. I don't have to be reminded of The Move anymore.

The man was close to bankruptcy because of shoddy business deals and poor decisions. He was a meddlesome owner who ran off the best coach in NFL history in Paul Brown and ran off any other coach that came to town besides Blanton Collier. Blanton Collier won him an NFL championship. Actually, he won CLEVELAND an NFL championship, but that man found vindication in that.

That man was viewed as a "carpetbagger" upon his arrival in 1961, and he never forgot it. He never put the best interests off Cleveland first. He put his own interests first, and that betrayed him.

I listened as a talking head on that four-letter network tried to justify the move to Baltimore as a "sound business decision," and I wanted to reach through my computer screen and punch that guy in the mouth. Really?

If it was so "sound," then why did he have to tuck tail and sell his beloved franchise less than three years after he moved them?

If it was so "sound," why was he consistently hemmoraging money?

If it was so "sound," why is Steve Bisciotti the owner of the Baltimore Ravens and not David Modell?

If it was so "sound," why are they not named the "Baltimore Browns?"

"Sound," my ass!

That man had a billionaire partner in Cleveland in Al Lerner who would have purchased the team from him and kept it in Cleveland. I believe that, inevitably, a new stadium would have been built to replace the decrepit Cleveland Stadium. I believe that, had he done that and holding a minority interest in the team, that man would have had a bust in Canton 15 years ago.

Instead, Lerner paid $530 million to buy the expansion Cleveland Browns, while that man spent himself back into the poor house because of all the money he had to pay. He had to pay the NFL and his fellow owners. He had to pay the City of Cleveland. He had to pay Lerner and Bill Gries to buy their shares of the team. He had to pay focus groups to come up with a new nickname and colors for his team and then had to pay for the trademarks.

I believe that, had he simply sold to Lerner in 1995, on Sunday in the Browns' season opener, they would have dedicated a moment of silence, and Browns fans would have obliged.

Instead, he never stepped foot in this town again after high-tailing it to Baltimore under the threat of death. And, his death led to several moments of glee.

A group of Browns fans gathered in front of Cleveland Browns Stadium Thursday morning and popped some champagne and drank a toast to the man's death. Good for them! Joe Cleveland wishes he could have joined them.

That leads me to my next request -- please, for the love of God, do not try to force the fine Browns fans to adhere to a moment of silence for that man.

I'm sure the four-letter network is gleefully hoping the NFL and the Browns attempt this, so they can air the sound of thousands of fans booing, or cheering, or flipping the bird, or whatever else they're going to do instead of bowing the heads in silence, and then deride us for our so-called "lack of class."

Did Baltimore adhere to a moment of silence when Robert Irsay died? I don't think so. They still roast the guy in effigy, and he's been dead for years. And, they got a team back and won a Super Bowl!

So, why should we have to? It's just another reason for that four-letter network to rub Cleveland's noses in crap and paint us all with an unfair brush.

Why should we have to turn the other cheek? Should Brooklyn fans do the same for Walter O'Malley when he moved the Dodgers to Los Angeles? That happened back in the 1950s, and there are STILL people in Brooklyn angry that it happened.

If Robert Kraft decided to move the Patriots out of New England, you don't think that four-letter network would start a campaign to bring them back? Do you think they would dedicate hours of programming to him if he died, had he done that? Do you think they would force the fans of Boston and New England to have a moment of silence for him, and if they did, do you think they would crucify the fans for booing?

I highly doubt it. But, we're Cleveland, the nation's punch line, the backward-ass losers.

That network found a clip of two fans burning LeBron James' jersey and turned into an entire region of jersey-burners. They found one fan throwing a battery somewhere in the vicinity of James as he sat on the bench during the fourth quarter of the Heat's first game in Cleveland and turned it into 20,000 battery-throwers.

The four-letter network tells Cleveland to "get over it" when it comes to LeQuit. But, are they saying that to the fans of Orlando after the ringer Dwight Howard just put them through? I haven't heard them do it.

