The GameDay Opening Drive 9/14: Week 2, Ruin the Celebration

Browns visit Baltimore today with hopes of playing the spoiler role.

CLEVELAND, OH - NOVEMBER 19: A view of a sign - Hey Baltimore, Take Art, leave us the Name CLEVELAND BROWNS - held by a fan of the Cleveland Browns in the stands during a game between the Browns and Green Bay Packers at Cleveland Municipal Stadium on November 19, 1995 in Cleveland, Ohio. The sign refers to Browns team owner Art Modell and the announced move of the team from Cleveland to Baltimore. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)

It’s personal today for Browns fans. That might not have been the original intent from the Baltimore Ravens—or the NFL—when scheduling this game, but that’s what it has become. The celebration itself makes sense: the Ravens are marking 30 years back in the NFL after their team was stolen for Indianapolis. But the league didn’t need to schedule the Browns—the franchise most directly ruined by that choice—to be the ones in town to witness it.

Whoever is to blame, even if it’s nobody at all, the Browns need to represent an upset city today. The scar tissue still exists. Art Modell made sure it’s a wound that will never fully heal. At least not until this franchise finds a way to win a Super Bowl of its own.

Baltimore Ravens owner Art Modell (C), flanked by NFL security and the media, enters a meeting with the NFL owners to decide who will be awarded the Cleveland Browns expansion franchise 08 September in Chicago, IL. The Browns franchise which will begin NFL play in the 1999 season was awarded to the Alfred Lerner-Carmen Policy group for over 500 million USD. (DANIEL LIPPITT/AFP via Getty Images)

The complications of that departure run deep, and were well laid out by Jason Lloyd earlier this week so we don’t need to keep revisiting the topic, but this one is just a little different. While the odds are clearly against the Browns from a talent standpoint, the fanbase and city just wants to see them fight today. Prove to the league the vast 11.5 point spread is foolish. Some pride is on the line. The Browns have been acting accordingly all week, so let’s see if the play matches that vocal passion.

Inside the weekly GameDay Opening Drive you will get all the pieces of information paired with your GameDay Podcast to enhance your Sundays with this team.

So, sit back, pour some coffee, turn on the best pre-game Browns song known to man, and enjoy a fresh delivery of crucial Week 2 information from yours truly.

In a sea of purple, Cleveland Brown fans show spirit during their teams 10-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens at PSINet Stadium 26 September 1999 in Baltimore, MD. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO/TIM SLOAN (Photo by Tim SLOAN / AFP) (Photo credit should read TIM SLOAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Looks like clear skies but warmer weather for this early season matchup. It will be 83 degrees at kickoff with just a mild wind and only 25% cloud overage. If you are taking this one in at M&T Bank Stadium, be prepared to sweat. Not unbearable, but certainly warm with no precipitation in sight.

The Browns and Ravens history obviously isn’t as lengthy as many others because the Ravens were formed when the Browns were STOLEN, as we revisit today. But, as we know, the teams didn’t get to meet until the Browns arrived back in the NFL, AFC Central division at the time, and the Ravens were a wrecking ball by 1999. The results have been rough as the two have met twice each season since that return.

The Ravens lead the all-time series 37-15-0, but the teams are fairly even of late as the Browns are 4-3 in the last seven matchups. Overall, Kevin Stefanski is 4-6 against the division rival since his arrival in Cleveland.

18 Nov 2001 : Quincy Morgan #81 of the Cleveland Browns breaks through the lines against the Baltimore Ravens during the game at PSINet Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. The Browns won 27-17. DIGITAL IMAGE. Mandatory Credit: Doug Pensinger/Allsport