Here's a plot twist: The NFL is introducing rivalry jerseys. The first thing that comes to mind is the rebrand and the Haslam's failed plot to take away our colors. Does this mean the Browns will be wearing black and yellow, purple and black or orange and black? Considering the Browns' and Bengals' colors are very similar, that'd be a heck of a twist. https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-uniform-announcement-league-to-unveil-rivalries-jerseys-beginning-in-2025/
The whole thing about wearing Steelers colors at Huntington Bank Field...could the Browns be coming out with black and yellow clothing? Jimmy wanted the Crew to get away from the colors we've all know because "those are Steelers colors" and here the Browns might be in Steelers colors. Baseball did this a while ago. The Reds had hats in Pirates colors. Seeing a black and yellow Reds hat at a Crew game made me think it was something custom until I asked. Here's an example, although not the one I saw: Here's a Reds hat in Brewers colors:
The NBA has their "City Edition" jerseys and MLB has "City Connect" jerseys. https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...o-unveil-rivalries-jerseys-beginning-in-2025/ Here's how it will work: Each team will be required to wear the jerseys for one home game against a divisional rival each year over a three-year period. Teams can choose to wear the jersey each year against the same divisional rival or across the division. And because the jerseys must be worn in home games, there wouldn't be a game featuring both teams wearing the jerseys.
Thanks for this response. Your post plus the whole Cleveland game has caused me to think on what it means to me to be a Crew supporter. I appreciate that we share a mutual respect of one another, @ColumbusFTW.
I don't think thats what the "rivalry" jerseys are going to be. They'll be like city connect jerseys according to that article worn against a team rival. So Cleveland will be Browns colors but have something tying it to the city of Cleveland and will be worn against Pittsburgh.
Browns have 3 consecutive weekends away from home stadium, the first of which likely coincides with the start of Round 1 of the MLS Cup playoffs. Just a complete coincidence, I am sure. A potential #3 Crew vs. #6 Inter Miami match up though...
But I was told it wouldn't happen again. /s Unless we get in writing the chance is 0%, the door is open.
"Playoff futbol (football) at Browns Stadium" A tweet waiting to be written by the Browns comms department since ... 1999. Or since Twitter was created. The ability to pivot. Literally used in every business development and marketing department now in America as a must-have strategy. The Haslams and Edwards have this now with the Browns schedule. Maybe they never mention moving a playoff game. But if the right opponent is the matchup ...
Didn't they hint last year that they'd have considered this had the crew and Miami met in the playoffs? I mean, I seem to recall Glessing's initial statements about maybe playing in Cleveland if the Crew hosted Miami post-season. Of course, that scenario never played out. Maybe I was just dreaming. So, no, it wouldn't shock me if ownership chose to cash in on such a game. Of course, in doing so, they'd be crossing yet another Rubicon. A regular season match is bad enough. A must-win playoff match is something completely different. This Messi fever can't break too soon, s far as I'm concerned.
It was the CCC last year. Arace and I believe Chris and IW said they were going to move the CCC semi final matchup to cleveland if Miami had beaten Monterrey.
Are you suggesting that the Crew maybe possibly hosting Miami in the early rounds of the playoffs, in what would very probably be a midweek game, was actually important enough to influence the schedule of the NFL? Because if so, we truly are Massive, and you are massively insane.
You keep insulting me, which reaffirms how little you understand the business of sports. In most major leagues and minor ones ... and college... teams get to make scheduling requests. Especially on their home dates. (Perhaps Precourt gets to request each year that Austin not visit Columbus). I think the Browns had extra sympathy from the league because one of their home games this year is being moved to London. Regarding "midweek" ... the wild card games in 2024 were midweek. The first games of Round 1 were Friday to Tuesday. Currently, its possible for the Crew to host Game 1 of Round 1 at a vacant Browns Stadium on a Saturday or Sunday. And have 3 full weeks to repair the turf before the Browns play there again. The possibility absolutely exists. I don't assign that to sheer coincidence.
