Ace Davis' Weblog

October 2009 - Posts

• Give me victory or give me ... um, a coupon

  In the face of network blackouts and fan "brownout" demonstrations, I have a specific suggestion for Randy Lerner during this most disheartening time. Read the full piece here. So here's my far-fetched but heartfelt proposal to the Browns brass: give me victory or give me ... um, a coupon. Ridiculous? Maybe, but we're beyond that now. Besides, Randy Lerner's an old credit card guy. Just call it a Loyalty Reward. Fans attending the games regularly shell out more than is delivered back to them. So if the team can't do it on the field, the front office ought to do it through the mail. Here's how it could work: whenever the Browns lose at home in regulation and fail to score even a single touchdown in the process, the team should recognize that fans did not get anything passably close to what they paid for. Fourth-quarter scores that don't narrow the deficit to within 14 points don't count. Ticket stubs should be redeemable for $30 toward a future ticket purchase. Posted Oct 29 2009, 12:51 PM by Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog Filed under: Fan Focus

• Parody of parity

  Yesterday's NFL margins of victory/defeat: 0-9 points: 2 games 10-19 points: 4 games 20-29 points: 2 games 30+ points: 4 games. Average score of a 2009 Browns game: Cleveland 10, Anyone Else 26 Average NFL ticket price: $75. Posted Oct 26 2009, 06:23 AM by Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog Filed under: Fan Focus

• Browns fandom: a birthright, like jaundice

  Nice ESPN Page 2 special here. All joking aside, I love the Browns. They cause me near-constant frustration and heartache, but that's the price you pay when you become attached to a pro sports team to which you have only an imaginary philosophical connection. I won't bail and support another team just because mine sucks, only to come back once we experience a modicum of success. What do I look like, a Patriots fan? Posted Oct 22 2009, 08:12 PM by Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog Filed under: Fan Focus

• Browns by number

  You'd think that after driving 11 hours round-trip and investing a weekend and $200 or so to witness the Browns win their first game in 11 months, a blogger like me would have something to say about the experience. Well, I just might. But first, another Sporcle quiz. If you've got 10 minutes, test your knowledge of Browns roster history here. Posted Oct 13 2009, 10:34 PM by Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog Filed under: quizzes

• Orange Alert: NFL return records under threat

  In 2007, Joshua Cribbs gained 1,809 yards on kickoff returns, second best in NFL history. This season, he is on pace for 1,848. That's pretty darn good, especially considering that he has only one return of more than 40 yards. The new prohibition against wedges has hurt him, but the return unit is lately figuring out how to give Cribbs the crease he needs to power through. He's proven good for at least one TD a year, and given that Browns opponents are bound to be kicking off aplenty, he could very well break MarTay Jenkins' league record of 2,186 set in 2000. And with his next trip to the house, he'll tie the NFL record for career kickoff return touchdowns (six). Even more impressive are his punt returns. He's projected to shatter his career best of 405 yards, also set in that amazing 2007 season. Through four games, his 237 punt return yards already eclipses last year's total of 228. Cribbs' current pace would yield 948 for the season, which would top Desmond Howard's 875 (in 1996) for the most in NFL history. Posted Oct 06 2009, 11:34 AM by Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog Filed under: stats