Cleveland Browns

A few days ago, a report by FOX 8 news led us to believe that the "Cleveland Browns Stadium" signage was completely removed already. As it turns out, that is not the case. One of our readers, M. Anthony, took a trip down to the stadium in hopes of photographing the bare facade, or to see if any part of the "FirstEnergy Stadium" signage had been put up. Instead, we're still stuck with appearing as "Cleveland Browns Sta," which I guess you could spin off of "gangsta" or something. You can see a couple of other photos of the signage here. In other news related to the stadium, the Official Team Site posted a video earlier today (2:30 in length) showing how the grounds crew has been busy re-sodding parts of the field this week, in preparation for the international friendly soccer match between the USA and Belgium next Wednesday, May 29th.

Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Mitchell Schwartz is a student of the game and tries to learn as much as he can from left tackle Joe Thomas.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree has suffered a torn Achilles tendon during organized team activities (OTAs), per Mike Garafolo of USA Today. Crabtree, the team's first-round pick in 2009, had a breakout season last year as he finished with career highs across the board: 85 receptions, 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns. Once Colin Kaepernick replaced Alex Smith, who suffered a concussion in Week 9, Crabtree really thrived. In the second half of the season with Kaepernick under center, Crabtree had 46 receptions for 665 yards and six touchdowns in the final eight regular-season games. Only six players had more receiving yards during that span. In three playoff games, he had another 20 receptions for 285 yards and three touchdowns. The loss of Crabtree (most likely) for the season is obviously a huge blow for the 49ers. While the 49ers are the preseason favorites to win the Super Bowl, the Seahawks are the team with the second-lowest odds within the NFC. From a fantasy impact, Kaepernick's fantasy value takes a bit of a hit. On the other hand, Vernon Davis (and Anquan Boldin, to a lesser extent) should see a larger share of targets. Perhaps the injury opens the door for A.J. Jenkins, but I'm a bit skeptical after his irrelevance last year. In fact, I would prefer Quinton Patton, their fourth-round pick this year, over Jenkins as a potential sleeper.

The field at FirstEnergy Stadium was recently re-sodded to prepare it for the U.S.-Belgium soccer match on May 29. Here is a look at how it happened.

Linebacker was the AP's defensive player of the year in 2005 and helped lead the 2006 team to the Super Bowl.

Could the luck Nick Gilbert has brought to the Cleveland Cavaliers work for others as well? We gave some well-known but beleaguered folks a makeover ala Nick.

Art Modell's chances of getting inducted into the Hall could increase if this change is made.

Cleveland Browns: "Jimmy Haslam apologizes to NFL owners" (Plain Dealer) - "Browns owner Jimmy Haslam stood in front of his fellow NFL owners at a league meeting in Boston Tuesday and apologized for the mess caused by some employees of Pilot Flying J, which is under federal investigation." "Recent Trends Open Windows to the 2013 Cleveland Browns Offense" (DraftBrowns.com) - "Last season, lame duck Browns Head Coach Pat Shurmur spent the year trying to fit a square peg named Brandon Weeden into the round hole West Coast Offense." "Jackson humbled by 'Good Guy Award'" (ClevelandBrowns.com) - "At the end of the 2012 season, Cleveland Browns linebacker D’Qwell Jackson was voted the winner of the Dino Lucarelli Good Guy Award, given annually to a player, as selected by the Cleveland chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America, for their cooperation with the media." "Off Day Tuesday – Weekly Five" (OBR) - "We've reached that May lull in the NFL's offseason, but in Cleveland, some familiar Browns' topics resurfaced this week. Of particular note, quarterbacks and pass rushers." NFL: "Charles Woodson, Oakland Raiders strike contract" (NFL.com) - "Charles Woodson's NFL career has come full circle. The veteran defensive back signed a one-year contract with the Oakland Raiders on Tuesday, NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported, reuniting him with the team that selected him in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft." "Bay Bowl: San Francisco to host 50th Super Bowl" (AP) - "Build a new stadium, host the Super Bowl to show it off. The NFL rewarded the San Francisco Bay Area on Tuesday with hosting rights for the 2016 championship game, slotting the 50th Super Bowl in the 49ers' high-tech Santa Clara stadium scheduled to open next year." "NFL noncommittal with announcing dates of two new Super Bowls, other events" (Yahoo! Sports) - "The NFL calendar is in such flux right now that you're almost better off noting events in pencil instead of pen. On Tuesday, the NFL awarded Super Bowls L and LI to San Francisco and Houston, respectively." "Teams not buying 'Easter Bunny' excuse for moving NFL Draft to May" (SI.com) - "Even if you happen to believe in the Easter Bunny theory, or that the NFL had to move next year's draft to May solely because of a scheduling conflict with a Radio City Music Hall 'Spring Spectacular' show, there's more than a reasonable doubt within the league about the wisdom of adopting such a change on a long-term basis, as is being contemplated."

Browns owner Jimmy Haslam took it upon himself to stand up in front of his fellow NFL owners at a league meeting in Boston Tuesday and apologize for the mess caused by some members of Pilot Flying J, which is under federal investigation.

95.5 WZOH in Columbus has joined the PNC Bank Cleveland Browns Radio Network.