Tag: FirstEnergy Stadium

Browns heading to FirstEnergy Stadium for Sunday’s practice

It will be the first time working in the stadium for quite a few Browns players and coaches

Saturday was a lighter day at the Cleveland Browns training facility in Berea for the 12th day of training camp. The players were in shorts and shells instead of full pads.

Sunday will be different. The Browns are heading to FirstEnergy Stadium for the first time in 2020 to hold a practice at the home stadium.

It will not be a scrimmage. Coach Kevin Stefanski made that clear. It’s more about getting the new players — and coaches — more familiar with being at FirstEnergy Stadium on game days.

“What we want to do is kind of get in there, get our uniforms on and get what it feels like coming out of that locker room. Some guys, myself included, have not spent a lot of time in that building so that is kind of what we are thinking,” Stefanski said in his Saturday Zoom session. “The second time we get in there, we will really use it as a dress rehearsal, both literally with them wearing the uniforms but we will have headsets on, the scoreboard and all of that. Just use that as a dress rehearsal both for our staff and for our players.”

The practice will be streamed via Browns Live. The Browns will hold the “dress rehearsal” later in the week before camp ends on Friday.

Browns reveal proposed plan for fans attending games at FirstEnergy Stadium in 2020

Browns reveal their proposed plan for fans attending games at FirstEnergy Stadium in 2020

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In a detailed quest to allow at least some fans into home games at FirstEnergy Stadium in the 2020 season, the Cleveland Browns revealed their proposed plan for attendance to season ticket holders. The proposal must be approved by Ohio governor Mike DeWine and his COVID-19 response officials.

Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer Dave Jenkins released the team’s official statement, which reads in part,

“The ‘FirstEnergy Stadium Responsible Restart Plan’ is the result of a tremendous amount of time and resources that our entire team has spent over the past four months to develop a comprehensive stadium plan that prioritizes health and safety while allowing a reduced capacity of fans to return to our stadium for Browns games this fall. Our plan is founded upon the guidance and recommendations of city and state officials, the CDC, local and state health departments, University Hospitals’ medical experts, industry-leading venue consultants and the NFL, with the goal of creating as safe an environment as possible for our players, coaches, staff and fans.”

Some of the highlights include:

  • Designated gates and recommended time entries for fans that are not flexible or optional
  • Fan “pods” of no more than 10 people who will sit together in assigned seats
  • Four color-coded quadrants of seating, and all fans must remain in their assigned quadrant for the entire time they’re in FirstEnergy Stadium.
  • Mandatory face coverings at all times except “when actively eating or drinking”

If the plan meets approval, as many as 20 percent of the seats in FirstEnergy can be occupied for each of the team’s eight home games. There is no immediate timetable on when the governor will consider approval.

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City of Cleveland bans tailgating for the 2020 Browns season

No vehicles will be allowed in the Muni Lot until 2 hours before game time

Browns fans looking to tailgate before games at FirstEnergy Stadium this season will not find anywhere to make it happen. The City of Cleveland officially banned all tailgating and parking lot partying on Monday.

The executive order from Mayor Frank Jackson states in part,

“Public and private gatherings of greater than 10 people occurring outside of a single household or living unit, including but not limited to block/street parties and tailgating events are prohibited.”

That includes the popular Muni Lot near FirstEnergy, the traditional tailgate venue of choice for Dawg Pound denizens. No vehicles will be permitted into the public parking lots until two hours prior to kickoff. Normally the Muni Lot is full several hours before game time with fans grilling, throwing the ball around and drinking various beverages.

The order will remain in place until the city is no longer impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Browns ownership lobbies for more fans to be allowed to attend games

The Haslam’s have been adamant at allowing as many fans as safely possible to attend games

Cleveland Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam will petition the state of Ohio to allow extra fans into FirstEnergy Stadium for NFL games this fall. Per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal, the team will lobby to have up to 20 percent of stadium capacity, higher than the state’s established guideline of 15 percent.

