Browns are favored in Pittsburgh for the 1st time since 1989

Bud Carson’s Browns blanked Bubby Brister and the Steelers 51-0 in that game

The last time the Cleveland Browns were favored in a game in Pittsburgh, Bud Carson was making his debut as the head coach for the Browns. Clay Matthews returned a fumble for the Browns first touchdown and Tim Manoa ran for two scores in a 51-0 shellacking.

That was September 10th, 1989, the season opener for a Browns team that would eventually advance to the AFC Championship game. The Steelers were coming off a 5-11 season and trotted out Bubby Brister at QB. The Browns held him to 82 yards passing and five total first downs.

It’s been a very long time. Most of the Browns roster wasn’t even alive. Coach Freddie Kitchens was a high school freshman. And given how the Steelers still have a better record this year than the Browns, it’s a little odd to see. But here we are.

At BetMGM, the Browns are 1.5-point favorites in Pittsburgh. Some other books have the Browns favored by as many as 2.5 points, but the 1.5 figure is the standard.

Nobody is expecting 51-0, but the line in that game back in 1989 was just two points. Not saying, just sayin’…

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Lions look to leave Washington with second win ever

The Detroit Lions will travel to Washington where wins have historically been hard to come by. In fact, they’ve only won there once — ever.

The Detroit Lions will travel to Washington on Sunday, where wins have historically been hard to come by.

Overall, Washington leads the series 30-14, although, the Lions have won the last four meetings, including a 2013 win at FedEx Field, which marked the first time the Lions had beaten the Redskins on the road — ever.

A trip down memory lane

Until 2013, the Lions had made 21 trips to D.C. and suburban Maryland, and then traveled back home with a loss.

Matthew Stafford led the Lions with 385 yards and two touchdowns. Calvin Johnson finished the game with six receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter that would prove to be the dagger.

The Lions’ tough defensive unit, led by Ndamukong Suh, contained Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III en route to nine hits, two sacks, three forced fumbles (one lost) and an interception.

When the Lions (3-6-1) take the field against Washington (1-9) on Sunday, it’s hard to fathom that they will be aiming for only their second all-time win in the nation’s capital. Nonetheless, they need to take advantage of key matchups and clean up their defensive play. Erik Schlitt gave us the Honolulu Blueprint for the Lions to come back to Detroit with win No. 4 on the season.

Jim Brown is 1st player named to NFL’s All-Time Team

The NFL 100 campaign got this one right, Jim Brown is the GOAT

As if there would be any doubt who belongs as the inaugural member of the NFL’s All-Time team. Of course, it’s Browns legend Jim Brown!

NFL Network will reveal the running back class for the All-Time Team on Friday night, but they whetted fans’ appetite by releasing one of the player choices early.

NFL.com opined on why it had to be No. 32 in orange, brown and white:

When he retired after nine seasons, Brown owned the single-season and career rushing records, and he was the all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (106), total touchdowns (126) and all-purpose yards (15,549). Ninety-nine other players will join Brown on the all-time team, but none of them may loom as large in NFL history as Brown does.

He has epitomized greatness for over 60 years. Congrats to Brown on being the worthy first legend of the game honored as a member of the NFL 100 All-Time Team.

[lawrence-related id=35584]

Jim Brown, Marion Motley finalists for RBs on NFL’s All-Time Team

12 RBs will be chosen among 24 finalists, and Jim Brown is an obvious choice

Jim Brown and Marion Motley are two of the finalists to earn running back spots on the NFL’s All-Time Team. The Browns legends and Pro Football Hall of Famers are prominent among the group chosen as part of the NFL’s 100th-season celebration.

There are 24 finalists nominated for the 12 spots on the final team. The running back choices will be revealed on Friday night on the NFL Network as part of the NFL 100 campaign.

Brown seems a no-brainer for inclusion. The NFL’s rushing leader when he retired in 1965, he remains the leader in rushing yards per game with 104.5. He won eight rushing titles in nine seasons.

Motley is an interesting candidate. He won two league rushing titles for the Browns, one in the All-America Football Conference and also the NFL rushing title in the team’s first season in the NFL (1950). He was honored on the All-Decade Team of the 1940s.

Barry Sanders among the finalists for NFL’s All-Time team

Barry Sanders is among the 24 finalists for NFL’s All-time team running back

Lions legend Barry Sanders is one of the finalists at running back for the NFL’s All-Time team. The NFL revealed the 24 finalists for the position this week, and Sanders’ status looms large.

