Cleveland Browns Football Team

Two people arrested after displaying a sign critical of the owner of the Cleveland Browns football team have filed suit. Charges of disorderly conduct filed against George and Mary Harris were dismissed earlier this year. The couple had been arrested after holding up a sign reading "Coaches Coach--Modell Butt Out." The Browns, owned by Art Modell, were 3-13 last season, the worst record in franchise history.

After a 3-0 start, Baltimore has lost four of five, and has seen its once-airtight run defense spring all sorts of leaks. So what better way for the Ravens to get back on track than returning to basics -- and, better, to their ancestral roots? The Ravens (4-4) play at Cleveland tonight, and no one cures an opponent's ills quite like the Browns. Cleveland (1-7) went into its bye last weekend with an offense ranked 31st and a defense ranked dead last. That makes this something less than a dream prime-time matchup for ESPN, which has hit on its share of Monday night winners this season.

NBC's Dick Enberg was pressed into double duty Sunday when Bob Costas came down with a severe case of the flu. Costas was so sick Sunday morning that he checked himself into a Denver hospital. Enberg, besides calling the game, also had to take Costas' place on the pregame and postgame shows. Then Ralph Wiley, who was scheduled to conduct postgame interviews in the Cleveland locker room, was stricken with the flu during the game.

So which player is the most compelling story heading into the 2007 season? Is it Tom Brady? Peyton Manning? Vince Young? LaDainian Tomlinson, maybe? No, it's not a household name. It's Gary Baxter, a Cleveland cornerback who probably won't even be on the field Sunday when the Browns play host to the Pittsburgh Steelers. "I'm close," Baxter said Thursday of returning to the lineup. "That's all I can say. I'm close." That he's gotten this far is astounding.

A chartered airliner carrying the Cleveland Browns football team aborted its takeoff from Stapleton International Airport Sunday night because of an unspecified engine problem, a Stapleton official said. The Browns, who lost to the Denver Broncos, 38-33, in the AFC championship game Sunday afternoon, were aboard an L-1011 jet that had begun its takeoff roll when the crew noticed a problem with an engine in the tail of the aircraft, said Kevin Fleming, airport operations manager.

Had they been buying the Rams or Raiders, a 72-hour grace period providing for buyer's remorse might have been appropriate, but the team of Alfred Lerner and Carmen Policy has been given permission by the NFL to write a $530-million check to buy the new Cleveland Browns franchise. Former Browns' owner Art Modell, who moved his team to Baltimore three years ago, paid $4 million for the original Cleveland franchise in 1961.

When Tommy Vardell was a little boy with a fever or stomach ache, the cure was always the same. He would crawl onto his mother's lap and together they would lose themselves in prayer until the fever broke. When he was a young man with a sprained ankle or a broken collarbone, the cure was always the same. He would find a quiet spot in his room, close his eyes, and once again look to his source of strength. Somehow, he always found it.

Linebacker Mike Junkin of Duke was made the first round draft choice of the Cleveland Browns in 1987 even though the team knew he had tested positive for steroid use, according to a published report. Junkin, a disappointment with the Browns, was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs last month for a fifth-round draft choice. The Cleveland Plain Dealer said the Browns were aware Junkin had taken steroids before they made him the fifth player chosen overall in 1987. The story said a doctor prescribed the medication to aid Junkin's injured ankle.

An NFL player has claimed in sworn testimony and court documents that he was cut by the Cleveland Browns after he failed to retain an agent with links to the club.

Cleveland Brown owner Art Modell has told sources he intends to announce today that his football team has reached an agreement to move to Baltimore next season, a deal that still must be approved by at least 23 of his fellow NFL owners. Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening and Baltimore Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke will also attend the news conference, scheduled to be held at a parking lot outside Camden Yards--where a new, $200-million stadium would be built for the team.

