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In an attempt to squeeze out an extra win or two this week I went back over my sheet before I posted it to see if I felt differently about any of the picks. I decided to reverse my choice on three of the games, mostly for the hell of it and to see how it would pan out. I did well in reversing my call on the Jets game, but my other two reversals, Dallas and New England, not so much. The end result was one additional loss this week. That’s what I get for second guessing myself!
I wanted to talk a little bit about the experience of going down to Cleveland on Sunday. It was an overwhelmingly positive one! The first thing I noticed when we got down there is that First Energy Stadium sits right on the shore of Lake Eerie. The view of the lake as you are approaching the stadium is absolutely amazing! Probably worth making the trip for all by itself. On the way into the stadium the Cleveland fans were raucous, still on a high from beating the Ravens last week. The locals were very friendly, although I caught a little good natured flack for showing up sporting Lions gear. Somebody called me Dan Campbell, which I did not find offensive, while others pointed out that the Lions weren’t in town today and thought maybe I was lost. My buddy, who was wearing a Chargers jersey and a Lions hat, got it a little bit worse.
While I have attended dozens of NFL games over the years, all of them have been played at either Ford Field or the old Pontiac Silverdome. This was my first visit to an open air stadium. I found it to be a completely different experience! It definitely added something extra; the Good Year blimp floating overhead, the military flyovers, even the swarm of birds descending on the upper levels after everyone left, scavenging for any food the fans may have dropped. You don’t get to experience any of that in the dome! And the weather! We were fortunate enough to go on a perfect fall day with temperatures in the low 60s. Totally awesome! I would probably have a different opinion had it been snowing, sub zero or pouring rain like it was in Green Bay yesterday, but for this game it couldn’t have been better.
Since I didn’t really have a dog in this fight, it was easier for me to relax and soak in the vibes of the stadium. I loved reading all the names on the Cleveland ring of honor. The entire place had something of a hard rockin’, working class feel to it. As for the game itself, that could have been better. The Cleveland front seven played very well, but the secondary couldn’t cover anybody. And Jameis Winston was just incredibly bad, throwing the ball directly to the defender on a couple of occasions. The game was over at halftime, and when Winston threw his third interception in the third quarter, the place emptied out like a fire drill. The fans who were almost giddy coming into the stadium now turned on the Browns. I think the few Browns fans that stayed until the end only stayed to boo the home team. By the fourth quarter the stadium was nearly empty except for blue clad Chargers fans. Coming in, we were dreading trying to get out of the parking structure on the way home. By the time we actually left, the structure was basically empty. Most of the Cleveland fans were probably about halfway through their dinner by then! Not that I blame them for their behavior. As a Lions fan since the 1970s, I completely understand their frustration. If there is any other franchise that suffered as much and as long as Lions fans, it is Browns fans. I sincerely hope their day comes like ours seems to have. |
| 2 days ago |
Post 35 • IP
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No rust here...
KFC does haircuts now, Wooh Hoo.
I'll probably wake up constipated.
Suck it up, buttercup!!