The state is allowing either 1,500 fans or 15 percent of total capacity for all sports events being held outdoors during the COVID-19 pandemic. FirstEnergy Stadium has a fixed seating capacity of 67,895, which would top out at 15 percent at 10,184 fans in the stands. Allowing another 5 percent would permit up to 3,395 more fans into the stadium for the Browns’ eight home dates.

The Haslam’s indicated a desire to have as many fans as possible in FirstEnergy Stadium during their Zoom session with reporters on Sunday.

State of Ohio prohibits fans at football games indefinitely

No fans are permitted at contact sports at any level in Ohio

A new order from the Ohio Department of Health rules out any fans attending any football games in the state indefinitely due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. That means Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals games will be played in empty stadiums this fall.

The order, passed on Saturday, was confirmed by the state officials on Monday. It remains in effect until the state of emergency from Ohio governor Mike DeWine ends.

The order also directs that contact practice and training may resume for all sports, but only intrasquad scrimmages are permitted for contact sports. Non-contact sports may have competitive games and tournaments. It impacts professional, college and high school athletics.

The DOH can rescind the order at any time, and governor DeWine can also end it with an executive order.

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Browns offer season ticket holders a chance to opt out during COVID-19 pandemic

The Browns are adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic

The Cleveland Browns have joined other NFL teams in adapting to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic by offering some options for fans. The team announced this week that season-ticket holders will be able to opt-out of purchasing their seats in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Normally if a season-ticket holder didn’t continue to buy their tickets, they would forfeit their right to the seats in the future. They would also lose priority perks and the status of owning the seats. But during the pandemic, those fans will be exempted and not surrender their status despite not buying the season tickets.

The team has yet to formulate a seating plan for the home games at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Baltimore Ravens recently revealed their home games will only seat approximately 14,000 fans in their stadium. Other teams are expected to quickly follow suit.

Report: Browns will lose $113 million in stadium revenue with no fans at games

A report from Forbes calculates the Cleveland Browns will lose $113 million in stadium revenue with no fans at games at FirstEnergy Stadium

Nobody knows exactly what is going to happen with the NFL’s 2020 season. While the players and league are working on various plans of how to progress in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic, something Browns center JC Tretter shed a lot of light upon in his conference call this week, there is no definite answer for anything just yet.

One of the popular proposals and theories is for teams to play in empty stadiums. That’s the current model in Korean baseball and German soccer and is a definite possibility for a variety of American sports. If that happens, the Browns will lose a significant source of income.

According to a report in Forbes, the Browns would stand to lose $113 million in revenue if the games are played with no fans in the seats. The figure is based on 2018 stadium revenue for all 32 NFL teams and represents 37 percent of the Browns’ total revenue stream.

As author Mike Ozanian notes,

A season without fans would also hurt the players. In March, the league agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement that allocated 47% of football-related income to the players in 2020 and 48% in 2021.

The NFL has still yet to make any decisions on fans or player access, but it’s a hot topic of conversation. With so much money at stake, it’s hard to see the NFL playing in front of empty stadiums for long, if at all.

2021 NFL Draft dates announced

The dates for the 2021 NFL Draft that is taking place in Cleveland, Ohio have been released.

The 2020 NFL Draft was supposed to take place in Las Vegas but due to COVID-19 plans changed. Instead the draft took a more virtual approach much like the WNBA Draft. However Vegas will get their opportunity in 2022. As for the 2021 NFL Draft, the dates have been announced.

On April 29th-May 1st, the 2021 NFL Draft will take place in Cleveland, Ohio. A spot where we could see two Texas Longhorns take the stage for the awkward photo opportunity with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and holding their new team’s jersey.

It remains to be seen if they will use some of the virtual ideas from this past draft to incorporate with the traditional draft when it returns in 2021. Hopefully this is a step in the right direction as we hope to see sporting events return after this pandemic.

