End of an Era

2015 Home Opener!

“Feels like being home again…  “

“It’s good to be back with the family… “

“All is right with the world once more… “

These are just a few of the things heard in conversation at the first tailgate in our new location for the 2015 Cleveland Browns home opener.  

Bottom line: we were back, and life was good!

It’s a new era in tailgating for the DawgWARDens\North Port Kennel crew and we kicked it off in grand fashion with beautiful weather, a fantastic crowd and – as always – amazing food.  With limited parking passes being offered to season ticket holders for the North Port Authority lot, the decision was unanimous: if some move, we all move – and we all move together.  When you’re part of a tailgate family like this one, no other solution would do and so we packed it all in and moved it on over to the Burke Lakefront Airport. Now, as proven in our first full-group tailgate for the 2015 season, guests can join us without hassle and our whole crew can come together easily with plenty of room for set up and good times.

Coming back together were the familiar faces of the DawgWARDens\North Port Kennel, traveling from far reaches East, West and South to return to the northcoast and pick up right where we left off last year. Good music, great people, and the everlasting, shared hope that this might – just – be – our – year united us once again!!  Joining us for our inaugural tailgate in the new digs were lots of new faces as well as we welcomed family and friends alike and everyone shared in a great time. 

So cheers from the DawgWARDens\North Port gang -- may this new era in tailgating bring with it a new era in Browns football!

To those who have been here and come back week after week --- welcome home!!
To those who joined us for the first time -- y'all come back now, ya'hear? 

GO BROWNS!!!

New Tailgating Location

The 2015 season marks a new era in Dawg WARDens (and The North Port Kennel) tailgating. Due to the development on the lakefront which impacts the old North Port Lot, we have decided to move to a new location. We are now in the Burke Lakefront Airport lot.

Hope to see you and GO BROWNS!!!

2015 NFL Draft Watch Party

Another successful NFL Watch Party at Buffalo Wild Wings in Mentor! A great time was had by all!

Once the dust settled from Draft weekend, we would like to welcome the Browns new draftees to Cleveland and the Dawg Pound!

2014 In Review

2014 Photo Library

So we find ourselves at the close of yet another Cleveland Browns football season… an on-the-field season over way too soon and a tailgate season over way too fast. 

In response to the on-field season which started out promising and ended rather flat, the incomparable John Lennon said it best when he said “I get by with a little help from my friends.”

For in the company of fellow diehard fans, we find solace in knowing we still love them, we’ll still root for them and yes – we’ll be counting the days till we’re back again next fall to do it all again. 

As for our tailgate season, a great philosopher (and much adored, honey loving bear) named Winnie the Pooh provided us with this gem… “How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
When it comes to the family and friends with whom we’ve shared our Sunday’s this season, there is little we can offer to improve upon this morsel of Pooh’s wisdom. 

When it comes to the DawgWARDens\North Port Kennel and the many friends we’ve welcomed to the lot this season, the laughter is immeasurable, the friendships unparalleled and the memories invaluable. 

From our cornerstone regulars to those only able to join us a few times this year to the new friends we’ve made along the way, we are – once again – undeniably undefeated in tailgating and for that, we are so thankful for our parking lot family and we are so very honored to be a part of such an awesome crew.

Until next season when we gather again – undefeated on the field and hopeful for a great season ahead – stay true to the Brown & Orange, bark loud and proud and keep the faith that this year just might be our year.

We’re Browns fans. 
That is, after all… what we do. 

11th Annual Dawg WARDens Party

Another fantastic DawgWARDens party is in the books and once again, we are humbled and incredibly grateful for your generosity toward the Lake Humane Society and the Ronald McDonald House.

Thanks to the giving hearts of our friends and family, we delivered a BOUNTY of donations to the shelter and a check written from the 50/50 raffle dropped off to RMH of Cleveland as well. 
We even added to our aluminum tabs collection for RMH so those too, were delivered!!

A huge thank you goes out to everyone who joined us and made the day another memorable one.  The game certainly didn't come out the way we would have liked but much like our tailgating record, we remain undefeated in our annual party and we gladly accept that record and brag on it proudly!!

It is important to us that everyone realize DawgWARDens is not just the three of us here in the Ward Homestead -- it is all of you who share our passion for football, children and animals and give from the heart so abundantly.  Together, we make up DawgWARDens and together, we make a difference!

