Baltimore Fans Fear Browns Talk Cheap
Burned before on promises to bring the NFL back to Baltimore, fans and some officials there took a prove-it-to-me attitude Saturday to reports that the Cleveland Browns were moving to Baltimore.
“I’ll believe it when I see a kickoff,” said Craig Carmen, tailgating at a Baltimore Stallions Canadian Football League game.
Browns owner Art Modell confirmed Friday night that he was negotiating seriously with Baltimore but wouldn’t confirm that a deal was reached. Modell reportedly told a Cleveland reporter Saturday that the move was nearly a done deal.
When asked how it can be averted now, Modell said, “I don’t know.”
Clint Coleman, a spokeman for Mayor Kurt Schmoke, on Saturday said Cleveland Mayor Michael R. White was expected to arrive in Baltimore today. No meeting had been scheduled, but Coleman said he expected Schmoke and White to meet, possibly Sunday afternoon.
Monday in Baltimore, representatives of the state of Maryland are expected to announce that they have a written commitment from Modell to move the Browns there next year. The following day, the annual fall meeting of NFL owners convenes in Dallas. The agenda is indicative of where the NFL has been heading for the past two years. Nothing will be about football. The entire meeting is about money.
Will Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke file a lawsuit to prevent the Browns from moving in next door?
Will the owners vote against Modell? How about Houston moving to Nashville? Where do Tampa Bay and Seattle, both looking to move, now stand?
Oh yes, and what about the lawsuits? The Sullivan case is reopening in Boston this week. There’s Jerry Jones and NFL Properties. The Al Davis suit and countersuit in Oakland. And the Chicago Bears are talking about moving to Indiana.
Add Browns
Boston Globe columnist Will McDonough, quoting two NFL owners, suggests the Browns’ move to Baltimore may not be so simple.
“I’m not going to vote for it,” Patriots owner Bob Kraft told McDonough. “I just don’t think it is right. This team has had great support over the years. The team is loved in that region. The television ratings there are at the top of the league. To me, this does not fit the guidelines we have in the league (for moving).”
According to McDonough, Kraft’s sentiments are echoed by Buffalo’s Ralph Wilson, one of Modell’s closest NFL friends.
“This is wrong,” Wilson said, “and I’m against it. The credibility of our league has taken a beating in the last year. Fans across the country used to believe that our league stood for something. Stability. Doing things the right way.
“What do we have now? The Rams move in the spring. The Raiders move a few months later. Now the Browns wants to move to Baltimore. It’s all crazy. Tampa Bay wants to move. Houston wants to move to Nashville. All of this is hurting our league. There is no question about it… .
“Here we have Cleveland, one of the all-time great franchises and so much a part of the history of this game, ready to pick up and leave.”
Shula shut out in West
Dolphins coach Don Shula is 10-21 in road games on the West Coast. That includes three Super Bowls. Shula hasn’t won on the West Coast since 1978.
Miami visits San Diego tonight.
Center of attention
How confident can Cincinnati quarterback Jeff Blake be of his center today? Bruce Kozerski is out with a broken ankle and is being replaced by deep snapper Greg Truitt - all 235 pounds of him.
Truitt faces an Oakland front anchored by tackles Chester McGlockton and Jerry Ball, each in the 320-pound range.
Sanders on 2000 track
Detroit running back Barry Sanders, who has played seven years without serious injury, is 10th on the list of all-time rushers, and if he continues to average 98 yards per game, as he has in his pro career, he will overtake record-holder Walter Payton during the 2000 season.