THE SKY IS FALLING! THE SKY IS FALLING!

Pardon me for a second while I use my outside voice.

Or, as I like to call it, my "Inside Voice After A Case With Jaeger Chasers".

BRAYLON EDWARDS MISSING AN OTA IS NOT A BIG DEAL.

BRAYLON EDWARDS BEING THIRD TEAM THE SECOND WEEK OF OTAs IS NOT A BIG DEAL.

For the love of God, people, I understand that you are starved for news--and that writers are clamoring for anything to write about--but the day that an OTA event that doesn't involve an injury is a big deal is the day that I give up the barley and hops.

And as my liver would attest, neither of those are happening anytime in the near future.

And this is coming from someone who would be the very last person to jump to the defense of "Me-lon" Edwards.

Now, was it good to see Romeo Crennel showing he had a sac and temporarily demoting his most talented wide receiver? Of course.

Will it mean anything come the start of training camp and the beginning of the fake-game season? No, it won't mean a damn thing.

The demotion was about one thing and nothing more: RAC sending a message to Braylon that even though these OTAs are "voluntary", they do have some value and are important to the team in as much as the club is installing a new offense.

This missed pseudo practice will be forgotten come September.

Fans and the media would be wise to begin the forgetting process immediately.

Or, as Sgt. Hulka was fond of saying...

"Lighten up, Francis"

No News Is... Ummm... No News?

Just to let you guys (and gals) know, news is a little sparse right now as it pertains to the Browns. Thus, the updates will likely be just as sparse.

At least for the next month or so.

Or until I decide to start making shiite up.

Whichever comes first.

There is one story in today's local rags and it comes courtesy of the Canton Repository. In the report, newly-signed running back Jamal Lewis talks about how strange it was seeing himself in a Cleveland Browns uniform.

That struck me as odd because, after his four-month stint in federal prison, I figured he would've been used to at least one of the colors.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T, Finally?

For the last eight seasons, save for a lone one-and-done playoff appearance, the Browns have have been the the keynote speakers at a "How Not To Run An NFL Franchise" symposium. This once-proud franchise has been the butt of many a national media joke, and have gotten little to no respect nationally.

And deservedly so.

That could be changing, however.

According to a member of an unnamed NFL front office I spoke to earlier this week, there is a mini-buzz growing in league circles as to the moves made the past two offseasons by general manager Phil Savage and his staff.

And it's a buzz that portends blue skies after years of dark clouds engrossing the organization.

"You look at the holes this team had (when Savage took over in 2005), and you look at the roster now, how can you not be impressed?" the source asked rhetorically.

"They've gone from being a complete laughing stock to being on the cusp of something really, really good. You hear the chatter at the various league functions and in daily conversations. There was that chatter before, but now it's positive and not just a bunch of snickering."

That being said, the source offered one note of caution, and that's in regard to current head coach Romeo Crennel.

"(Crennel) is a good guy and a class guy, but a lot of people are of the opinion that he might be in over his head as a head coach," the front office exec said.

Test

This is a dry run for the return (again) of The OBR Daily News & World Report, blog-style. As opposed to a wet run, which sounds pornographic. Or something that might interest a proctologist.