So you are actually suggesting the NFL adjusted their schedule so that the Crew could potentially host Miami at an unknown time in playoff with an unknown format. I love a good conspiracy theory, but this one is pretty far out there.
Every team submits "blackout dates" ... periods to avoid scheduling at home. It does not matter the "why" to league schedulers. If approved, they schedule around it. If you are HSG and can line up Away-Bye-Away and create the possibility of hosting a Crew playoff game in Cleveland ... why not? The Browns have been signaling they are not contending in 2025 anyway. Many teams care a lot about utilizing venues they control and making money, even at the potential expense of their scheduling. HSG is displacing STH for more luxury seating. Enough said.
The "why" absolutely does matter. Some blackout dates will be non-negotiable, like Taylor Swift having a concert scheduled in your stadium. You absolutely cannot play a game that day or a few days before/after. Others will be nice to have, like this scenario with Crew/Browns that you've come up with. The schedule makers must the why because there will inevitably be blackout date conflicts that need to be ironed out. Read this article about the process of creating the NFL schedule, and then consider how unlikely it is that NFL was willing and able to accommodate Jimmy's request to give them three straight weeks without a home game at a very specific point in the season that they could maybe move a Crew playoff game there: https://operations.nfl.com/gameday/nfl-schedule/creating-the-nfl-schedule/
If they moved a playoff game on a short notice to Cleveland against Miami three things would happen. 1. It would be even more empty than that Saturday was. 2. I'd ********ing burn my season tickets in front of Josh Glessing. I know we don't get actual tickets but yes, I'd print out something and burn it. 3. I'd pay Chelsey to drop pink slips on someone at HSG. Preferably Glessing. Still one of the top 10 greatest fans moments in CC history.
And the only way to get the playoff ticket discount would be the "pay as we play" which would include any game played in Cleveland, although it'd definitely save money by buying games individually and you wouldn't have to lock in to your normal seat location. Moving a game to Cleveland...they'd probably want to announce this AFTER the ticket deadline, which would be straight out of the "let's announce the contract renewal the day after the ticket deadline" book. With that said, how much time would they need to prep the field including laying down additional grass and removing any NFL/Browns markings? Not that they'd probably care too much about logos, if they would at all. This nice three-week window avoids a situation where the Browns might have had to play Sunday or Monday night at home and then there'd be a Crew game there 24 or 48 hours later. They can grow it real long, then cut it a day or two before the games and paint the soccer lines the day before.
We can agree to disagree. Without insults. And not being like the 2-3 outright assholes here. I think the Browns would push back on 2 away weeks sandwiched around a bye week ... unless they requested that. Either way, the possibility of hosting a playoff game in Cleveland exists.
Many things can be possible, but few are probable. Where your theory falls short is in the area of probability. The list of everything that must occur and align in order for your theory to become a reality is quite extensive. First, you have to rely on us being matched up with Miami in the first round. If that doesn't happen, they ain't moving the game. You have to rely on Messi being healthy. If he's not healthy and likely to play, they ain't moving the game. Then you have to be able to host the game on a Saturday or maybe a Sunday. If that doesn't happen, they ain't moving the game. So if the stars have aligned and we are in fact matched up against Miami in the first round, Messi is healthy, and the game will be on Saturday, you will need the FO to actually have the desire to move the game to Cleveland. Moving the game to Cleveland will be a serious undertaking on very short notice. Possibly less than a week. They spent many months planning the game up there last month. It's a serious undertaking. They may not have the desire, or even the ability, to make it happen on such short notice. Aside from the logistics of hosting the game up there, you will also need to rely on the field being in an acceptable condition, or be able to install a new playing surface all with just a few days' notice. So yea, a gap in Browns home games exist right around the time of the first round of the MLS playoffs. Everyone can acknowledge that. But what you seem to be unwilling to acknowledge is the whole list of factors that would preclude this from ever happening.