At this point in his career, I don't think his decision making is going to improve and frankly... we will get sick of that also, but the Browns are watchable with him in the drivers seat. He shows what the offense can be with a capable QB that gives a shit. He is going to lose the team games inevitably... however, he is capable of winning games also. I'd love to re-sign him, if they can afford him. Depends on what they do with Watson. Keep Watson, sign Winston. Move Watson in any manner and we are suffering through a league minimum vet QB and a rookie for 2025. Fiscally, you can't have much else on this team by moving Watson in any way shape or form.
All right.....here is a good viewpoint / new take on the new stadium / tax money in the Cleveland region. Here's the link if you just want to read from the source: (Put up or shut up Northeast Ohio: If we want a great airport and sports stadiums, let’s take another look at this bold idea) Put up or shut up Northeast Ohio: If we want a great airport and sports stadiums, let’s take another look at this bold idea Lucas Daprile, cleveland.com Zachary Smith, cleveland.com Let’s try this again. Over the summer we published a conversation starter about how adding a quarter-cent sales tax throughout Northeast Ohio would build a state-of-the-art airport and modern domed Browns stadium, along with funding new and renovated homes for the Guardians, Cavs and Browns at regular intervals for the rest of time. That would rid us of our chronic angst of being blackmailed by team owners to pay up or face losing a team. As we predicted, the region’s lily-livered leaders ran from the idea, as they long have done with anything requiring bold leadership. We have not had a strong leader in these parts in decades. It’s all get-along, go-along, do-the-same-thing and try to hold on to your leadership position as long as possible without making a mark. Since we published the bold proposal, though, several things have happened to merit looking at it anew. One is that Columbus just broke ground on a $2 billion airport terminal, which will vault that airport to the front of competition for flights. Cleveland’s airport competes with Columbus, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Detroit, and Cleveland’s airport is terrible. If we care about the Northeast Ohio economy, we need a new one. A great one. A modern one. Second, Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam have become more ridiculous with each passing month in releasing drawings and teases about their fantasy of a domed football stadium in Brook Park. It’s an idiotic idea, as nearly every business, nonprofit and government leader around here knows but is too cowardly to say publicly. (Privately, yes. Publicly, no way.) Not just because it’s planned for a wasteland next to the airport. Not just because our sports stadiums should be in the city for which the teams are named and which have the infrastructure to support them. But mainly because the Haslams say they need $1.2 billion in public dollars to build it, and that money simply does not exist. They can toss around all the bright shiny drawings they want to distract people, but they can’t change the public bank balance. Under the plan we proposed in the summer, we would have the money, and we could use it to build a spectacular football stadium not in Brook Park but at the site of Burke Lakefront Airport. (When will Mayor Justin Bibb send out the bulldozers to close that thing down?) Of course, this would require people outside Cuyahoga County to pay part of the bill. We note that people outside of Cuyahoga County have been among the most vocal in support of the dome plan and regularly use the airport and sports facilities. Well, pay up or shut up. Or lose the teams. Stop counting on impoverished people in Cleveland to pay for your luxury. You can afford this. Get behind it. Tell your elected leaders you want to remain a 3-team city and are willing to pay your part. Tell them to step and be bold. This plan is the only realistic solution offered in years to deal with both our pit of an airport and our chronic stadium needs. We welcome other bold ideas, but, like we said, that would require bold leaders. We challenge anyone to come up with something better. Absent that, let’s take another look at a plan that could ensure we remain a three-team city for a century or more.--Chris Quinn, editor