We are blessed to be surrounded by so many amazing people in our lives and we thank you all for your part in making this year's party another great success!!

Until next year.......... GO BROWNS!!!

Draft Day Movie

Hollywood’s latest football feature may not draw a lot of Oscar buzz come award season but those true to the Orange and Brown have had a great time seeing their team spotlighted in the Kevin Costner film “Draft Day” set and filmed in Cleveland and focusing on the intense negotiations and selection choreography leading up to the NFL draft.

One of Cleveland’s truest fans – our own John “PhoDAWGrapher” Ward – was fortunate enough to be an extra in the film, sporting his colors proud and easily spotted in THREE different scenes in the movie!! After spending nearly 18 hours “on set” on a cold and rainy day back in May of 2013, John only knew when the camera was pointed in his direction. It wasn’t until the film’s release on April 11, 2014 that we would know for sure if he made it beyond the cutting room floor and he did!!

Spotted first in the scene in which Cleveland fans are gathering to tailgate before the draft begins, John is seen off to the right of the big screen tossing a football with someone... then when Cleveland fan “Pumpkin Head” is shown, John is back to the right once again. Then finally, upon hearing the Cleveland Browns first round draft selection, our “PhoDAWGrapher” can be seen a final time as he reacts – along with a host of others around him - to the unpopular choice made by Costner’s Sonny Weaver Jr., GM of the Cleveland Browns.

While there aren’t likely to be any red carpet moments and the only Walk of Fame star he will receive will be the one purchased on Amazon.com for the Browns Cave, being a part of “Draft Day” was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and he will be a forever part of this piece of Cleveland Browns football history and that suits this DawgWARDen just fine!!

2014 NFL Draft Watch Party

Sending out a big WELCOME to the Cleveland Browns 2014 Draftees...

Round 1
#8: Justin Gilbert - CB - Oklahoma State
#22: Johnny Manziel - QB - Texas A&M

Round 2
#3: Joel Bitonio - OL - Nevada

Round 3
#7: Christian Kirksey - LB - Iowa
#30: Terrance West - RB - Towson

Round 4
#27: Pierre Desir - CB - Lindenwood

Football means a lot in this town. Stay clean, play hard, give it all you’ve got and we’ll show you what it’s like to play for the best fans in the league.

Welcome to the big time, boys – let’s do this!!

And a big shout-out to those who came out for the DawgWARDens 2014 NFL Draft Watch Party at Buffalo Wild Wings, Diamond Center in beautiful Mentor, Ohio!!

With the help of Tim and his awesome crew at BW3, we raised $250 with our 50/50 raffle this year and once again, proceeds will go to the Ronald McDonald House of Cleveland. A good time was had by all as we ate, drank, laughed and awaited our Cleveland Browns 2014 draft picks.

Big thanks to everyone who came out and helped make it another great watch party!!

GO BROWNS!

Honorary 100 Yard Flag Holders

On Thursday, October 4th, we (Mr. & Mrs. DawgWARDen -- aka John & Melissa) were invited to represent the Growlin' Howlin' Browns Backers as honorary flag holders during the National Anthem at First Energy Stadium here in Cleveland. Along with a few dozen fellow holders, we were beyond excited when we arrived at the stadium to learn we would be participating in the display of the famous "100 Yard Flag" for this nationally televised game against the Buffalo Bills. 
Asked to arrive over three hours prior to kickoff, we reported to the media tent and were escorted to the secondary visitors locker room where we received our verbal instructions and official flag holder t-shirts. After an on-field walk through of the flag presentation, a stadium-style meal was provided and we were invited to go back out and watch the teams warm up before we had to head into the tunnel to take our place along the massive flag and prepare for our march.  

The flag was heavy but the physical labor became secondary as we stepped out into the stadium and made our way around the perimeter to the Browns side of the field. Being a night game, the sky was dark against the bright lights and the sound of 70,000+ excited fans provided a rush like no other as we watched the player introductions and awaited our cue. 

Before we knew it, the players were lined up behind us, the fans were on their feet and the entire field was converted to a sea of red, white and blue as the National Anthem began. 

