Saturday Dawg Chow: Browns news (2/11/23)

Dawgs By Nature:

• Haslams in ‘advanced talks’ to buy 25% stake of an NBA franchise (Jared Mueller) - The Haslam Sports Group has owned the Cleveland Browns since purchasing the organization in 2012. Since then, they have also acquired the Columbus Crew soccer club. It seems the family is not content with owning just two sports franchises. Jimmy Haslam’s brother, Bill, purchased the Nashville Predators of the NFL recently and now the Haslam Sports Group is in talks to purchase a significant share of the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA.
• NFL creates Jim Brown Award (Barry Shuck) - The NFL announced at the NFL Honors that beginning with the 2022 season, at the conclusion the player with the most rushing yards will be presented with the “Jim Brown Award.” The reason given was to permanently honor the impact of the former Cleveland Browns legendary fullback. The inaugural winner of the Jim Brown Award is Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs, who rushed for 1,653 yards.
• Browns lose defensive coach, hired by Chargers (Jared Mueller) - While there were rumors that Jeff Howard would be kept on, news came that he was interviewing with the Los Angeles Chargers. Friday, he was hired as their linebackers coach.
• Browns should be a strong candidate for Hall of Fame Game (Thomas Moore) - Cleveland Browns fans may be getting a bonus this summer as the team should be a strong candidate to play in the annual Pro Football Hall of Game in August. The Browns last played in the game in 1999, and with Joe Thomas being named as a member of the Class of 2023, it would be a no-brainer for the league to select the Browns as one of the teams for the game.
• Sneak peak at this year’s Super Bowl commercials (Barry Schuck) - The Super Bowl decides the champion of the NFL, and also the champions of the advertising universe. Inasmuch as the Super Bowl has created a mass gathering either in sports bars or at household gatherings, this splendid festival generates just as much interest in the commercials as it does the actual game itself.

Cleveland Browns:

• What I’m hearing about Haslam Sports Group interest in the Milwaukee Bucks (Terry Pluto) - Several sources have reported Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam are talking about buying 25% of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks. Here’s what I’m hearing from some of my sources.
• Browns icon Joe Thomas is first-ballot Hall of Famer. How shot put, swimming aided journey (Beacon Journal) - Joel Bitonio recently stumbled upon an old, grainy video of former Browns teammate Joe Thomas throwing the shot put. When Bitonio watched the footage on social media, the All-Pro left guard had an epiphany.
• Joe Thomas reveals who delivered his Hall of Fame knock, and the two words that brought to him to tears (cleveland.com) - Joe Thomas almost got his hallowed Hall of Fame knock on the door while in his underwear. He was at home in Wisconsin with his wife Annie and their four kids — ages 4 to 10 — and Annie had to beg him to put some dang pants on before the moment his idol, Hall of Fame left tackle Walter Jones, surprised him with The Knock on Door.
• Falling in line with greatness: Fellow O-linemen relish their bond with Joe Thomas (Browns Zone) - The group texts started because of football, but it’s moved well down the list of topics for discussion. Recipes, restaurants, travel, family and hunting are among the most popular talking points for the fomer Browns offensive linemen.
• Joe Thomas ‘wouldn’t change anything’ about his path to Canton (clevelandbrowns.com) - It’s hard for Hall of Famers to tell the tale about their path to glory without thanking the people who helped them, and Joe Thomas’ reaction to his Hall of Fame announcement Thursday night was no different. But Thomas’ reasoning for why he wanted to thank Browns fans, teammates and everyone else who helped push him to Canton holds much greater significance. His gratitude felt stronger than a simple “thank you” because that support might’ve meant more to Thomas than any of the other 368 Hall of Famers that came before him.

NFL:

• 2023 Super Bowl guide: Chiefs-Eagles picks, stats, predictions (ESPN) - Super Bowl LVII kicks off on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET, with the Kansas City Chiefs facing the Philadelphia Eagles. These franchises are used to the big stage, as the Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV after the 2019 season and are making their third appearance in the big game in four years. The Eagles are also recent champions, winning Super Bowl LII following the 2017 season. These two teams have been atop the heap all year, as they were the top seeds in their respective conferences. Super Bowl LVII represents the first meeting of top seeds in the Super Bowl since the Eagles’ aforementioned Super Bowl LII win over the New England Patriots.
• NFL Sunday Ticket probably won’t offer single-team packages on YouTube, though cheaper packages may be available (Awful Announcing) - When YouTube was named as the NFL’s new partner for Sunday Ticket, there was some optimism about potential changes in the service. Specifically, fans were excited about the prospect of buying a single team package of games.
• Analytics predicts who will win Super Bowl LVII (SB Nation) - The stage is set. All the media availabilities, hawking products by players and former players, all the Pro Bowl Games and all of the analysis has led us to Super Bowl LVII and the conclusion of the 2022 NFL season. The question everyone wants to know, from fans of the two teams, those betting on the game and the casual fan alike, is who will win.
• Texans interviewing ex-Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury for offensive coordinator job (NFL.com) - Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s Thailand trip was a bit shorter than expected. NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reports Kingsbury will have an interview with the Houston Texans for their open offensive coordinator position on Friday.