Sanders has a strong case. He made 1st or 2nd-team All-Pro in each of his 10 NFL seasons, all with Detroit. No. 20 was the NFL MVP in 1997 and won four rushing titles. He retired after the 1998 season as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher

His 99.8 yards per game average is the best of any RB in the Super Bowl era and second all-time (Jim Brown). Sanders finished first or second in that category in nine of his 10 years. He’s 8th all-time in yards per carry at 5.0, too.

The winner of the honor will be announced this Friday night on the NFL Network.

The Lions land just one season in the NFL 100’s greatest teams

The 1953 Lions went 10-2 and featured several future Hall of Famers

As part of the celebration honoring the 100th season of the NFL, the league is running all sorts of commemorative lists and rankings. That includes rating the top 100 teams in NFL history.

The Detroit Lions landed just one team on the NFL 100 top teams of all time. And only fans of a certain age will remember seeing them play.

The 1953 Lions check in at No. 55 on the list. Coach Buddy Parker guided his team to a second straight NFL Championship with a 10-2 record. Led by Pro Bowl QB Bobby Layne and featuring RB Doak Walker at his All-Pro prime, the Lions also had two Hall of Famers at safety in Jack Christiansen and Yale Lary.

Lawrence Tynes recalls helmet-swinging fight in 2000s Chiefs practice

Thursday Night Football wasn’t the only time that a former Kansas City Chiefs player saw a helmet used as a weapon.

A former player for the Kansas City Chiefs claims that the Browns-Steelers fracas on Thursday night wasn’t the first time he saw a helmet used as a weapon.

Kicker Lawrence Tynes recalled a fight in practice between defensive tackle Junior Siavii and offensive tackle John Tait, and well, he got the story half-right. There was a fight, and it did involve John Tait and a helmet used as a weapon, but it happened in 2002, not 2004. Tynes was just in his second season with the Chiefs in 2002. He spent those first two seasons as a member of Kansas City’s practice squad before playing in NFL Europe and the CFL.

Have seen a player swing the helmet to the head once before in practice 2004 #Chiefs . Rookie DT Junior Siavii ripped off T John Taits helmet and struck him in the face. Broke his nose I believe.

— 𝙇𝙖𝙬𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙏𝙮𝙣𝙚𝙨 (@lt4kicks) November 15, 2019

The folks at the Kansas City Star looked into their archives and found the story of a fight at Chiefs training camp back when they went to River Falls, Wisconsin.

Instead of Siavii, as Tynes recalled, the fight occurred between defensive lineman Eddie Freeman and Tait. The results were actually quite a bit scarier than what occurred on the field between Myles Garrett and Mason Rudolph. Tait required 17 stitches in his forehead and had a broken nose. He wasn’t allowed to play or practice because of swelling and the fear of infection, according to the Star.

“Fights happen, and things happen in fights,” Tait said via the Kansas City Star. “But I don’t know about hitting people with a helmet. I definitely think disciplinary action should be taken. It’s not my place to say what or how much. I’d be disappointed if nothing is done.”

The team fined Freeman $2,500 for the incident, and everybody moved on.

The difference between this incident and the Garrett-Rudolph fight is glaring. One occurred during the course of a heated moment at training camp practice, the other in the final seconds of a nationally televised game. You can expect the NFL to get involved with fines and suspensions to be handed out swiftly in the case of the Browns-Steelers game.

The one common denominator is that an NFL helmet, weighing roughly six pounds, should never be used a weapon against another football player. Rudolph is lucky to not have suffered any significant injuries, as Tait did back in 2002.

Former Lions WR Charles Rogers dead at 38

Former Lions WR Charles Rogers has passed away at just 38 years of age according to social media posts from former teammates

[jwplayer fySYZtsb-ThvAeFxT]

Former Detroit Lions wide receiver and first-round pick Charles Rogers has died at age 38, according to social media posts from former teammates and confirmed by the Detroit Free Press’ Chris Solari. The Saginaw native and onetime Michigan State star was found dead in Florida on Monday morning.

Rogers’ time with the Lions is no small part of the story of the spectacularly lost decade of the 2000s. The No. 2 overall pick of the 2003 NFL Draft — taken one spot ahead of Andre Johnson — Rogers last just three seasons.

It could have been much more. Rogers caught two touchdown passes in his first career game and was at 22 receptions for 243 yards and three TDs in his first five before a broken collarbone shattered his season. He broke his collarbone again in 2004. Rogers became known as a fragile player and a colossal bust.

Substance abuse issues, including painkillers, derailed his career and his life. After football, he moved to Florida and worked with a childhood friend in an auto shop.

Rest in peace.