And, I'm sure the moment a Cleveland teams wins a championship -- and it will happen -- they will attempt to deride it by airing clips of all the Cleveland sports failures leading up to it, and then proclaiming that it was a fluke and that it won't happen again.

This is why I hope that Mike Holmgren and Randy Lerner and Jimmy Haslam or whoever politely decline to air any tribute to him. Cleveland doesn't need another black-eye, and you're going to have half the stadium doing anything but being silent if it happens.

It's bad enough that they are putting a decal on their helmets all season long. But, I can live with that.

Let the fans of Baltimore sing songs and try to give him the tribute he doesn't deserve, but will get anyway.

My tribute to him is in the above paragraphs and in the blog I wrote one year ago.

May you burn in Hell, Art Modell!

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!

Are you ready for some football?

The Cleveland Browns -- or the latest reincarnation of a new era of a never-ending cycle that began back in 1999 -- will take the field a week from today at Cleveland Browns Stadium to take on the Philadelphia Eagles.

There was a lot of optimism from the frustrated fanbase when the Browns used their two first round picks on a pair of offensive playmakers -- Alabama running back Trent Richardson and Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden. There was a little more optimism when Randy Lerner sold the Browns to Tennessee truck stop magnate Jimmy Haslam III, and Haslam won over the fanbase with his down-home attitude and football-first mentality.

However, since then, the optimism has waned considerably.

Richardson underwent arthroscopic knee surgery just prior to the first preseason game and hasn't practiced since.

Scott Fujita's suspension over Bountygate wasn't overturned.

Linebacker Chris Gocong was lost for the season with an Achilles' tendon rupture.

Joe Haden reportedly tested positive for the drug Adderol, which would carry a four-game suspension. However, the NFL has not commented on the suspension and it appears Haden will play in the opener.

Weeden struggled with protecting the football, especially with fumbles.

A bitter battled waged on between Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace over who would be Weeden's BACKUP.

Rookie right tackle Mitchell Schwartz had a great game sandwiched between two miserable games.

Rookie Josh Gordon and second-year receiver Greg Little had trouble running routes and catching the football.

And, of course, speculation carried over about whether head coach Pat Shurmur would survive this season with a new owner and (presumably) a new team president in Joe Banner taking over.

Add it up, and suddenly there are some fans who think like some of the national pundits do -- that the Browns could be the worst team in the NFL this season and in line for the No. 1 overall pick.

Don't add Joe Cleveland to that list. Now, certainly, I don't think the Browns will be a Super Bowl contender. Not with 15 rookies making up the 53-man roster, including a 28-year-old rookie starting quarterback and a rookie running back whose status for Week 1 is still up in the air.

But the worst team in the league? I don't think so.

Like it or not, Shurmur is on the hot seat. The man who hired him, Mike Holmgren, is probably going to be gone following this year (Haslam can fulfill some of Holmgren's job duties as the "face of the franchise.") Tom Heckert worked with Banner in Philadelphia, but some of Heckert's luster is starting to wear off.

Don't think for a second Haslam and Banner wouldn't want to make a spalsh with a big-profile head coaching hire to try to turn the Browns' fortunes around. Shurmur will simply be fresh out of friends.

Anything less than a 7-9 season will likely send Shurmur packing. And, with the Browns' schedule and the new players, that might be tough to do.

The good news is that the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens appear to be getting older and losing their luster. The Cincinnati Bengals made the playoffs with a rookie QB, but they are the Cincinnati Bengals. If half of those rookies pan out, the Browns fortunes could very well be on the rise. Joe Cleveland will predict that they won't go winless in the AFC North this year.

Joe Cleveland will take his customary seat in the Dawg Pound this Sunday and for seven other Sundays this fall/winter to see if the Browns can take some more steps forward.