Browns are raising season ticket prices in FirstEnergy Stadium

It’s the Browns’ 3rd ticket increase since 2008

Fans will have to pay a little bit more to catch the Cleveland Browns in FirstEnergy Stadium in 2020. The team announced it is raising season ticket prices around the stadium for the 2020 season.

The Browns are not breaking the bank with the increases, and it’s just the third time in the last 12 years where ownership has raised the prices in the stadium. The cheapest tickets are going up $5 or less, and the more premium seats are going up $10 or less.

From the Browns’ press release,

“We have a deep appreciation for the support of our season ticket members and fans. We will always prioritize providing affordable options for all, while looking at ticket prices throughout the NFL to determine our structure. The last 12 years, our ticket prices have remained flat in many areas. After careful consideration and discussion, we created a moderate increase that will still fall within the four least expensive season tickets in the NFL. We fully understand that our results on the field have not met expectations, either ours or our fans, and we are working hard to create the success that our fans truly deserve.”

FirstEnergy Stadium was sold out for the entire home slate in 2019. Season tickets were all sold well before the season started.

Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Sunday’s Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns Week 14 matchup, with NFL betting odds, picks and best bets

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The Cincinnati Bengals (1-11) and Cleveland Browns (5-7) play the latest installment of their ‘Battle of Ohio’ rivalry Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at FirstEnergy Stadium. We analyze the Bengals-Browns sports betting odds and lines, with NFL betting picks and tips for the Week 14 matchup.

Bengals at Browns: Week 14 preview, betting trends and notes

Get some action on the game at BetMGM by placing a sports bet!

  • The Bengals enter on a high after their first victory of the season in Week 13, while the Browns suffered a 20-13 loss against the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
  • Cincinnati is 8-2 ATS across their past 10 road games, and they’re 17-8 ATS in the past 25 games against AFC opponents.
  • The Browns are 7-3 ATS across their past 10 games inside the AFC North, but they’re just 11-23-1 ATS in the past 35 at home.
  • The Under is 4-1-1 in Cincinnati’s past six games against the AFC North, while going 12-3-2 in the past 17 games overall.
  • The Under is 18-8-1 in the past 27 at home for the Browns, while going 15-5-1 in the past 21 at FirstEnergy Stadium against teams with a losing road mark.

Bengals at Browns: Key injuries

Bengals: WR John Ross (collarbone) and LB Nick Vigil (ankle) are expected to play, while DE Sam Hubbard (knee) and TE Drew Sample (ankle) are out.

Browns: TE David Njoku (wrist) and DE Olivier Vernon (knee) are expected to be ready, while QB Baker Mayfield (hand) will also be fine. WR Odell Beckham Jr. (groin) is expected to be ready, too.

Bengals at Browns: Odds, betting lines and prediction

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 8 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Browns 23, Bengals 17

Moneyline (?)

The Browns (-334) are just too expensive, and they haven’t been consistent enough this season to lay more than three times your money. The Bengals (+260), on the other hand, have struggled all season obviously, but they looked better with QB Andy Dalton regaining his starting spot against the Jets. They’re no pushover, at least for an inconsistent Browns side.

New to sports betting? A $10 wager on the moneyline returns a $2.99 profit with a Cleveland victory.

Against the Spread (?)

The BENGALS (+7.5, -112) catching seven and a hook is the key. Whenever you’re betting the underdog, those hooks can come in handy. The Browns (-7.5, -115) have a 2-3-1 ATS mark across their six games so far this season.

Over/Under (?)

UNDER 41.5 (-110) is a nice small-unit bet, although this one will be close in the fourth quarter. Don’t go crazy, but if you’re looking for a nice parlay, the Bengals and the points with the Under is a decent pairing.

Want action on this game? Sign up and bet at BetMGM. Looking for more sports betting picks and tips? Visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

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

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