Sung well, our National Anthem takes about a minute and a half from beginning to end... and while we tried to enjoy every second and take it all in, appreciating where we were and doing what we were doing, it was over in the blink of an eye and we were racing to clear the field for kickoff.   

We were incredibly honored by the invite and wish to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our good friend and Growlin' Howlin' BB President Kris Vadas for thinking of us and allowing us to share this awesome experience.  It was an amazing opportunity we will never forget and we're so very grateful to have experienced it together. 
Thank you Kris!!

Go Browns!! 

Tailgating Hall of Fame

At the tailgate on 9/29 (Bengals), Hans Steiniger of NFL Stadium Reviews selected and honored our tailgating group into his latest project, the Tailgating Hall of Fame. Hans selects tailgates from all of the country who demonstrate hard core fandum and a tailgating experience that fun for everyone of ages and team representation.

His goal is to have a central website where fans can look up a tailgate in the city they plan on visiting and know those tailgating groups represented with provide a friendly environment and a guaranteed great experience.

We thank Hans for the wonderful honor and thank all those you make the tailgate great week in and week out!!!

GO BROWNS!!! WOOF!

10th Annual Dawg WARDens Party!!!

Thanks to everyone who joined us, our 10th Annual Ward Family Dawg Pound Party was another great success!! With plenty of good eats, a pile of awesome donations for the Lake Humane Society and funds raised for the Ronald McDonald House of Cleveland, we simply cannot thank everyone enough for being a part of such a special event for us. 
We are truly blessed to be surrounded by such awesome friends and family and it’s difficult to find the words to express our gratitude for your kindness and generosity in helping the animals at the shelter as well as the many families who require the assistance of the Ronald McDonald House. 

Congratulations to our prize winners – including 2nd year 50/50 raffle winner Ben Thwing – whose tickets will be closely inspected for authenticity, smoke and mirrors in the future – and the many others who took home goodies this year as well.  (And a special shout out to Laura Biggs for her generous prize donation – thank you Laura!!) 

With the Browns giving us our second win in the ten years we've been having this party, we certainly hope everyone had fun and we look forward to many more (wins AND parties) to come!!

The 2013 Season is Officially Underway!!!

The final outcome on the field inside of Cleveland Browns Stadium, er we mean First Energy Stadium might have been a bit disappointing. However, there wasn't any disappointment with the tailgate that kicked off the season!

Congratulations PFUFA Draftee “Facepaint Mike”!

PFUFA members Bob “Burnt River Bob” Hostutler (Class of 2012) and Justin “J the Historian” Hostutler (Class of 2013) were on hand Thursday, August 7th when John “PhoDAWGrapher” (Class of 2010) presented “Facepaint Mike” Bonnell with a Professional Football Ultimate Fan Association draft card. 

With a heart as big as the whole outdoors, a strong devotion to several charities in the area and a passionate love of the Cleveland Browns, Mike exemplifies the humble class and sincere dedication to helping others that represents a strong PFUFA candidate.  

And so begins a journey he’ll not soon forget… enjoy the ride Mike and congratulations!!

Professional Football Ultimate Fan Association Weekend
Canton, OH

Once again, I find myself with no adequate words to describe my experience at the annual PFUFA Weekend in Canton, OH. It never ceases to amaze and inspire me to be around such awesome people and it is truly an honor to be a part of such an incredible organization. I simply cannot say enough about this group! I’m already looking forward to the 2014 reunion!

NFL Draft Watch Party 2013

Thank you to everyone who came out for our annual NFL Draft Party at Buffalo Wild Wings in Mentor. We raised $100 for the Ronald McDonald House Charities and we thank you for your support!

As for the Browns, we are very excited to welcome Barkevious Mingo (DE, LSU) to the Dawg Pound. Seems like a natural DAWG with 'Bark' in his first name!

Winter 2013

Happy Holidays 2012

The DawgWARDens have begun a new chapter in their tailgating memoirs and as always, the jersey marks the spot! 
Sunday, November 4th, the DawgWARDens, along with friends & family set up tailgating digs in a new location just west of building 30 in the Cleveland Port Authority parking lot.  (Straight through the gate and to the left.)