Here's a look at the 53-man roster and Joe's take (*-starter, R-Rookie):

QB (3) -- Brandon Weeden (R)*, Colt McCoy, Thad Lewis: Weeden will be the first true rookie to start in Week 1 since the Browns' inaugural 1946 season (Cliff Lewis is the answer to that trivia question). McCoy, who has suddenly become a fan favorite, was retained after a solid preseason and will be Weeden's backup. Lewis is a Shurmur project from his St. Louis Rams days that he feels is worth developing. Not a great group, but it could be worse (see McCoy, Wallace and Lewis from last year).

RB (4) -- Trent Richardson (R)*, Brandon Jackson, Montario Hardesty, Chris Ogbonnaya: The Browns kept four running backs because of Richardson's questionable knee. They also like the upside of Ogbonnaya, who bailed out the Browns' running game last year with the injuries to Hardesty and to departed Peyton Hillis. Hardesty was given the opportunity to start with Richardson's injury and blew it with four miserable preseason performances marred by fumbilitis and dropped passes. Jackson, Green Bay's starting running back in 2010 when they won the Super Bowl, will likely start Week 1 should T-Rich not be medically cleared.

FB (1) -- Owen Marecic*: Marecic, a fourth-round choice last season, beat out Alabama rookie Brad Smelley for the position. Smelley was since added to the practice squad, so he could still wind up getting activated if Marecic struggles. Tight end Alex Smith has also played fullback and could see time in the backfield as well.

WR (6) -- Greg Little*, Mohammed Massaquoi*, Josh Gordon (R), Travis Benjamin (R), Josh Cribbs, Jordan Norwood: Norwood beat out rookie (and Weeden's best friend) Josh Cooper for the sixth WR spot, but Cooper was added to the practice squad. Gordon backs up Little, while Benjamin backs up Massaquoi. Benjamin showed tremendous promise during training camp and the preseason, while Gordon appears to be a work in progress. Massaquoi, a former second-round draft choice, could be in his final chance to show the Browns something before he gets let go. Cribbs will be counted on more in the return game and special teams than on his receiving ability.

TE (3) -- Ben Watson*, Jordan Cameron, Alex Smith: Surprisingly, the Browns elected not to keep four tight ends, especially with the injury status of veteran Watson. Cameron, a second-year player, has emerged as a viable receiving threat and could very well be the starting tight end by season's end. Evan Moore, who was given a big contract extension by the Browns' braintrust, was released because he couldn't block and had been beaten out by Cameron for playing time. Dan Gronkowski (the brother of Rob Gronkowski) showed flashes in training camp, but was a victim in the numbers game.

OT (4) -- Joe Thomas*, Mitchell Schwartz (R)*, Oneil Cousins, Ryan Miller (R): Thomas is the best in the business and a future Hall of Famer. Schwartz had his ups and downs in the preseason but should only get better. Cousins is lucky to have a job after a miserable preseason, but his experience wound up saving him, as the Browns did not want a bunch of rookies at tackle along with Thomas.

OG (2) -- Jason Pinkston*, Shawn Lauvao*: Probably the weakest part of the line. I am not a Lauvao fan by any stretch. Pinkston had his struggles last year, but was aided by playing between a pair of Pro Bowlers in Thomas and Mack that helped cover some of his deficiencies. Backup center John Greco and Miller can also play guard.

C (2) -- Alex Mack*, John Greco: Mack was college teammates with Schwartz three seasons ago, which should help the rookie develop. Mack, a maligned draft pick during Eric Mangini's lone Browns' draft, has emerged as a Pro Bowler at center and a steady force. Greco, a Toledo product, is a veteran who will provide depth at other positions.

DE (6) -- Jabaal Sheard*, Frostee Rucker*, Juqua Parker, Emmanuel Stephens, Brian Sanford, Ishmaa'ily Kitchen (R): Rucker and Parker were the lone free agent signings from Heckert during the offseason. Sheard had a good rookie season and emerged as a pass-rushing force. The Browns expect him to only be better. Rucker and Parker are more run-stoppers. Marcus Benard was expected to help as a pass rusher but he is out for the year. Kitchen, a waiver claim following final day roster cuts, is a local product.

