~ AND ~ 🏈 only 204 days and now 92 ? 57 ? 32 ? 19 ? YES really ! And still counting... 🏈 ....​​​​​​​🔥

[Dutch Oven]

Even for a team around since 1946, you'll get a jersey number where you look at those who have worn it for the Browns in their history and say "Who the hell are these guys?". Well boys and girls, we are now Austin Pasztor days left until the start of the 2023 Cleveland Browns season. Pasztor, a Canadian-born lad who played at the University of Virginia, was claimed off waivers by the Browns from Jacksonville at the start of the 2015 season, and ended up starting four games. In 2016 Mitchell Schwartz would leave the Browns in free agency, and Pasztor would take over his RT starting job, starting the first 15 games of season there, before sliding over to the guard spot for the last game of the season. Austin would leave the Browns after the season, bounce around in Atlanta and Tennessee before retiring. 

[mjp28]

~   And next at  #66  should be another  Cleveland BROWNS  greatest  OL  of all time.   He paid quite a price for all of his and the Cleveland BROWNS  running backs that he played in front of  records and accolades ..... and they all know that. 

Robert Gene Hickerson (February 15, 1935 – October 20, 2008) was an American professional football player who was an offensive guard for 15 years with the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) from 1958 to 1960 and 1962 to 1973. Hickerson was a six-time Pro Bowler from 1965 to 1970. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 4, 2007.

Collegiate career

Hickerson was born in Trenton, Tennessee located in Gibson County, but played fullback at Trezevant High School in neighboring Carroll County. Hickerson became a tackle at Ole Miss. He was considered^] one of the best offensive linemen in Southeastern Conference history at the end of his collegiate career.

Professional career

Gene was drafted in the seventh round of the 1957 NFL Draft by the Browns. He was promptly shifted to the guard position on the offensive line in 1958 to better utilize his speed. He was used as a "messenger" guard by Coach Paul Brown, or a guard that delivered the plays in the huddle, while blocking for Hall of Famers Jim Brown, Bobby Mitchell, and Leroy Kelly. But after three seasons in the league, he broke his leg in 1961 and fractured the leg again later in the season while watching a game from the sidelines.

After missing two games in 1962, he recovered from the injury and never missed another game in his professional tenure. Hickerson only earned accolades after Jim Brown had retired and he was blocking for Leroy Kelly, but he earned first-team all-NFL honors five straight seasons from 1966 to 1970 and was voted to six consecutive Pro Bowls from 1966 to 1971.

★ During his career, Hickerson's Browns never experienced a losing season and was a starter in four NFL title games, including a 1964 NFL Championship win over the Baltimore Colts 27–0. During Gene's 10 pro seasons, the Browns featured a 1,000-yard rusher every season but one in the era where the NFL season consisted of 14 games. They also had the NFL's leading rusher seven seasons of those ten. He was elected to the Browns' legends team and the NFL 1960s All-Decade Team. In 2003, he was named to the Professional Football Researchers Association Hall of Very Good in the association's inaugural HOVG class. ^[1]

★  In 2007, during his induction at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, and already suffering from the health problems that plagued the final years of his life, including dementia, Hickerson was brought onstage in his wheelchair, propelled by Bobby Mitchell, Jim Brown, and Leroy Kelly. It was announced as  💕  "one last time, Gene Hickerson leads Bobby Mitchell, Jim Brown, and Leroy Kelly." He was inducted by his friend and former teammate at The University of Mississippi and the Cleveland Browns, Bobby Franklin.

Death  💕

On October 20, 2008, Hickerson died just outside Cleveland, Ohio. The Browns added a "GH" tribute badge to their helmets for the 2008 season in his honor. he died at 10:20 AM

 

Edited July 7, 2023 by mjp28

[syd]

hell yes this has gone to a entire new level since 204 day's

thanks

[mjp28]

~  Here's a classic Cleveland BROWNS  line picture,  how many can you get right.  Picture circa about 1971  (about where we are at in the countdown).   

*HINT : We recently went through  #77  and   #66,  two real stars for the Cleveland BROWNS  OL from the past. 

Edited July 7, 2023 by mjp28

[Dutch Oven]

Well smack me in the face and call me an ugly woman, but we are Eric Steinbach days away from the start of the 2023 Cleveland Browns season. Steinbach was a 2nd round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals from Iowa, and started nearly every game for them between 2003-06. He then signed one of the biggest free agent contacts for an OLinemen at the time with the Browns, starting for four years at Left Guard, until a back injury prior to the 2011 effectively ended his career. He was named to the Pro Bowl as a Brown in 2008. 

