BROWNS NOTEBOOK From Cleveland

Sidelined: Defensive end Courtney Brown could have played in Friday's game, but he elected not to. Brown, who starred at Penn State University, has been plagued with injuries since being taken first in the 2000 draft. He has been recovering from January knee surgery. Coach Butch Davis released a statement earlier this week, saying the Browns "respect the player's request that he have another full, complete and uninterrupted week of practice prior to experiencing live game action." Brown has been so slowed by injuries that he hasn't been able to duplicate the production seen at Penn State, where he holds the school's career record for sacks (33).
Ohio roots: The Browns have three players on their roster from Ohio -- fullback Ben Miller (Columbia Station), tight end Darnell Sanders (Warrensville Heights) and linebacker Ben Taylor (Bellaire). The Packers have three players on their roster from Ohio State -- cornerback Derek Combs, linebacker Na'il Diggs and defensive lineman Kenny Peterson, who played high school football at Canton McKinley. Running back Tony Fisher was Ohio's "Mr. Football" as a senior in 1997.
Favre on target: Packers quarterback Brett Favre played like his old self in the first half Friday. He completed 9-of-14 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown. That production resulted in a 109.8 quarterback rating. Favre marched the Packers 78 yards on their first drive, capping it with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Donald Driver. "He [Favre] can come to you at any time. There's no window too small," said tight end Wesley Walls, who had five catches for 36 yards.
Familiar faces: Backing up Favre were two quarterbacks whom the Browns know well. Doug Pederson was a back-up with the Browns in 2000, while Akili Smith was a rival of the Browns and their fans as a former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback.
Roughing it: The Browns committed three personal fouls -- by offensive tackle Ross Verba, wide receiver Andre King and defensive lineman Antonio Garay -- and finished the game with eight penalties for 97 yards.
Slightly misleading: Tickets distributed for Friday's game totaled 70,348, but judging by the many empty orange seats at Cleveland Browns Stadium, that number wasn't even close. Estimating half that total attended the game would be wishful thinking.
Injury update: Running back William Green (neck) and quarterback Josh Booty (hand) were injured against the Packers, but neither injury appears to be serious, Davis said.
-- Brian Richesson