Directly north of Cleveland Browns Stadium, this new spot offers a grand view of the waters of Lake Erie including the now-famous "frozen lighthouse" and the stadium at its best - complete with the surrounding city skyline. Just a short walk to the north gate entrance, this new location also boasts some great tailgating neighbors and a rather startling and strangely intriguing  "mystery bone zone"! 

Join us if you can... just look for the DAWGWARDEN jersey, come with a smile and we'll welcome you with open arms!!  

“Some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity...”  ~Gilda Radner

9th Annual Dawg WARDens Party

The game is over, the food is gone and the donations are delivered. 
Another Annual DawgWARDens Party is in the books and once again, we whole-heartedly declare it a huge success!!  

While we won't discuss the outcome of the actual game (why harp on things we can't change, right?) we would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of our friends & family for joining us, sharing the laughter and the memories and for helping with a couple of great causes along the way.  

Our first ever 50/50 raffle was a big hit with proceeds going to the Paula Krejci Memorial Fund. This fund benefits a very special family who holds a place deep in the hearts and prayers of the DawgWARDens Family & Friends. We send our love, our support and our prayers out to Craig & Mason and we remember and carry Paula and her beautiful smile in our hearts each and every day. 

On Monday following the party, we delivered one of our largest donations of supplies and pet related goodies to the Lake Humane Society.  This is a private, non-profit shelter operating to serve Lake County and the surrounding areas and the staff always shows a great deal of heartfelt appreciation for the donations they receive. 

DawgWARDens is proud to represent the helping hands, kind souls and giving hearts of each and every one of our guests who helped these two very important causes. 

A big WOOF-WOOF-WOOF to all who participated and helped out, thank you!! 

Until next year... thank you, God Bless and GO BROWNS!!! 

2012 Season Officially Begins!

Let the season begin........ menacing clouds parted and the sun shone brightly on the Northcoast Harbor lot as our regular tailgaters arrived early Sunday morning to kick off the 2012 NFL season.

It was great to see everyone again after a long off-season! Friends and family of Dawgwardens had a great time ringing in the new season and look forward to many tailgates yet to come this year.

Next week, we embark on a road trip to Cincinnati to cheer on our Browns as they taken on the striped kitties down south. Cheers to a great season everyone!!! GO BROWNS!!

Ask any true blue, fist-pumping, mad-dog-barking, orange & brown bleeding Browns fan who moved the Browns from Cleveland to Baltimore in 1995 and they will tell you, without pause: ART MODELL.

When they speak his name, they might very well add a colorful adjective or two or make a face resembling that of someone who just took a big swig of spoiled milk. Chances are many of them can – and will, without hesitation -- tell you the exact date on which he did it, where he appeared to hold the press conference announcing it and the color, cut and designer of the suit he wore when he did it. The fans of Cleveland were angry. They were hurt and they felt betrayed by the man behind the name. One need only look at video or photographs taken during the last game at Cleveland Municipal Stadium to know exactly how the general populous felt about Art Modell. We get it. Cleveland is passionate. We love our team and we were devastated when our 3 year football drought began. We all felt it. And we never forgot.

Art Modell was also a man… a father… a grandfather… a loved one to his family and friends and believe it or not, a man still respected deeply by many who worked for him both on and off the field. His father died when he was 14. At 15, he quit school in order to find work and support his family. In 1969, he married his wife, Patricia – and legally adopted her two sons. He only married once. Art and Pat were married 42 years when she passed away in 2011. He has 6 grandchildren.

From his involvement and financial support of the Cleveland Clinic to Art and Pat’s deep involvement within her alma mater, Ursuline College, not all Modell related footprints left on Cleveland were negative.

In light of the announcement of Art Modell’s passing this week, we here at DawgWARDens choose to recognize not the football franchise owner who “did us wrong”, but the man – the father – and the grandfather.

It is our hope that any gesture offered at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Sunday, September 9th will be met with class and respect and the fans of Cleveland will prove once again why we are the best fans in the league. Keep it classy Cleveland.

Our most sincere condolences to the Modell family…. Rest In Peace, Art.

Professional Football's Ultimate Fan Association
Canton Weekend

We here at DawgWARDens would like to send out a sincere and heartfelt CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME to the PFUFA Class of 2012!!

It was a pleasure to meet and share the weekend with these fine folks as we all embarked on Hall of Fame Weekend in Canton, Ohio.  Each of these new PFUFA family members will bring their own brand of enthusiasm, loyalty and style to the organization and in turn, add to the diversity and success of the group as a whole. 