Had to split this in three....too big to post in one post (or two) CLEVELAND, Ohio – What if we could guarantee that Cleveland sports fans would never have to worry again about the potential that a team would move elsewhere to get a better stadium? What if we could build a state-of-the art, luxurious Cleveland airport – a regional source of pride -- that airlines could use at virtually no cost? We can. Today we offer a bold thought exercise for a radically different approach to how Northeast Ohio finances, builds and manages airports and sports facilities, including minor league stadiums. It carries a minimal cost to a lot of people, but it could forever end the anxiety the region regularly suffers about losing sports teams and the eternally poor condition of our international airport. We don’t offer this with any delusions that it will happen. Greater Cleveland has long demonstrated a reluctance to embrace bold ideas or regional change. We can dream, though. We offer the exercise to stoke imaginations and, we hope, spark some conversation. The foundation of this proposal is that the entire region benefits from sports teams and airports and should have a role in paying for them. A huge swath of northern Ohio uses Cleveland Hopkins International Airport for travel. And love for the Browns, Guardians and Cavs permeates the region. And yet, the current funding model for stadium improvements relies heavily on sin tax dollars that have all but run dry, and the fees that the airport charges individual airlines for using the facilities have historically made Hopkins an expensive place for them to do business. To solve these problems, we propose creating a district of counties that use the airport and attend the games, with a facilities commission appointed from within that district. And we propose adding a quarter-percent sales tax throughout the district to pay for the facilities. A cleveland.com analysis indicates that such a plan – while politically difficult – is economically feasible. We should say here that a whole bunch of calculations, suppositions and caveats went into our analysis, and rather than bog down this story — which is about the vision -- we’ve put all of that information in a separate piece, which you can find here. One of the most important caveats is that a multi-county facilities commission is not allowed under state law today. The Legislature would be asked to create it, and we propose a district-wide vote on the sales tax, rather than one that would have to pass county by county. If Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, Stark and Summit counties were to levy a quarter-percent sales tax, they could generate $20.1 billion over 40 years, according to our analysis. And with those billions, each of Cleveland’s professional sports teams would get a new stadium and a massive renovation, we could build the stadium that would persuade the National Women’s Soccer League to establish its next team here, the area’s three minor league baseball teams would hand off their debt and the cost of running their facilities to the regional taxing district, and Hopkins would get a new terminal and some help with the cost of operations. Whether we’ve piqued your interest or your skepticism, cleveland.com invites you to join us on the rest of this thought exercise, as we walk you through how it would all work. Let’s start with the largest group of expenses: sports stadiums. Ending stadium drama, once and for all The proposal would provide new stadiums or arenas for the existing pro teams every 40 years, as well as major renovations and overhauls after 20 years. Yes, that’s right. A brand-new home every four decades. Our plan would pay half the bill. Team owners would pay the other half. And, apart from the new construction and midlife overhauls, the team owners would have to maintain them. They might not like that, but that’s the price of having guaranteed funding. As mentioned above, this proposal also includes money for the initial construction of a women’s soccer stadium. Should Cleveland win the bid for a new NWSL team, this plan could be amended to address future capital needs at the facility. Based on a whole lot of data we describe in our companion story, we estimate future costs of professional stadium construction and upgrades at $11 billion over 40 years. Theoretically, this model could be extrapolated for centuries to come, with inflation built into it. But we recognize that casting those calculations so far ahead is complicated by many unknown factors – including future expectations for the extravagance of stadium renovations and changes in the economy that could affect inflation. So, we’ll just give you the first 40 years to chew on. We’re using the $2.4 billion domed stadium estimate from Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam, with stadium construction to start in 2028. For the Guardians, we used $1.3 billion, based on a new stadium in Tampa and several other stadiums. The new Cleveland ballfield would open in 2040, four years after the Guardians’ contract with Progressive Field ends in 2036. We use the new, $863-million Little Caesar’s arena in Detroit as the basis for the Cavs’ new arena, which would open in 2035, the year after the lease with Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse expires. Then, we adjusted those numbers for inflation, based on when each of those projects would be completed. Here is a “ballpark” of how much each professional sports team would get from the tax district: Browns: $1.7 billion (Half the $2.4 billion for a stadium rebuild and half the $1 billion for a 2049 renovation) Cavaliers: $1.7 billion (Half the $1.5 billion for a new arena and half the $1.9 billion for a 2060 renovation) Guardians: $2.1 billion (Half the $1.9 billion for a new stadium and half the $2.2 billion for a 2060 renovation) Professional women’s soccer team: $75 million (Half of the $150 million that backers of the campaign to establish the team say they need for a stadium) The tax district would also assume the total costs -- $318 million through 2064 -- for running and improving the three minor league baseball stadiums located in the area: Akron Rubber Ducks, Lake County Captains and Lake Erie Crushers. Please note: Whether our teams are any good on the field or court is beyond the scope of this analysis
