Joey Bosa named Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year — again
December 1, 2015Apathy has overcome the Cleveland Browns fan base – WFNY Podcast – 2015-12-01
December 1, 2015The Cleveland Browns might have lost a Monday Night Football game to the Baltimore Ravens with one of the more convoluted and gut-wrenching endings in the recent history of football, but I do not care about the loss. I gained more in the three plus hours spent on watching the team than a loss could ever take away.
Some games are just special. As fans, it might seem we do not have control over the games that wind up in our long-term memories. We are not the ones ripping our helmets off before all-zeroes and getting flagged. We are not the ones throwing an interception for a touchdown in overtime.1 But, we do control the components of our memories on the things that truly matter in our lives. And, yes, it includes gamedays.
Can we go bowling?
Monday was a strange day. With a random afternoon off, the family decided to go bowling on the suggestion of my daughter. I didn’t think of it at the time, but it was about the most Cleveland thing we could have done. Even better, my daughter, who somehow spins the ball with a full body contortion under-handed shot put, won one of the rounds. Laughs, smiles, and hugs all around. Along with a big helping of fries.
Monday was also a strange day because the Browns would be televised. I no longer live near the banks of the mighty Cuyahoga River, so we have filled our Sundays with church, baseball, and other family activities. I watch every game, but I reserve the special amount of crazy it requires to break down film while knowing the Browns were either destroyed or lost in a bizarre fashion for myself (are there normal losses?). So, we had decided – at the suggestion of my wonderful wife who is not a Browns fan – to allow the kids to stay up late and take in the game.
Mmmmmm, nachos.
One added benefit of bowling in the afternoon was it set the dinner clock back a bit. So, the game could begin with a large assortment of appetizers (scratch-made pizza twists, nachos, etc.) as the nourishment. I had also remembered to buy a big bag of the kids’ favorite candy – Skittles – to break out during the game. You know, only the healthy stuff since the kids were being allowed to stay up late.
Of course, the game had to begin at some point to break up the ideal family outing (or is it an inning since we stayed home?). Trading punts was a bit of a surprise to begin the game given the horrific nature of each defense, but there are worse starts. Oh, such as Kaelin Clay running 82 yards on a punt return for a touchdown. Why yes, that would be worse.
They would have missed his flags.
You see, my sons play flag football due to the fact they are young, want to play football, and we are a bit uneasy about all of the recent concussion studies that seem to indicate a large amount of small knocks to the noggin when young are more dangerous than the big knocks to the noggin once the brain is fully developed. So, when a punt returner runs through a crowd of Browns defenders, yet not a single defender actually gets close enough to touch the returner, the coverage team would not have even been able to grab his flags. Great wisdom comes from young minds.
Fast forward to the Browns losing 17-3 after wasting a good drive by running Crowell into a brick wall twice in a row and grabbing Buck Allen’s flags on his touchdown (but it is tackle football and none of the four defenders bothered to wrap up). At this point, there are discussions about how early in the game it is and how bad the Ravens secondary has looked. Still plenty of time.
Rabbit will score.
Also, it is somewhere around this time my younger son reminds me Travis Benjamin has scored a touchdown in every single Browns game he has watched. The streak began in 2012 when Benjamin ran in a punt return against the Baltimore Ravens. He instantly decided Benjamin Rabbit was his favorite player through a confluence of his hair, speed, and being a big Peter Cottontail show fan at the time.
The dad in me attempted to explain to him that a rookie who barely saw time at receiver wasn’t likely to score in most games, and the Browns didn’t have the best record with mid-round receivers, so he wasn’t likely to even be on the team for long. But, Rabbit kept coming through as he has probably seen at least eight of Benjamin’s 13 career touchdowns. And, he helped me notice Benjamin was getting open more than he was being thrown to as well. His speed was a legit weapon being under-utilized before 2015.
The Browns kept fighting back in the second quarter as Josh McCown had a very Manzielesque play to find Marlon Moore in the end zone. We all enjoyed the replay showing Moore get knocked down and forgotten by the defense only the special team player never gave up. The field goal to end the half felt as if it was another missed opportunity to haunt us later, but at least we were no longer running Crowell into the teeth of the defense near the goal line.
Pew, pew-pew-pew, Slash
Halftime meant switching over to Disney Junior (Goldie and Bear) along with presenting the boys with their reward for an outstanding report card. They had picked out Lego mini-figures in October when they received their grades and they had finally arrived. I would tell you the characters, but they are far more invested in Star Wars than I ever was and apparently the characters are only found in the Star Wars Rebels show. Eh, they looked cool and the boys enjoyed them through the third quarter as they had Jedi battles.
Also, for the second half, the girls had retired to watch something else in the bedroom while we watched the rest of the game. In both instances, the lack of attention on the game itself by anyone other than myself was a good thing as the Ravens dominated the third quarter after Matt Schaub did what he does best by throwing a Pick-6 to Karlos Dansby.
It felt as if the Browns did not possess the ball at all in the quarter, but the statistics indicate the Browns had the ball for five of the fifteen minutes but none of the first six minutes of the fourth quarter. At that point, the second half time of possession was 16-5 Ravens, and the score was 27-20 Ravens. But hey, the Browns followed it up with a 3-and-out where an injured Josh McCown attempted to play anyway before giving way to a cold Austin Davis on 3rd-and-9. Welcome to the Browns Davis.
Whoop. Holler. LOUD NOISES.