A special congratulations to our wonderful friend, Burnt River Bob Hostutler. We are so proud of you!

Cheers to the PFUFA Class of 2012!! 

Let the 2012 Season Begin!!!

While the city of Canton and it's neighboring communities gear up for the annual Pro Football Hall Of Fame Enshrinement Festival and it's many related events and activities, a special group of NFL fans will begin their trek to the small town of Dover, Ohio for their own Hall of Fame Weekend Festivities.  

These fans come from far and wide, north and south, east and west to share a weekend filled with laughter and friendship bound and based upon the love of their teams and the game of football.  Where everyone wears their colors proud and readies for another season of gridiron action, the quiet little Comfort Inn located off of Ohio Interstate 77 becomes the weekend home of the members, friends and family of the Professional Football Ultimate Fan Association. 

A fellowship of fans from across the National Football League footprint, the members of PFUFA pride themselves on promoting sportsmanship and friendly camaraderie as they work together this weekend in Canton and separately throughout the year to support various charities and organizations in the name of football.  A truer, classier and more devout, upstanding set of fans is hard to come by and the PFUFA family strives to represent the kind of fans any football organization in the league would be proud to call their own.  

As a proud member of the PFUFA organization, JW - aka "Photo Guy" - will also begin his pilgrimage to Canton with the other members of DawgWARDens and their friends joining in throughout the weekend. 
We look forward to a great weekend spent with special people making good memories and promoting a positive NFL experience for fans across the league. 

To our many football faithful & frenzied friends and their families traveling from near and far, we wish you safe travels and look forward to seeing you all in Canton!!   

Let the 2012 National Football League season begin... GO BROWNS!!

Cleveland Sports History Night at the Lake County Captains

As any football fan will tell you, the love of the game is not contained to just the fall season and anytime is a good time for a tailgate party. This was evident as the Burnt River Browns Backers celebrated Cleveland Sports History Night at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio in grand fashion. With music provided by Justin Hostutler and tailgate digs provided by several members of the club, the afternoon of Saturday, June 2nd was alive with football enthusiasm.

Former Browns Coach, Sam Rutigliano, accompanied by his grandson, joined the festivities along with kicking great, Don Crockroft, and new draft pick James Michael Johnson and wide receiver Greg Little joined other Cleveland sports greats to sign autographs and pose for pictures inside the park. 

Thanks for Your Support & Memories for 2011!!!

View Larger Version

Thanks to everyone for their wonderful support and the excellent memories during the 2011-12 season!

Even though the play on the field was less than exciting at times, the tailgating and events were awesomel!!

We are already looking forward to next season!

Cincinnati Road Trip

What rain?

Nothing could dampen the spirits of devoted football fans attending the 77th Battle of Ohio as the Cleveland Browns took on the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday, November 28th. Fresh from their Thanksgiving stupor, these hearty fans arrived early and tailgated in classic Bengal Bomb Squad style before heading in to the game that would end with the Browns falling short in a last minute drive by the determined jungle cats from down south.

Still, a great time was had by all and a HUGE shout of thanks goes out to Shawn "WhoDeyBaby" Moore, John "Big John" Robinson, Shelly Tolley and all the other members of the Bengal Bomb Squad who rolled out the tiger striped carpet in fine fashion for their visiting tailgaters from the north shore.

San Francisco Road Trip

The only thing torturing Browns fans more than the brutal California sun on October 30th was the (lack of) action on the field when the Browns fell to the San Francisco 49ers 20-10 in a sad but increasingly common lackluster showing.

Luckily, the DawgWARDens made their long weekend in San Francisco about more than just football.

With five days spent in the sunny Bay area, we enjoyed the sights and sounds of one of the most interesting cities in the country. From stepping inside the cells of Alcatraz to taking in the sunset at the Golden Gate Bridge to shopping and dining at the infamous Pier 39, we made the most of our time and managed to enjoy our trip despite the final score!!

A special shout out to Browns Backers Worldwide's own Kelly Carroll and the Bay Area Browns Backers for taking us in and showing us a great time at the BABB Party held at our hotel on Saturday, October 29th!! It was great to meet so many awesome fans and score a picture with and autographs from Cleveland Browns greats Kevin Mack and Eric Metcalf.
It's always good to be among friends but having friends who understand the love of a team like ours... well, that's just nothing short of PRICELESS!!

