BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Kevin Stefanski has heard the stories about Browns fans.
From the tales of the Muni Lot to the raucous Dawg Pound, starting with Sunday’s home opener against the Houston Texans, he wants to see – and hear – it for himself.
“Coach Stefanski wants you in your seats at kickoff – no empty seats,” Stefanski said addressing fans following practice Friday. “I want full-throated effort for all 60 minutes.”
For many seasons since 1999, the Muni Lot was where fans gathered before games to celebrate that at least there was a game to go to and then drown their sorrows. There was really no rush to make the trek to FirstEnergy Stadium – formerly referred to as ‘The Factory of Sadness’ by local comedian Mike Polk – because the Browns would inevitably go on to lose, often in ridiculous, dumbfounding and hilarious fashion.
In case you might have missed the memo, the Browns are no longer the laughingstock of football and the excitement in Cleveland has reached a fever pitch.
“It’s funny, everybody’s excited,” left guard Joel Bitonio, who was drafted by the team in 2014, said. “They’re always excited for Browns football but you get an extra thing, you know when you see some older guys around and stuff and they’re like, ‘Man, I was there in ’64 when they won’ or ‘I watched in ’64 and I want to see one before [I die].’ And I was like, ‘Oh gosh that’s a lot of pressure’ but you get excited about it. It’s exciting. The town is excited. It’s really exciting to be a part of it.”
Polk has yet to bless us with a new nickname for the three decks of orange seats that sit by the lake after the Browns ended their 18-year playoff drought, aided by a 6-2 home record – their second-best mark behind a 7-1 home finish in 2007, last year, but a rebrand for ‘The Factory’ might be in order now.
The Browns, who are celebrating their 75th anniversary this year, haven’t won a division title since 1989. They haven’t won a championship since 1964 but this year’s team might be their best shot to do both.
“I’m not going to try to mock anything the ’64 team did, but they always put us up there as a team that has no Super Bowls,” defensive end Myles Garrett said. “I recognize we have titles and I appreciate what those guys did, but they left a legacy for us. When you look up at our banners, we don’t have any Super Bowls.
“I’m not worried about the past, I’m worried about right now and that’s this week and being 1-1. We’re trying to get on the road to do something we’ve never done. They’ve had their time, they’ve had their legacy. The old guys keep on living in the past and talking about that while we’re trying to march down and do something we’ve never done before.”
With dreams of Vince Lombardi trophies in their heads, fans will reconvene in the Muni Lot Sunday morning after being forced to take 2020 off, but Stefanski would appreciate an adjustment to the departure time.
“Get out of the Muni Lot, get into your seat and you can go back to the Muni Lot after the game,” Stefanski said.
Last year the COVID-19 pandemic limited the Browns to 6,000 fans for their first two home games and 12,000 for the remainder of the schedule, which included their playoff-clinching 24-22 victory over the Steelers on January 3 that left many on hand weeping tears of joy.
While those crowds did their part to sound like 67,000 strong, it just wasn’t that same.
With a return to full capacity at FirstEnergy Stadium and a team expected to do big things in 2021, Stefanski aims to rekindle the home field advantage the Browns once held.
“You make a difference, and I really believe that,” Stefanski said, speaking to the fans. “The home advantage in the NFL is such a big deal, and I think our fans make a difference. You are talking about third down and fourth down. We will be looking for any delays of game from them or false starts. Those type of things are a direct correlation to our crowd. When we are on offense, looking to hear a pin drop. Excited to see and excited to experience that for the first time.”
