Browns vs. Panthers recap; my third game of the season

This past Sunday I was fortunate enough to attend my third Browns' game of the season. Going to the game was intended strictly for pleasure, so my written observations will be limited. Originally I was only going to attend two games, but certain family members were bummed that I had not invited them to the first two games. So I decided to make a huge "sacrifice" and bring them along for a game.

The day started out much, much earlier than I am used to. Waking up before sunrise is not my idea of starting the day out right. My parents and I left the house at 6:45am and grabbed some Tim Hortons before picking up the fourth member of our group. Going with us was Alfred Andrews a doctoral student from India who had never been to a football (or at least what we call football) game. He was in for the full game day experience as we would be hitting up the Muni lot to witness some tailgating before we went to the game.

The following video has nothing to do with what I have written thus far, but I feel that it deserves to be on the front page of the blog and not tucked away hoping that someone will click "full post." Due to some unknown error, please click full post to watch the video As I will mention again later on in the post, Peyton Hillis is the man. I got chills while watching this.

Getting caught up

Sorry for the extended break, but I had to finish up work on my other credit hours this semester so I could get back to focusing on Browns' fans.

A lot has transpired since I last posted. The Browns manhandled the Patriots and lost in heartbreaking fashion to the Jets and Jaguars. Despite the team's 3-7 record, fans are excited about what they are seeing out on the field from the young, emerging stars on the team.

Colt McCoy, TJ Ward, Joe Haden, and especially Peyton Hillis have all become fan favorites for the effort they put out on the field.

McCoy never gives up on plays and has looked more confident behind center each week. He has shown that he has the respect of the players around him and has the skill set to lead the offense down the field against some of the NFL's best defenses. Never would I have thought that Browns' fans would be saying "Brady Quinn who" so soon after the trade.
Another reason why fans have forgotten the almighty Quinn is due to who the team got in return. Peyton Hillis is a juggernaut.
He makes defensive players wish they had not gotten out of bed that day. Fans love the effort he puts into every single play and are willing to forgive him when he has fumbled fighting for those extra yards. Since his jersey has gone on sale, I have heard that not enough can be produced to keep up with demand. I had to post the following picture because it is just so awesome.

Week 2 with Fostoria Browns Backers & a Browns win!!!

I traveled down to Fostoria for the second week in a row to watch the Browns play the defending Super Bowl champs and to hopefully collect some information for my study.

The day started out smoothly. I made sure to give myself plenty of time to make my way down to Fostoria and did not forget batteries for the camera this week. It was still 15 minutes before the doors opened at the VFW when I pulled into the same parking spot I was in the week before.

This gave me some time to listen to Cleveland Browns radio while going over interview answers that had already been sent back to back to me via e-mail. I had to chuckle to myself as some guy on the radio began to give reasons as to why he thought the Browns would win this game. “They are not going to win,” I thought to myself, “I just hope Colt plays well.” There is that positive thinking Browns fans are known for.

My day with the Fostoria Browns Backers

As soon as I knew that I would be visiting Browns Backers chapters as part of my project, the Fostoria Browns Backers were on the top of my must visit list. Not only are they within easy driving distance of Bowling Green, they are one of the most dedicated clubs in Ohio. According to the chapter president, they currently boast over 250 members (a number that is somewhat low considering members have to have an e-mail address to be recognized) and at their peak had over 600 members. Recently, the chapter was honored at the Browns bungals game as being the Backers of the week. I picked the game vs. the squeelers to travel down to Fostoria and join them for a game.

TJ Ward & Peyton Hillis Quickly becoming fan favorites

Two new additions to the 2010 Browns team are being embraced by the fans both for their physical style of play.

Last Sunday against the Bengals Ward and Hillis dished out punishment.

Hillis sent three Bengals to the sidelines after bulldozing them on his way to his second 100 yard rushing game in a row. The highlight of the game for Hillis came on his final run which went for 24 yards and sealed the win for the Browns. After the run, he showed some raw emotion for the fans who responded with the loudest cheer of the game.

Perhaps a bit more controversial was the hit TJ Ward put on fellow rookie wide receiver Jordan Shipley. Though he received a penalty for unnecessary roughness, the crowd exploded when Ward laid down the wood. Here is a still picture of the hit.
The photo clearly shows that Ward led with his shoulder and not his helmet. To further show this, here is a clip of the play.



I think it was do to the severity of what happened to Shipley that drew the flag and a $15,000 find from the league. Yes it was brutal, but it also looked pretty legal according to the rulebook.

Browns fans love players that get physical and both of these players have shown early in the season that they are more than willing to put opposing players on their backs if they get in their way. Some fans are saying that this is the first time since the days of Eric Turner and Kevin Mack that the team has had two bruisers on both sides of the ball.