---> Sightseeing Photos <---

8th Annual Dawg WARDens Party

Special thanks to all who joined us for our 8th Annual Dawg WARDens Party and providing the wonderful donations for the Lake Humane Society! We had a good turnout and even though the game didn't end how we would like, we all had a great time!

Indianapolis Roadtrip

Week 2 found JW and Bree representing loud and proud inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis as they joined a multitude of other Browns Backers for the Browns~Colts matchup.

This marks the second non-Browns stadium from which the father-daughter duo have returned with a win and the first of two they plan to visit this season.

The best of buds since Bree was merely a Browns Pup in training, the two enjoy trekking to new stadiums to cheer on the boys in Brown & Orange and are looking forward to doing it all again in November when the Browns travel south to take on the striped puddy-tats of Cincinnati.

There are certain thrills in life which we should never outgrow. Regardless of our age, our career, or our overall place in life, we should retain the ability to get truly excited about events and experiences that don't come along every day. For me, being on the field inside a professional football stadium is one of those experiences.

While I've had the good fortune of photographing high school, college and even a few professional football games from the sidelines, little can compare to the rush I get standing on the turf at the stadium home of my own Cleveland Browns. From watching the pre-game warm ups and hanging with team mascots to taking in the sights and sounds of the action up close and personal, it's a rush. Plain and simple, it's awesome!

On August 19th, Burnt River Browns Backers President and good friend, Bob Hostutler extended the invitation for myself and a friend to join him and his daughter Juliann on the field at Cleveland Browns Stadium for the pre-game festivities and he didn't have to ask twice! My friend Peter Krivejko shared in the experience and enjoyed it just as much as I did as we watched the team prepare to take on the Detroit Lions on a warm summer evening on the shores of Lake Erie.

And so a very special thank you goes out to Bob and Juliann for sharing this experience with us and proving once again that we are never too old to get stoked about football!

Get Excited - Get Loud - Have Fun and GO BROWNS!,
JW

P.S. Despite what you may think, I'm really not in the Dawg House with Mrs. DawgWARDen for enjoying this adventure without her. She opted not to attend this particular game so - as she says - she has no one but herself to blame for missing out on the opportunity!

First Official Tailgate of the 2011 Season!

Ladies and Gentleman, start your tailgating!

As football fans everywhere know, the season doesn't start with a kickoff - it starts when the coolers are packed, the lawn chairs are loaded and the caravan of loyal tailgaters begin their march toward stadium parking lots across the nation. Saturday, August 13th was no exception as Cleveland Browns fans hit the road and set pace for the southern shores of Lake Erie.

The crowd may have been smaller, the menu more simple, but the energy of a new football season was in the air and that was more than enough to excite those of us here at DawdWARDens.com and our friends from www.ClevelandBrownsBus.com. With a fine showing by young Colt McCoy and our boys in Brown & Orange, it appears we have much to look forward to so we'll take this opportunity to wish our gridiron favorites the best of luck and to remind our fan-friends all across the country to cheer loud, cheer proud and enjoy a great season of mud-slingin', best-game-bringin', knock-down, drag-out football!!

GO BROWNS!

PFUFA Weekend in Canton, OH

From face paint and head gear to feathers and props, this year's Professional Football Ultimate Fan Association (aka PFUFA) Reunion was yet another huge success as some of football's most devoted fans gathered in Canton, Ohio to kick off the 2011 season.

As illustrated by the photo above, the incoming class blended well with the colorful and loyal football fans that comprise this incredible PFUFA family. Here, both PFUFA members and potential members gather around the 12th Man Float just prior to the Timken Grand Parade in downtown Canton.

In a Where's Waldo eye-view of the best fans football has to offer, can you find our own JW (aka "Photo Guy") in this blend of NFL colors?

Hint: to his left, he's got a hog - to his right, a cheesehead!

2nd Annual CLE Plane Pull for Special Olympics

Thanks to all who came out for a great event benefiting the Special Olympics.

The Browns Backers team had a great time!

