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- Kevin Byrne went to Baltimore with old Browns, but part of his heart remained in Cleveland (Terry Pluto) - When I heard he was retiring, I called Kevin Byrne. Friday, the Cleveland native who attended St. Edward High, finished his last official week as public relations director of the Baltimore Ravens. It’s a job he’s had for the last 25 years. But it didn’t take long for us to begin talking about Cleveland ... and the Browns of the 1980s.
- Five thoughts on the Browns’ schedule, from a difficult opener to the chance to finish strong (Browns Zone) - With snow falling — in the second week of May — and no rookie minicamp in Berea to cover, there’s plenty of time to sit inside and study the Browns’ schedule, which was released Thursday night. Their season isn’t slated to start until Sept. 13 in Baltimore — if there’s no delay due to the coronavirus pandemic — so I’m sure it’s a topic that will be revisited time and again. To get started, here are five not-so-quick thoughts.
- Kirk Ferentz discusses turning down Browns job in 2008 (247Sports) - Over his 20 plus seasons at Iowa, Kirk Ferentz has had opportunities to accept other jobs and coach elsewhere but has remained in Iowa City. Most notably in 2008, Ferentz was offered the Cleveland Browns head coaching job, which he discussed with Dan Patrick in a recent interview.
- Baker Mayfield says Browns are ‘putting the right pieces together’ (clevelandbrowns.com) - Instead of practice in Berea, Baker Mayfield and the rest of the Browns have spent the past month participating in Zoom meetings and using other virtual methods to make up as much of the offseason workload as possible.
NFL:
- Pro Football Hall of Fame excited Hall of Fame Game still on for Aug. 6 (Canton Repository) - The Pro Football Hall of Fame wasn’t sure until the complete 2020 NFL schedule was released Thursday that the Hall of Fame is still on for Aug. 6 in Canton. A Steelers executive indicates his team is proceeding as if it will faces the Cowboys that day.
- How the Detroit Lions made it into Ozark (ESPN) - Ryan Farley needs to get away as part of his writing process. Sometimes it’s as easy as pulling up his Detroit Lions hoodie and getting to work. Other times he needs a full escape, going from Los Angeles to Lake Tahoe when he’s on deadline to finish his script.
- Report: Joe Tessitore, Booger McFarland will not return to ESPN’s MNF booth (Yahoo Sports) - ESPN is going to begin anew with its “Monday Night Football” booth, per a report by The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch. The network will not bring back play-by-play broadcaster Joe Tessitore nor will it bring back analyst Booger McFarland.