Kellen Winslow, activated again after spending most of his first two NFL seasons on the injured list, was so jacked up last Sunday that he all but hyperventilated before the Cleveland Browns' opener against the New Orleans Saints. Teammate Braylon Edwards said he was "gasping for air." Later, after scoring his first NFL touchdown on an 18-yard, third-quarter pass from quarterback Charlie Frye, Winslow nearly knocked the air out of trainer Marty Lauzon, so vehement was their celebratory bear hug.

The locker room was strangely subdued as Cincinnati players quietly peeled off adhesive tape, packed up equipment and dressed. The Bengals acted like experienced winners on Sunday. They played like them too. Carson Palmer threw two touchdown passes and the Bengals opened a season they're confident will be a winning one with a 27-13 victory over Cleveland, spoiling Romeo Crennel's coaching debut with the Browns. "It's a huge win for us," Palmer said.

Kellen Winslow Jr. will miss at least two months because of a broken right leg, and the Cleveland Browns might keep the rookie tight end out for the rest of the season. Winslow broke his fibula -- a bone in his lower leg -- trying to recover an on-side kick late in Sunday's 19-12 loss at Dallas. The first-round draft pick will have surgery today and might need screws and plates inserted in the leg, Brown trainer Mike Colello said Monday.

USC's national championship season continues to take a toll on the coaching staff. Kennedy Pola, who tutored Trojan running backs and coordinated special teams, was hired on Friday as running back coach by the Cleveland Browns. Pola is the second assistant from Coach Pete Carroll's 2003 staff to be wooed from USC. In December, linebacker coach Nick Holt was hired as head coach at Idaho. "You always anticipate this is going to happen when you do well," Carroll said.

Ray Lewis couldn't do anything but watch--and wince--as the Cleveland Browns rallied. For the second time in six days, Lewis made a national TV game his own prime-time special as the Baltimore Ravens built a big lead and held on for a 26-21 victory Sunday night. But when his teammates needed their star linebacker the most, Lewis couldn't help them. He hurt his left shoulder late in the third quarter and did not return. "I was cheering on the sideline," Lewis said.

Kris Brown didn't leave the field kicking himself this time. Brown, who missed four field goals in a loss last week, was wide with a late attempt in regulation, then made his fifth field goal with 9:38 left in overtime Sunday to give the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 15-12 victory over the Cleveland Browns. "It's a little better feeling," Brown said. "Last week was probably the longest, hardest week of my life. I'm just very happy to get the opportunity."

An Ohio judge issued a preliminary injunction Friday, blocking the Browns from moving to Baltimore until a trial is held in the city's lawsuit. In a courtroom proceeding that lasted only five seconds, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Kenneth Callahan announced that he had ruled in favor of the city. Callahan heard three days of testimony earlier this week on the city's request for the injunction. Art Modell, the Browns' owner, announced Nov.

Marty Schottenheimer quit as Cleveland Browns coach Tuesday after refusing to relinquish his role as offensive coordinator. Schottenheimer and Brown owner Art Modell said the coach was departing by mutual agreement. "It became evident that some of the differences we had, we weren't going to be able to resolve," Schottenheimer said. "We came to an agreement that it was in everybody's best interest that we part company. I appreciate the opportunity Art gave me to become a head coach.

Buck Ortega thought it was his final interview. It was, instead, his first class. Lying 101. Ortega, an all-state quarterback for state champion Miami Gulliver, was completing his official visit to the University of Miami. It had gone well. He had orally committed to the Hurricanes in October and was not going to change his mind. The only thing remaining was this one last chat with Coach Butch Davis. It happened Sunday afternoon in Davis' office. "We're going to have fun here," Davis told him.

Butch Davis rebuilt a once-proud football program at the University of Miami. Now, he'll have a chance to do the same thing for the Cleveland Browns. Davis, who in six years brought the Hurricanes back from ruin to national title contenders, resigned Monday to become the Browns' coach. Davis will be introduced today at the club's suburban training facility, President Carmen Policy said. The Browns have been looking for a coach since Jan.