The Cleveland Browns may not always win the PR war, but this weekend they showed that they can get it right when they want to.
The home opener is on Sunday, marking the first time the home fans will see quarterback Deshaun Watson on the field since the August 22 preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. That was the day that Watson called out the home fans for booing his performance, saying he believed it was personal, rather than a reflection of his poor play on the field.
Since then, there has been
considerable talk and speculation that the Browns could not afford to let Watson play in front of the home fans again, out of fear that the hometown crowd might get a jump-start on demolishing the stadium before the team is done with it in 2028.
Watson took some of the pressure off with his performance last week in a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And on Thursday, the Browns front office did its part by announcing that Nick Chubb will officially retire as a Cleveland Brown today and be honored at Sunday’s game.
Watson who? (Although he does need to keep up his end of the bargain to ensure the good vibes stay around all Sunday afternoon.)
Dawgs By Nature will be there for all of it, naturally, but for now let’s kick the day off with the latest edition of the Daily Dawg Chow.
Dawgs By Nature
Nick Chubb to return to Browns, retire, and be honored in Week 3 (Jared Mueller) – A Hall-of-Fame career derailed by a dirty hit from a Pittsburgh Steeler.
Playoffs? The Browns? (Thomas Moore) – We are living in heady times, friends, as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler is bullish on the Cleveland Browns.
Panthers vs. Browns Week 3 picks: How much respect did Cleveland earn? (Chris Pokorny) – Fowler may be buying what the Browns are selling, but his national peers still need some convincing.
3 Browns who have disappointed so far and need to step up in Week 3 (Jared Mueller) – While there is a general air of positivity around the Browns, that does not mean all is well.
Browns: Can Deshaun Watson be the QB the team needs? (Thomas Moore) – Deshaun Watson may not be the hero that Cleveland deserves right now. But can he be the one that the team needs?
Browns Week 3: Scouting the Panthers, best team in the NFC South? (Curtiss Brown) – A low bar to cross, no doubt. But they are averaging 35.5 points per game, so they have that going for them. Which is nice.
The Feed
Who would have guessed that stopping Bryce Young was the key? Share your thoughts in Dawgs By Nature’s Feed in the comment section or by following this link to the Feed post.
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Cleveland Browns
How Browns defense turned fortunes around for Todd Monken’s 1st win (Beacon Journal) – Offense is fun, but in the end, it’s defense that wins the day.
What Blake Whiteheart was thinking on his way to the go-ahead touchdown on Sunday in Tampa (cleveland.com) – “Don’t fall” is good advice for anyone running toward the end zone.
Denzel Boston didn’t expect, but not surprised by, 2-touchdown start to career (Browns Zone) – Being in a club with Bob Hayes and Bobby Mitchell? Cool! Being in the club with Mac Haik, Sammy White, and Andre’ Davis? Still cool enough when you are a rooki.
Deshaun Watson says he ‘never tries to go at war with the fans’ ahead of Browns home opener (The Athletic) – Dude, just play well and everything will take care of itself.
NFL
Baltimore Ravens feel prepared for Rio ‘business trip’ (ESPN) – Anytime there is a reference to Peaky Blinders, one of the greatest shows ever, through the first four seasons, we are putting the story in the Chow.
NFL Take-O-Meter: The Chargers’ new disaster couple (The Ringer) – Things are not going well in Los Angeles for the Chargers.
Is 0-2 a slow start or part of a troubling trend for the Bucs? (Tampa Bay Times) – You know who is not one of the eight teams currently sitting at 0-2? The Cleveland Browns!
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