 

 

[Dutch Oven]

Summer keeps marching on, and we are now Ryan Pontbriand days from the start of the 2023 Cleveland Browns season. Pontbriand holds the distinction of being the highest drafted long snapper in NFL history, when he was selected in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft from Rice. The draft pick was amusing to many, but he was an excellent snapper, being named to the Pro Bowl two years running in 2007 and 2008. He was released during the 2011 season by the Browns, and would retire the next year. 

 

[Dutch Oven]

We are damn near at the two month mark, as we are Cody Risien amount of days until the start of the 2023 Cleveland Browns season. Risien was an imposing OLineman for the Browns from 1979 to 1989, standing at 6'7" and weighing 290 lbs. Drafted from Texas A&M in the seventh round, he would start ten games his rookie season at Left Guard, then move to Right Tackle in 1980, where he would remain for the rest of his career. He would be named to the Pro-Bowl in back-to-back seasons of 1986 and 1987.  Risien would retire after the end of the 1989 season. 

 

[Dutch Oven]

Another day closer to the football! We are now Cliff Lewis days left until the start of the 2023 Cleveland Browns season! Now, you might ask, "Hey Dutch, who in tarnations is Cliff Lewis?". Well, allow me to retort... Cliff Lewis is the answer to one of the best Browns trivia questions ever: "Who was the starting QB for the Browns first regular season game in franchise history?" That's right, it was Cliff Lewis!

Lewis was born in Cleveland, raised in Lakewood, and would go to Duke University, where he'd play for a bit before enlisting in the Navy at the tail end of WWII. After he discharged, he signed with the new Cleveland AAFC team, and because Otto Graham was late in also discharging from the Navy, Lewis got the first two starts in Browns regular season history. His 19 yard touchdown pass to Mac Speedie vs the Miami Seahawks in '46 were the first official points in team history. He would backup Graham for years after, and also played a lot of defensive back, collecting nine interceptions in 1948, 30 total in his career. He would retire after the 1951 season, get into the insurance business, and even did color commentary on Browns games in 1961 and '62. 

 

[Dutch Oven]

I can't believe that we've chewed through almost 140 days of this thread... A thread that honestly I thought Sid was nuts to start, that has turned into a fun little exercise.

So we are now at Steve Everitt amount of days until the start of the 2023 Cleveland Browns season. A first round pick of the Browns out of TSUN, Everitt was the 14th pverall pick. A solid center, he only played for the Browns for three seasons, but for many Browns fans who were around for the team getting ripped out of Cleveland, he'll never be forgotten for what he did while in Baltimore in 1996. 

As a protest of the Browns move, Everitt stood on the sideline during the national anthem the next year wearing his Ravens uniform, and a Cleveland Browns bandana.  Maybe coincidentally, this was the only year he played in Baltimore, he would play three seasons in Philadelphia (1997-99) and one more in 2000 with the St. Louis Rams. 

 

[syd]

Al Bubba Baker was listed as the NFL's all-time single-season sack leader from 1960 to 1981.the year before the stat became official

[Dutch Oven]

We're officially less than two months from the start of the Browns season, as we are now Mike Johnson amount of days until the Browns kickoff with the Bengals. Johnson, a teammate of Bruce Smith's at Virginia Tech, played in the USFL before the Browns picked him up, and he quietly was one of the best linebackers in Browns history, going to back-to-back Pro Bowls in 1989 and '90. 

 

[syd]

3 hours ago, Dutch Oven said:

We're officially less than two months from the start of the Browns season, as we are now Mike Johnson amount of days until the Browns kickoff with the Bengals. Johnson, a teammate of Bruce Smith's at Virginia Tech, played in the USFL before the Browns picked him up, and he quietly was one of the best linebackers in Browns history, going to back-to-back Pro Bowls in 1989 and '90. 

 

it is also my 59th birthday

[Dutch Oven]

6 minutes ago, syd said:

it is also my 59th birthday

Well Happy BDay buddy!

[syd]

gone again headed to eastern oregon

[syd]

15 minutes ago, Dutch Oven said:

Well Happy BDay buddy!

cool we are headed to lost lake and thank you

[syd]

[Flugel]

15 hours ago, Dutch Oven said:

We're officially less than two months from the start of the Browns season, as we are now Mike Johnson amount of days until the Browns kickoff with the Bengals. Johnson, a teammate of Bruce Smith's at Virginia Tech, played in the USFL before the Browns picked him up, and he quietly was one of the best linebackers in Browns history, going to back-to-back Pro Bowls in 1989 and '90. 

 

He was a Flugel fave on that D as was Clay Matthews.   Thanks for the write-up Dutch!

[Flugel]

12 hours ago, syd said:

it is also my 59th birthday

From one 59 year old teenager to another - Happy Birthday Syd!!!!!