DT (4) -- Athyba Rubin*, John Hughes (R)*, Billy Wynn (R), Scott Paxson: Rubin is very underrated for his play. Last year's first-rounder Phil Taylor will start the year on the PUP list, and his absence will be felt. Hughes, a surprise third-round choice out of Cincinnati, beat out fellow rookie Wynn for the other starting defensive tackle spot. He and Wynn will be counted to pick up the slack until Taylor returns -- if he's able to this year.

LB (7) -- Scott Fujita*, D'Qwell Jackson*, Kaluka Maiava*, James-Michael Johnson (R), L.J. Fort (R), Craig Robertson, Tank Carder (R): Fujita will start the season on the suspended list, which will thin out an already depleated unit that is missing Chris Gocong (out for the season). Johnson, one of the brightest spots of training camp, would have likely started for Fujita, but he's batting an injury and his status is questionable. Carder was a fifth-round choice from Buffalo and claimed off waivers. Fort is an undrafted rookie who started a few preseason games and opened some eyes.

CB (6) -- Joe Haden*, Sheldon Brown*, Dimitri Patterson, Buster Skrine, Trevin Wade (R), Johnson Bademosi (R): Haden may still face NFL discipline for a reported failed drug test for Adderol, but nothing has been comfired about the report. For now, he's practicing with the team and is in line to start Week 1. Brown wasn't moved to safety this year and is a veteran presence in the defensive backfield not afraid to tackle. Skrine had a productive rookie season. Bademosi, an undrafted rookie, made his mark on special teams.

S (5) -- Eric Hagg*, T.J. Ward*, Ray Ventrone, Usama Young, Tashaun Gipson (R): Hagg, a seventh-round choice last year, beat out Young to start at free safety. Ward is a fearsome hitter who has battled injury problems in his brief pro career. Ventrone is a special teams force; a rare holdover from the Mangini days. Gipson made the team as an undrafted rookie, beating out fellow undrafted rookie David Sims, who was traded to the Eagles for a draft pick.

K (1) -- Phil Dawson*: No Browns player is more respected and revered as Dawson, the last remaining player from the expansion 1999 season. And, he's proven to be a reliable kicker from both short and long range, seeming to get better and stronger with age.

P (1) -- Reggie Hodges*: Hodges' absense last year from a torn Achilles hurt the Browns, as they were one of the worst punting teams in the league last season. He has had two punts blocked this preseason, but that's the fault of the punt team. He appears to be healthy and at full strength. Hodges will also hold on field goals and extra points.

LS (1) -- Christian Yount*: Yount quietly held down the fort at long snapper after respected veteran and Pro Bowler Ryan Pontbriand suddenly lost his abilities last season (and is now out of football). The Browns have always had a knack for finding great long snappers, and Yount continues the tradition.

KR/PR (4) -- Josh Cribbs*, Travis Benjamin (R), Buster Skrine, Jordan Norwood: Cribbs is one of the NFL's all-time best kick returners, still tied for the most kickoff return TDs in his career (8). Benjamin's speed makes him an asset if Cribbs gets injured or loses his job in both kickoff and punt returns. Skrine is a backup punt returner, while Norwood is a backup kickoff returner.

Practice Squad (8) -- Ronnie Cameron (DT, R), Josh Cooper (WR, R), Solomon Elimimian (LB), Garth Gerhart (OL, R), Ben Jacobs (LB), Jarrod Shaw (OL), Jeff Shugarts (OL, R), Brad Smelley (FB, R): All the rookies but Smelley were undrafted rookies. Shugarts, an Ohio State product, Gerhart and Shaw might have made the team if not for the overall inexperience on the offensive line. Smelley was a seventh-round choice who played well. Cooper displayed good hands and good route-running.