ClevelandBrowns.com Article

Burnt River Browns Backers Charity Event

It was a great turnout for the Cleveland Police Athletic League 2nd Annual Celebrity Charity Pool Tournament sponsored by the Burnt River Browns Backers!

Special thanks to BRBB and Susan Faulkner for letting me be a part of such a wonderful event! I look forward to next year!

Thanks to all who turned out for our annual NFL Draft watch party. We would like to formally welcome the newest Browns to the NFL!

1st Round

- #21-Phil Taylor (DT/Baylor)

2nd Round

- #37-Jabaal Sheard (DE/Pittsburgh)

- #59-Greg Little (WR/North Carolina)

3rd Round (No selections)

4th Round

-#102-Jordan Cameron (TE/Southern California)

- #124-Owen Marecic (FB/Stanford)

5th Round

- #137-Buster Skrine (DB/Tennessee-Chattanooga)

- #150-Jason Pinkston (OL/Pittsburgh)

6th Round (No selections)

7th Round

- #248-Eric Hagg (DB/Nebraska)

Welcome to CLEVELAND!!!

And so another football season comes to an early end on the ice encrusted shores of Lake Erie and all around frozen northeast Ohio. Cleveland Browns Stadium stands cold and empty and once again we are left watching other teams move on into the post-season. No one wants to say we're used to it by now. It's still frustrating. It's still heartbreaking and we're still hungry for a winning team in Cleveland.

Like a child remembers the taste of cotton candy - sweet on their tongue and piled high with sugary goodness, those of us who followed the Cleveland Browns in the 1980's have tasted the playoffs - we know the sweetness of post-season football. We know what it's like to see and hear fans ramped up from the east side to the west side, painting their faces and wearing their colors, hanging signs from freeway overpasses and coming together to cheer for a team taking us along on the big ride. We know what it's like to turn on a Cleveland radio station and hear our quarterback's name put to song and played loud and proud across the airwaves of a city ready to scream, ready to yell, and ready to win. We know what it's like to walk into a store and find racks of t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats and posters emblazoned with our colors and the faces of our gridiron heroes. And we know what it's like to see exciting, positive sports headlines splashed across the front of all the local papers. We know what all that tastes like and we miss it. We're hungry for it and we want it back.

We haven't tasted the big game yet, that is something we continue to hunger for. But to a kid who longs for a stick full of tasty air-spun confection, any little morsel of candy is better than nothing, right?
We'll take a season that simply finds us still playing football after the regular season ends. We'll take a season in which our name still shows up in the dwindling brackets of playoff madness. Heck, at this point, wouldn't we all just like to see a season that ends with a bigger number on the left side of the dash than the right in our final standings?

So as we settle in for a long winter's wait... reading the papers and listening to reports of head coach candidates GPS'ing their way into and out of Berea... we raise our glasses. To the sweetness we tasted long ago... to the ultimate football confection we still crave... and to any and all tasty goodness we can hope to savor next year.

CHEERS!

Happy Holidays from Dawg WARDens

This time of year is particularly exciting in the National Football League as teams fight to clinch divisions and secure their spots in the upcoming play-offs. As the field narrows and the strongest move on, the race to the Super Bowl tightens and some lucky fans buckle in for the ride while they watch their team take down one opponent after another to claim the ultimate prize.

Others... well, they continue to follow their teams faithfully - hoping each week to see improvement in the form of obstacles overcome, mistakes corrected and continued growth and development within the organization as a whole. Sadly and once again, we here in Browns country fall into the latter... still hoping, still wishing and still waiting for our team to find that delicate and precise chemistry required to make it all happen.

Regardless of where your team ranks at this point in the season, it can still be a fun time to be a football fan. If your team comes up short and finds themselves cleaning out their lockers out a bit earlier than you'd hoped, adopt another team and follow their path to the big game. And keep doing so until you pick a favorite between the last two standing... or at least until you reach the point where you simply sit back and enjoy the half-time show and the commercials!

However you choose to spend it, enjoy the remainder of the season - cheer loud, cheer often and like us, remember there's always next year.

And so as the calendar year winds down and the Super Bowl hunt ramps up, we here at DawgWARDens would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year.

May your extra points be plenty, your challenges be few and when you find yourself facing 3rd down and long - may all your Hail Mary's be touchdowns!!