[syd]

3 hours ago, Flugel said:

From one 59 year old teenager to another - Happy Birthday Syd!!!!!

Hell Ya Happy Birthday

[mjp28]

8 hours ago, Flugel said:

From one 59 year old teenager to another - Happy Birthday Syd!!!!!

Oh yes ..... a Happy Birthday to you both syd & Flugel  !   🍰 

[Dutch Oven]

Today brings us to Mac Speedie days until the start of the 2023 Cleveland Browns season. Speedie, who played at Utah before joining the Army in WWII, was another of the original Browns. Already 26 years old in 1946, he still flourished at end opposite of Dante Lavelli, and while Lavelli was inducted in the Hall of Fame years ago, many considered Speedie as good, if not better. He played for the Browns from 1946-52, and after contract disagreements with Paul Brown he jumped the NFL and played a couple of seasons in Canada. A reason, according to Speedie, he thinks he was kept out of the Hall of Fame while he was alive. "If you crossed Paul Brown, he'd make you pay." Speedie's numbers back up his claim that he should have been inducted years ago, as his average of 50 receptions, 800 yards and 7 touchdowns a season was stellar during his era. He finally was inducted into the Hall of Fame, well after his death, in 2020. 

 

[Flugel]

3 hours ago, mjp28 said:

Oh yes ..... a Happy Birthday to you both syd & Flugel  !   🍰 

It's just Syd's Birthday today.  Sorry for any confusion I caused.  

[Flugel]

9 hours ago, syd said:

Hell Ya Happy Birthday

I already turned 59.  It's your birthday so go celebrate and tear it up on that gorgeous lake this weekend!  

[Dutch Oven]

As you chickenfuckers rub the sleep out of your eyes this morning, we are now Clay Matthews days until the start of the 2023 Cleveland Browns season. Matthews was a Browns 1978 first round pick (#12 overall) out of USC (the first of two first rounders that year, the second being Ozzie Newsome, used with the pick the Browns got from the Chicago Bears for Mike Phipps!), and Matthews would be one of the Ironmen of NFL history. He would end up playing an amazing 19 seasons, the first 16 with the Browns. His interception of Jim Kelly on the goalline sealed the Browns playoff win vs Buffalo during the 1989 playoffs, and he would be a four time Pro Bowler. He ended his career with 82.5 sacks and 16 interceptions.

 

[Dutch Oven]

The inevitable march towards the beginning of the Browns 2023 season stops for no sabbath, as we are now Dante Lavelli days until the Browns opener vs the Bengals. Lavelli, a Hudson, Ohio native son of Italian immigrants, played a little college football at Ohio State before joining the Army in WWII. He would land on Omaha Beach on D-Day, and fight at the Battle of the Bulge, before signing with Paul Brown and his new AAFC team in 1946. A three time Pro-Bowler, he'd play with the Browns through the 1956 season, compiling 386 career receptions, 6488 yards and 62 touchdowns. Lavelli was instrumental in the formation of the player's union, too, and would be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1975. 

 

[mjp28]

12 hours ago, Dutch Oven said:

The inevitable march towards the beginning of the Browns 2023 season stops for no sabbath, as we are now Dante Lavelli days until the Browns opener vs the Bengals. Lavelli, a Hudson, Ohio native son of Italian immigrants, played a little college football at Ohio State before joining the Army in WWII. He would land on Omaha Beach on D-Day, and fight at the Battle of the Bulge, before signing with Paul Brown and his new AAFC team in 1946. A three time Pro-Bowler, he'd play with the Browns through the 1956 season, compiling 386 career receptions, 6488 yards and 62 touchdowns. Lavelli was instrumental in the formation of the player's union, too, and would be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1975. 

 

Great pick.  The BIG  little guy from our old "gip"  would have loved.   On to LB numbers soon ??

[Dutch Oven]

3 minutes ago, mjp28 said:

Great pick.  The BIG  little guy from our old "gip"  would have loved.   On to LB numbers soon ??

I'm sure there is a LB in the next couple coming up... 

[mjp28]

On 7/14/2023 at 10:02 PM, Flugel said:

It's just Syd's Birthday today.  Sorry for any confusion I caused.  

Nah, no confusion here.  SO flugs (not flags, lol).  How have you been ?    

[mjp28]

3 minutes ago, Dutch Oven said:

I'm sure there is a LB in the next couple coming up... 

You have got them !    Can't wait to see them.....     🏈

[Flugel]

9 hours ago, mjp28 said:

Nah, no confusion here.  SO flugs (not flags, lol).  How have you been ?    

😆 I've been enjoying the journey.  Thanks for asking!  I hope things are going well for you too.  It's good to see you getting back in the mix.