And here's part three........ An airport that’s not a regional embarrassment If Greater Cleveland is to thrive, it needs a great airport – and that is, perhaps, the biggest benefit of this proposal. Of course, it’s all predicated on whether the city of Cleveland agrees to cede control and ownership of Hopkins to the new tax district. But with that abdication would come freedom from the responsibilities of building a new terminal and maintaining it – or negotiating with airlines to cover the cost. Our plan puts aside $3 billion for a new terminal, which is based on the airport’s recently unveiled plan to rebuild Hopkins on the backs of the airlines. And if that figure is too low, our budget has room to expand. Using the sales tax to build the facility relieves the airlines of the fees they pay to construct and maintain it. Cleveland competes for flights with other airports, and making ours nearly free for airlines to use just might induce them to bring more flights here. Instead of an airport with decrepit bathrooms and an antiquated layout that inconveniences travelers, we’d have one of the nation’s best. And using a sales tax to pay for transportation is not unprecedented. In fact, most of the Regional Transit Authority’s budget comes from a Cuyahoga County sales tax. In addition to rebuilding the terminal, the tax district would absorb costs that airlines typically pay in landing fees, arrival fees, rents, utilities and federal inspection fees. According to recent data, that figure is close to $35 million, or just around 30% of the airport’s total operating budget, which also includes non-aviation related revenues, such as concessions, parking and federal grants. Just as the tax district would pick up the costs of running minor league stadiums, it would also cover the same portion of fees for Akron-Canton Airport. Those costs would amount to about $1 million per year, plus inflation. At long last, Northeast Ohio practices regionalism While the eventual goal of the tax district is to have a reserve of money for big projects, the region won’t start out with cash on hand. This means the district would still need to borrow money through bonds that would be repaid with interest, especially for the earliest projects, such as the airport terminal rebuild and women’s soccer stadium. But when it’s all said and done, a quarter-percent sales tax will pay for most of the facility construction with only a handful of outstanding bonds by 2064. And bonus: the tax district would enjoy a surplus of $3.2 billion to use on future rebuilds and renovations, or to adjust for future inflation. Historically, the tax burden has largely fallen on Clevelanders and Cuyahoga County residents. But it is not just Cuyahoga residents who benefit from having professional sports stadiums in Cleveland. Between September 2023 and December 2023, only 14.6% of the fans attending Browns games were Clevelanders, and another 14.4% were from suburbs in Cuyahoga County, according to data from location analytics company placer.ai. Nor are Cuyahoga County residents the only ones using Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Ours is still the largest and busiest airport between Detroit and Philadelphia, with 2024’s number of travelers to surpass 2019, which had the highest passenger volume in the decade leading up to the pandemic. So, here’s the big takeaway: We all use these facilities. It makes sense that we all chip in to pay for them. By spreading a quarter-percent sales tax across the counties that use the airport and attend the games, we can fund new and improved facilities without putting the burden on just one area. But this isn’t just about money. It’s about coming together as a region to end the seemingly constant anxiety about losing the sports teams that feed our regional identity. It’s about building an airport for our region that would be a source of pride and efficiency – a welcoming front door to Northeast Ohio – attractive to airlines and travelers alike. This idea is just one proposal, and it’s an ambitious one that’s not without its caveats. But is it the game-changer that would help Northeast Ohio manage the financial needs of these mega-projects? We again invite you to take a deeper dive here, for the full breakdown of our methodology
The Browns are dumping coaches but keeping Stefanski. I'm honestly not shocked. They hitched their cart to this Watson situation for another year for future stability and that means another half a season or so of pretending everything is okay. Or worse... it works out temporarily for a year and both stay.