PUP (1) -- Phil Taylor (DT): Taylor will miss a minimum of six games with a torn pec muscle suffered in February. The Browns are hopeful he can return before the end of the season. They'll need him.

Injured Reserve (6) -- Emmanuel Acho (LB, R), Marcus Benard (DE), Auston English (DE), Chris Gocong (LB), Antwuan Reed (DB, R), Eddie Williams (FB): Gocong's injury will be the one that hurts the Browns the most. The rest are bit players who might have been lucky to make the roster. Benard and English were contributors last season, while Acho was a fifth-round draft choice out of Texas.

There's your Browns 2012 Opening Day roster. Hopefully, they can exceed expectations, because nobody has any positive expecations for these guys at all.

Joe Cleveland will predict 6-10, provided Richardson returns to health and Weeden develops quickly. Both are naturally gifted athletes for their respective positions and the team will go as far as they can take them.

***

Remember back in May, when Indians fans were fiercly debating about how "real" they were? Remember when Cleveland fans were chastised by guys like Chris Perez and some members of the media for not attending games when the team was in first place? Boy, how all of that seems like a distant memory.

Here's a what if ... What if championship trophies were awarded for being in first place on June 1? The Indians would be 2-for-2, and we'd be holding parade's down Euclid Ave.

Unfortunately, championships are awarded in October, and for the fifth-straight October and the 10th time in the 13 years Larry Dolan has owned the Indians, Cleveland will be on the outside looking in.

In fact, while once upon a time this team was in contention for the Central Division title, they now seem to be making a bee-line for 100 losses in a season and for fifth-place in the Central. Not many teams can go from first-to-worst in ONE SEASON! The Indians may do just that.

Head's will have to roll if this happens. Larry and Paul Dolan can do their "nothing to see here" routines until they are blue in the face. However, if they ever want to turn a profit in this town again, they'll have to do something.

Mark Shapiro (who is being called "Red Perm" by fans on message boards) made three terrible trades during his last two years as GM before being promoted to Team President. CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez were dealt and the Indians only have one viable major leaguer (Michael Brantley), one decent starting pitcher (Justin Masterson) and a bunch of journeymen reserves to show for them. Not good. During his presidency, the team has continued to struggle at the gate and in the PR department and continue to bungle baseball decisions.

Chris Antonetti, Shapiro's hand-picked GM, will be defined by the Ubaldo Jimenez trade. Jimenez has not been the Cy Young-calibur ace Antonetti believe he would be when he dealt the Indians' top-two pitching prospects for him. Sure, both Drew Pomeranz and Alex White have struggled in Colorado, but when you trade two guys with high ceilings (at the time), you need to get a bonafide star in return. He did not. Also hurting him was the decision to re-sign Grady Sizemore for $5 million, picking up Fausto Carmona's contract option, only to find out he was Roberto Hernandez and three years older and didn't have him for most of the regular season due to government issues, the decision to not pony up to sign Josh Willingham or Carlos Beltran and instead settle for Casey Kotchman and Johnny Damon, and on and on and on.

Manny Acta appears to be dealt a terrible hand. However, no manager can survive two epic collapses in back-to-back years like the Indians have done under Acta's stewardship. It is likely not his fault. However, his lack of fire in the dugout shows a disturbing sign of complacency. Also, he was not a proven winner in Washington, who have turned things around after jettisoning him out of town three years ago.

For the Indians to truly move on, they need to do more than simply fire Acta and hire the immensely popular Sandy Alomar Jr. to be the team's manager. The Dolans need to sack up and realize that Shapiro's act has run its course and Antonetti has been a failure as the GM.

The Dolans need to clean house if they really want to show this fan base that they really want to win. If they don't, the fans will continue to believe they only adhere to the bottom line and will stay away in droves the next few seasons.

It will stay that way until they wise up and sell this team. But, because there doesn't appear to be a buyer emerging overnight (unlike what happened with the Cavs and Browns), the next best thing will be to send Shapiro, Antonetti and Acta packing and start from scratch.

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!