Browns town, again: Practice draws crowd

More than 25,000 fans attended the “Family Night” at Browns Stadium.

CLEVELAND (AP) — They came wearing the flip flops, shorts, T-shirts and jerseys they had tucked away during the winter. Don’t be fooled by the attire or the sizzling temperatures, though.

It’s only Aug. 1, but it’s already football season in Cleveland.

More than 25,000 fans showed up to watch the Browns practice in their downtown stadium Friday, a “Family Night” dress rehearsal for a team with huge expectations and one preparing for an NFL season some believe can be unlike any this football-frenzied city has experienced in decades.

“They told me this was a football town,” said Browns rookie linebacker Beau Bell, who was awed by the size of the stadium and the crowd. “They proved it. This was just a practice. I can’t wait until we get to the games.”

The exhibition opener is Thursday and the season opener against Dallas is more than a month away, but Browns fans seemed in mid-season form. They cheered as the Browns went through warmups and then erupted when quarterback Derek Anderson hooked up with wide receiver Braylon Edwards on a 47-yard pass just a few plays into a controlled scrimmage.

Coach Romeo Crennel brought his team down to the stadium to break the monotony of training camp, and his players, particularly the younger ones, could get accustomed to playing under the lights. This season, the spotlight will shine brightly on the Browns, who have five prime-time TV games scheduled.

A $5 admission fee and a chance to sit near the 50-yard-line and watch their favorite players work out for two hours — as well as some post-practice fireworks — was irresistible for Browns fans excited about the possibilities after the club went a surprising 10-6 last season and barely missed the postseason.

Ron Sams and his family made the three-hour drive from Mineral Wells, W.Va., to see the Browns up close.

Moments after the gates opened, Sams, wearing a No. 19 Bernie Kosar jersey, and his two sons, Kyle and Drew, ran down the steps and snatched three seats next to the tunnel near the Browns’ locker room. They were hoping to get some autographs, especially one from quarterback Derek Anderson, who tossed a ball to the boys following warmups before a regular-season game last year against Miami.

It would be natural then that Anderson is a Sams family favorite, right?

“No, we like Brady Quinn,” Sams said referring to Cleveland’s popular second-year QB.

Anderson made a few nice throws while working with the Browns’ first-team offense. Quinn, on the other hand, threw one interception — a badly thrown ball picked off near the end zone by cornerback Eric Wright.

While there may be a lingering divide over who might be a better field leader, Browns fans seem to be united that this could be their year.

And in a city known to have a hopeless attitude following generations of sports heartache and failure, optimism is flourishing.

Notes

TE Kellen Winslow (hamstring) and S Gary Baxter (knees) were kept out of practice to rest and WR/KR Josh Cribbs (hamstring) was limited. ... Crennel praised Edwards, who made several diving catches and scored two touchdowns during red-zone drills. Edwards also dropped one from Anderson in the end zone. ... The Browns announced that Warren Lahr (1948-59), Paul Wiggin (1957-67), Walter Johnson (1965-76) and Eric Metcalf (1989-94) have been elected to their Legends Club. All four will be inducted at a ceremony during the Browns home game vs. the New York Giants Oct. 13.