Joe was less than stingy with the details. OC Ken Dorsey and OL Coach Andy Dickerson were released after the Ravens game. Ray Ventrone MAY be next.
Could simply be that Stefanski and Berry have some immunity built in if Haslam forced that deal for Watson. If a player sale happens (Garrett hits the market, etc.), then these will be the guys tasked with rebuilding the locker room and improving the roster.
I'm not convinced that the Watson trade came from Haslem. I know . . . that's what everyone wants to believe because it sells clicks just like the homeless guy and Johnny Manziel.
From my point of view - I have a hard time believing that the way the deal came down would have traveled the route of GM/HC forcing the hand of ownership to go so wildly over the top that it created league wide backlash for both the contract (with other owners) and team (with fans because of Watson's history), while potentially crippling the franchise for years. It's possible, but I have my doubts that it could have gone down that way. It seems far more feasible that a desperate owner that is used to getting his way in the business world, ethics be damned, threw himself on the floor like a toddler and pounded his fists and feet into the floor, a blubbering mucus and tear-filled mess, until he got his way.
The way I view it is kind of a conglomeration of a clueless Berry influencing an extremely desperate and impatient owner in Haslam which Tim described perfectly. No deal like that would been allowed without Haslam ok'ing it. Berry, Haslam and anyone else in the Browns contingency were so hell-bent to move on from Mayfield, they were completely blinded of Watsons current situation/reality over their fantasy dreams of winning now in Cleveland. For the life of me I cant believe the deal was even considered, let alone implemented by basically bribing Watson to play in Cleveland... Watson didnt even want to come to Cleveland and just sat out a season after signing a 4 year deal in Texas (not mentioning his perverted life going public). Id bet Watson couldnt even believe the deal from Cleveland either. A complete unreal/sir-real situation, that not one football owner, talking-head, analyst or anyone with half a brain could understand. Which is all Captain Obvious stuff to you guys, especially Browns fans. Why Haslam wasnt talking to other owners in the 'good ol' boy network' and at least getting some advice or opinions is a fact that proves to my mind Haslam is clueless. Moving on, I sure hope Berry and Haslam are capable of learning from mistakes or allowing people with better knowledge to run these types of things and quite frankly I dont believe they are capable. Not after being so blind in the first place. The heart and soul players like Garrett and Bitonio ought to take some other players with them and get in Berry and Haslam's face, lay the law down and ask some real serious questions and make demands. They have nothing to lose. Hell, the fans ought to sue the crap out of their football team for ripping them off time after time.
It’s already been publicly stated that the organization is consulting Myles on the offseason plans. I don’t know if I should be relieved, that it might help keep Garrett in orange and Brown or come back to the reality that this team is so inept they will be consulting a defensive lineman on what they should do at QB in the offseason. I don’t believe for a second that Haslem wasn’t the absolute driving force of the Watson deal. It boils down to one simple fact… Berry still has a job. If this was Berry’s brain child, he would have been fired faster than Ken Dorsey.
Great to see you guys have the #2 pick and the first pick of the 2nd round. Get someone good with it! Time to hear all about QB vs Travis Hunter vs a pure WR vs trading.
It’s weird, I’ve always been a draftnik, but I feel like I’ve been out of the draft completely for the past 3 years. I’m not sure how to react. My first impression is, anyone but QB… but I will do my diligence and look at them as well. Gotta be more fun than this season was
I know I'm opening old wounds here but, just to take us back a few years... it was 2018 and a beautiful spring... John Dorsey was the GM and in the first round of the NFL draft, Dorsey selects Baker Mayfield and Denzel Ward. Two anchors for the teams future. Celebrations were heard around Ohio and into distant lands. Might be relevant to mention, he also landed us Nick Chubb the following year.... then he was fired following his second season... Now he is the Senior Personnel Director for the #1 NFC Seeded Detroit Lions... Baker Mayfield is the QB of the NFC South winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Based on the insurance that Berry had on Watson's salary, he might not be inept at his job... But can someone please put handcuffs on Haslem when it comes to football operations?
