The Browns wanted to shuffle off to Buffalo, and were not happy when the league turned them around and said, "Nope, you're going west." (Cleveland Browns)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
SEATTLE, WA
The Browns thought they would close out their preseason schedule with a short trip. That’s the routine for NFL teams after a long summer training camp.
Nobody wants to travel far for the last exhibition game. It’s nerve-wracking enough for coaches, GMs and players. They’re all wanting to get in and get out without significant injuries. A long trip just heightens the anxiety.
Kevin Stefanski had set it up with Bills coach Sean McDermott to stage the Browns only road game of the preseason in Orchard Park, NY – about a 25-minute flight for the Browns’ caravan of 90 players, 25 coaches and another 40 or so in the support staff.
And then on the morning of the long-anticipated NFL schedule release, the Browns were informed – guess what? – you’re going to Seattle for your lone road game.
“We were all surprised,” said a Browns source, toning it down from an initial reaction in May that included an expletive.
Of the 15 other preseason games this weekend, the average air mileage demanded of the visiting team is 498 nautical miles. The New Jersey teams – Giants and Jets – are playing each other and don’t even have to board a plane.
The Bengals stayed at home. The Steelers play 175 miles away in Detroit. The Ravens have the fifth-longest trip of the weekend – 604 miles.
The Browns are traveling 1,756 nautical miles to conclude what can charitably be described as a spotty training camp. The first-team offense has yet to perform together and will not be whole in Seattle and more than a dozen key players are nursing injuries.
When asked his reaction to learning of having to play in Seattle, Stefanski shook his head and responded, “Yeah, that was surprising to us. Why don’t you hang out here [in Berea] … what day’s the game, Saturday? So we’ll be pulling up Sunday morning around 8 a.m.? Why don’t you hang out and ask me that question then?”
So how did this happen?
“You tell me,” owner Jimmy Haslam said, confirming he had no idea.
Here’s the explanation from league spokesman Brian McCarthy, who responded to an email.
“Back when clubs played four preseason games, the team would work on its Week 4 game. The league now schedules the final preseason game. Each year, club can submit a suggestion for a game around a joint practice. The Browns-Vikings, for example.
“The league scheduled the game in Seattle … The West Coast teams have to travel to Eastern and Central teams sometimes, and as such, the Central and Eastern teams occasionally have to travel west. This does not happen often and the league tries to minimize the times a particular team has to do so.
“For non-national games such as this, the teams work on the time of the game. The Browns (and all teams) have bye weeks as you know before their first regular season game, which is also different from previous years when teams would play Week 4 preseason on a Friday or Saturday and then play the regular season game the following week.”
Now here’s the kicker: The kickoff had to be scheduled at 7 p.m. Pacific time/10 p.m. Cleveland time because the Seattle Mariners are playing at 1 p.m. PT in T-Mobile Park, across the street from Seahawks’ Lumen Field.
“And there is a city ordinance requiring three hours between events,” wrote Dave Pearson, Seahawks PR chief.
So, what can the Browns hope to accomplish when most of their fans in Cleveland probably will have dozed off?
* Stefanski has been non-committal about playing Deshaun Watson. The quarterback’s “general arm soreness” went away on Thursday. But coaches might be concerned with leaving Watson exposed to the look-out blocks of fifth-string left tackle Germain Ifedi, the last healthy possibility to start the game. Even if Watson plays, QB2 Jameis Winston needs work, too.
* The offense won’t be whole, regardless of which quarterback starts the game. Not expected to play are wide receiver Amari Cooper, tight end David Njoku and left guard Joel Bitonio.
* Defensively, the first team will be without tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (PUP), MIKE linebacker Jordan Hicks (undisclosed), cornerback Denzel Ward (concussion), and cornerback Greg Newsome (NFI). Reigning league DPOY Myles Garrett is not expected to play.
* The Browns probably won’t ask much of its kickoff units, either. Kicker Dustin Hopkins (undisclosed) is not expected to play. That’s why the Browns signed Lucas Havrisik – a familiar camp hand – after they traded Cade York to Washington. Also, two of Bubba Ventrone’s stable of returners – Pierre Strong (rib contusion) and Nyheim Hines (NFI) – are out, and he’s not likely to expose another, Jerome Ford, to risk of injury.
So it should quickly devolve into final micro-competitions for roster spots at QB3, CB6, TE3, DT5 and offensive line backup spots.
It’s a long way to go to sort out the final five or six roster spots.
“Honestly, it’s not a big deal,” Stefanski said. “We’re going out there a couple days early. We’ll get used to that time zone. Listen, there are worse things in life. It’s a nice plane that we’re on, so it’ll be fine.”