Browns Take Columbus: Scrimmage at The Shoe

On Friday, the Cleveland Browns will hold their Orange and Brown scrimmage at Ohio Stadium — colloquially known as The Shoe — in Columbus, Ohio, with the hopes of appeasing Columbus fans of the team and perhaps winning over some new ones. Since Columbus is at a crossroads of several franchises when it comes to NFL fandom, any helpful measure of enticement to the locals is good for the franchise. Whether it be for local viewing on Sundays, merchandising, or otherwise, there are several teams that would like the residents of the Columbus area to claim them as their home team; be it the Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts, or the Cleveland Browns.

The Pittsburgh Steelers to the east of the city have had the most sustained success and share colors with the local MLS team, but are in a different state. The Cincinnati Bengals to the south have had some recent success at achieving mediocrity. The Indianapolis Colts to the west have a good looking helmet and Andrew Luck, but are otherwise further removed from Columbus than the other franchises from the Heart of it All. Finally, the Cleveland Browns to the north have had the least recent success, but still likely reverberate with some of the elder statesmen and Northeast Ohio transplants in that area.

However, despite the lack of recent success, the Browns have been reportedly been taking measures to secure Columbus as part of their fiefdom. Last December, reports surfaced that the Browns might move their Training Camp to Columbus. The team has left open that possibility and former Buckeye and current Browns safety Donte Whitner found the idea appealing, saying, “I like that idea. But we’ll play football anywhere, especially a place like Columbus that they built it up to where it is at now. Columbus or here, it is the same thing.” Last year, FiveThirtyEight estimated that the Browns have a plurality of fans in Columbus, one of the biggest cities in the country with a substantial population of unclaimed NFL fans.

In furtherance of this goal, the Orange and Brown scrimmage is being held in Columbus on Friday. In addition, the team employs a few former Ohio State Buckeyes, which certainly doesn’t hurt their standing in the college football-crazed city. Whitner is excited to get back to Columbus. “Yeah, I am looking forward to it. I haven’t actually been back to the Shoe in about seven years, so I am looking forward to it,” he said.

Browns wide receiver Brian Hartline (another former Buckeye) is excited to get back to Columbus, where he still has a home. “I am not really a nostalgic kind of person, but it will be cool to be back in there. I think for me it is just closer to home. I live in Columbus. It will be cool to grab some dinner and see everybody and then get back in The Shoe for some fun.”

Of course, as a veteran, Hartline knows he must remain focused. “I think overall any time you get a chance to get on the field, whether it be Ohio Stadium or any other preseason game, we want to work on something and get better as a team. That is what we will focus on.”

Sadly, Friday was also supposed to be the return of Terrelle Pryor to Ohio Stadium. Well, it will still be his return, but he will not play in the scrimmage as he is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury. Coach Mike Pettine noted that it could hurt him in the wide receiver competition. “I mean he’s getting the mental reps now, but sure any time you’re competing to make a roster and you lose time — you have competitors stepping in and taking those reps. It is unfortunate that he’s pulled up, hopefully we’ll get him back sooner than later.” After being prodded if that sooner could potentially include the scrimmage he responded succinctly with “No.”

Therefore, the big news might actually be related to one Johnny Manziel. Coach Pettine noted, “You’ll probably see Johnny out there with the ones. I don’t know if they’ve totally etched that into stone but that was the direction that we were heading.”

Before any fans get all hot and bothered though, coach Pettine also doused any speculation of the starting quarterback with an ALS ice bucket, as he noted, “I wouldn’t read too much into it that he’s going with the ones. Josh, right now is firmly the one but don’t be surprised at some point during camp if you see maybe Thad [Lewis], maybe even Connor [Shaw] with that group as well.”

And, for those of you interested in how live the game action will be, coach Pettine was also quite clear when asked if there would be live tackling, saying, “Yes. Yes.”