Additionally, it was around this time the boys came back to the game with all the credit in the world to Tashaun Gipson for getting them re-invested. After it appeared Buck Allen would just run through the Browns defense in a game-clinching drive, the Browns held modestly firm for a couple runs forcing Schaub to throw a pass. Raven offensive co-ordinator Marc Trestman intelligently dialed up a screen pass to Gillmore in order to protect the Ravens from Schaub and fooled the defensive line perfectly. Gillmore had a blocker and an easy path to yet another first down. Except, except…except Tashaun Gipson flew under the block and swept the leg with a whipping arm motion. Game.Saving.Play.
My youngest son has seen a Benjamin TD every single Browns game he has watched. I have kept him up waiting for one.Cmon Benji…Rabbit!
— michael bode (@mgbode_WFNY) December 1, 2015
Apparently, SlingTV is a bit behind the actual live action. Little did I know what was happening in First Energy Stadium as I was typing the above message, which was the first tweet of the game for me as I was focused on those in the room. However, as I hit send, I would find out exactly what was happening. Travis Benjamin was fulfilling his duty as part of my younger son’s Browns watching experience on the receiving end of an Austin Davis deep seam route touchdown pass. And, the grin on my boy, man.
I still do not quite understand how it is possible for teams to score a touchdown, trade punts, and have possession still change three more times all after the two minute warning. But, if it is possible, then the Browns were likely involved. Right Clayman?
We are going to win.
The innocence of youth is grand. Sure, a win seemed likely to an outside observer or youngin’ after Schaub threw an interception to Tramon Williams – redemption for him on what had been a horrific night. Sure, a win seemed even more likely after a Hartline reception at the Baltimore 40 yard line with 43 seconds left and armed with two timeouts.
How often do teams lose that way?
But, these are the Browns. And, well they were playing against their kite-eating tree. So, it was not exactly shocking to see Austin Davis waste 30 seconds of the clock to get the correct play only to abandon the play after the snap and run for seven yards but neglect to get out of bounds. And, it wasn’t a total surprise to see the Ravens block the kick, which was outside the range of Travis Coons. But, I’ll admit even I was caught off-guard to see the blocked kick skeeter sideways to a spot where only a calvacade of Ravens lay waiting to return it for the game-ending touchdown.
That was fun, dad. Goodnight, I love you.
And, you know what? It sure was. Cannot wait to do it again.
@JonHeymanCBS : community, family, loyalty, strength, and a big dose of stubbornness. As bad as it gets, wouldn't trade it. Love the Browns.
— michael bode (@mgbode_WFNY) December 1, 2015
- Tim Couch to Mike Brown of the Chicago Bears is one of the games I remember most. [↩]
24 Comments
Immediate first thought: We’re going bowlin, so don’t lose her in Solon!
I enjoyed last night as well although for an entirely different reason. I think we might be in the minority however. At least I hope so anyways.
As a kid I loved the television show “Fantasy Island.” I thought it was real. Great sentimental/opinion/rainbow piece however. I just wish it helped the football team in some way. But now I see why you can’t get excited over the Cavaliers. They are to tangible. Yes living in a make believe world is always more fun.
#notatroll
btw, it’s *too tangible
Sincerely, “an idiot”
I bet your mom cut the crusts off your sandwiches as a kid didn’t she?
I hope you DVRd/taped/recorded Charlie Brown’s 50th anniversary special for your children!
Considering I wrote this one, it is safe to say they will see it:
https://waitingfornextyear.com/2015/11/play-like-a-brown-charlie/
I (un)fortunately don’t have kids too share the surreal experience of Browns fandom with, but my wife, a Savannah native, who never before gave our beloved team a second thought, is now all in because of me, and is starting to wonder how this brand of pain is so addicting.
Go Browns.
Yea my comment wasn’t an accident. (Thank goodness we’re on the same page)
My wife is a SoCal native devoid of football persuasion. So for my two boys it was blank slate and fair game, and she allowed me to baptize/curse them as Browns fans. Parenting is, among things, passing on our inherited tradition of misery.
Don’t be mad at me. I was just trying to help. Blame the school system for failing you!
Me too!
Great response to that stupid Heyman tweet, Bode. Really great.
Similarly, my wife, born in Dallas, raised in Denver (at least for a time), is now all-in on the Browns. She did not care about football (or sports) until well into our marriage, and had no idea what she signed up for, particularly considering the natural alternatives. Poor, poor woman.
Thank you. And, I assume you mean this entire post as it was Heyman inspired (didn’t plan on writing Browns today until responding to it).
I was referring to the direct personal response; but yes, the whole article was also great.
Oh please, I don’t remember Dallas or Denver winning anything growing up in the 90s! Well not every championship. There were some losses, and I’m sure those hurt. She got a real catch in landing a Clevelander. I tell you what, why don’t I just stop talking about this, and I’ll buy you a beer.
Deal. Great Lakes? Dortmunder or Christmas Ale.
It’s been a hard week. Dortmunder and Christmas Ale.
Mixed in a healthy grog.
“Snap back to reality. Oh, there goes gravityOh, there goes Rabbit, he choked
He’s so mad, but he won’t give up that
Easy, no
He won’t have it, he knows his whole back’s to these ropes
It don’t matter, he’s dope…”
i’m not a Rome fan, and he’s already a has-been but he hit the nail on the head, IMO:
https://t.co/yBByGEL3KR— Jim Rome (@jimrome) December 1, 2015
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I hate being a Browns fan. I really do. The ownership has just been awful and make me feel like they’d rather sell merchandise than build a winning team.
way to put jon heyman in his place …