BEREA, Ohio — During the first eight days of training camp, players and coaches alike have been interactive with the Cleveland Browns’ passionate legion of fans.
Whether it is calling out for a “Dawg Check” during a drill, shaking hands in-between plays and signing autographs following practice, the players have embraced the opportunity to ply their trades while soaking up the love and support from the fans.
“You've got to get into it,” linebacker Christian Kirksey said. “They come out here, they want to support us. We're hot out there practicing, they're hot out there watching, so you've got to get them involved, have fun with it. That's your job, you've got to get the fans in tune to it.”
According to the players, the energy of the fans is palpable for the team.
“It makes it all the more exciting for us feeling the energy,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “It is like I said last year when we won the first couple of games -- everybody was so excited -- that we need to set the standard. This is a tradition-rich franchise that needs to have that standard every year.”
Odell Beckham Jr. added, “You can feel it. You don’t even have to hear. I’m a real empath, so I can feel the hunger and the want to win from these fans, and that’s something we want to showcase and give to them.”
Currently, the Browns are in the process of negotiating an extension of the lease for their training facility with the City of Berea, and once that is done, they have designs on making the facility even more fan-friendly.
In recent years, the Browns have featured a new layout with additional seats, which increased capacity to go along with the standing-room only sections at field level. The Browns have increased their seating capacity by 325 percent since 2016.
Over the last two years, the Browns have incorporated portable bleacher seating for the VIP and general admission areas.
“We are really excited for our fans,” owner Dee Haslam said. “The atmosphere out here at Berea is just fantastic. We are grateful for all of our fans here. We are excited to see our players and coaches on the field. We feel like we are off to a great start.”
Jimmy Haslam added, “We are excited for the organization, the players, the coaches, the personnel, ourselves and everybody who puts in the time and hard work, but we are most excited -- you know the area as well or better than we do -- for the fans because these are the greatest sports fans I have ever been around. They deserve to have a really good football team.”
In addition to the current team, the Browns have created excitement among the fans by hosting former players at practice, including quarterbacks Brian Sipe and Tim Couch and defensive lineman Jerry Sherk, among others.
“That is the Cleveland Browns,” coach Freddie Kitchens said. “That is the history.
“I want these guys to know about the history of the Browns. They can see the fans. They can see the passion that the fans bring, but sometimes, it is harder for them to get a feel for the people who have come before them. They are all wearing the same brown and orange. They are still with us in a sense.”