Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 3/19: Official Signings, Watson Musings, and Relating to Rodney (2024)

THE DAILY BLOVIATION

Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!

I sometimes meet up in person with loyal visitors to the site to share a beer or a coffee so we can put faces on the online personas, and I have never once regretted doing so. I spent a lot of time in front of the computer, and it’s great to get out every now and then and make new friends.

When I do, I often learn that these folks are fans of other college or pro teams (football, baseball) as well, and frequently say things like, “I wish there were an OBR for (insert team here).”

I’ve played around with starting up sites for other teams, but my heart hasn’t been in it. I’ve even turned down feelers to start sites for my beloved Buckeyes and Guardians. I don’t think a single individual can successfully do a great job splitting his attention between teams. There’s just too much to do… too much history… too many people to get to know… too much everything. One team is enough.

Every once in a while, especially when I get frustrated or down about something, some around me are compelled to tell me what an outlier the OBR happens to be: A successful NFL site with its roots in fandom that has built itself up over 20+ years to be about as respected as an independent site can be. There aren’t a lot of sites out there like the OBR. Sure, we’ll never get real respect from the big boys of the industry, but who cares about those corporate monstrosities anyway? There’s a reason I don’t work for them anymore. Still, I relate a bit to Rodney Dangerfieldwhen it comes to the "big shots" of the industry.

One of the funnier aspects of Brad’s recent scoop on the Maurice Hurst signing was how many sites refused to give credit to the “Orange and Brown Report.” They gave credit to 247Sports.com instead.

No offense to Brad and his tremendous work these past few weeks, but 247Sports.com doesn’t know him, they didn’t hire him, and they sure as hell don’t pay his salary. They simply provide hosting, subscription customer service, and other back-office services. They provide no content to the OBR, no special databases or technology, or anything else. We’ve got a good partnership, but it doesn’t extend to any cooperation on content. They’re entirely focused on college sports and college recruiting. We’re a remnant of their acquisition of Scout.com in 2018. The odds that anyone from there will read this article are astonishingly slim.

We’re also associated with CBS, through their ownership of 247Sports.com, which provides the Paramount+ freebie, which accompanies an OBR subscription. Still, beyond listing our stories on our team page, there’s no cooperation there whatsoever. They even re-write stories that Fred Greetham covered on-site in Berea, totally unaware that our story existed, apparently.

I won’t embarrass the sites by name, who, for whatever reason, wouldn’t credit the OBR. Still, to escape from crediting The Orange and Brown Report, they basically credited our hosting company. I’m shaking my damn head.

Likewise, I called out Mike Garafolo and Jordan Schultz yesterday for “re-scooping” Brad’s Hurst story without credit to him two days later. Neither bothered to respond to my entreaties over Twitter, providing no explanation for their decision not to credit Brad for the scoop.

Some may wonder why, at age 61, I’m not thinking about retirement and am more driven than ever to get our writers the notice they deserve and the attention their work merits. It’s little stuff like this.

It’s not a big deal, really, not in the larger scope of things.

I’m not bitter; I’m not angry; I just know it’s an uphill fight, and it just motivates me to work that much harder, even when most guys my age dream of days spent fishing or golfing.

I hope the Browns feel the same way as they try to climb out of 20+ years of mediocrity and fight for the respect they deserve. There’s no giving up; there’s no feeling sorry for yourself; there’s nothing but getting up each day and feeling once again the determination to succeed. If an old webdork can feel it, I hope young, athletic, and energetic young men with the best possible coaches driving them can feel it, too.

No excuses this year, gents. For you or me. Let’s go and prove the big shots wrong.

Have a good one! GO BROWNS!