I'm going to try and do this without using any choice 4-letter words or say anything that I might regret later, but I'm angry.  I'm angry at Detroit, angry at the NFL, and angry at all of the bad apples that have driven us to this point.  I tend to travel light, so the NFL's new bag policy--excuse me, no bag policy is mostly of no concern to me.  However, I do sympathize with the demographic it affects most, women.

I don't know if the spirit of this new policy is to keep women out of the stadium, which seems to lack tact and decency, but that's certainly how it's been perceived in my circles.  Long story short, I've been informed that my better half will not be attending any NFL games in the future.  There's a disclaimer to all of this, which is to say that we aren't exactly season ticket holders, having been to about seven games in the last seven years, but that one game per year is a thing of the past.  While I don't think that you should be able to smuggle in an entire bar or weapons, the venues that don't implement ridiculous policy have taken less extreme measures to prevent the women from bringing in what's considered contra-band.  They check, and the 3-second inspection has proven affective, as far I know.

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In less than three weeks, the Cleveland Browns will take the field for the 2013 NFL season facing one of the easier schedules, at least on paper, in the league.

The Browns will play the 21st easiest schedule, based on the 2012 record of their opponents, this fall. Their home schedule is the 25th easiest, but their road schedule is the 11th toughest.

While past performance does not indicate future success, except in the Browns case as they have somehow managed to win five or fewer games eight times in the past 10 years, it’s interesting to think about what the Browns will be facing this year.

So let’s run through the schedule, week by week, with 16 truths – one for each opponent – to help Browns fans sleep better at night. Many of the truths are offense related, which makes the anticipation of Ray Horton unleashing his new defense that much more tantalizing.

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The Cleveland Browns are now halfway through the preseason and there is a lot for Browns fans to like, at least when it comes to the actual on-the-field product.

But there are also some items to be concerned about following Thursday night’s exhibition win over the Detroit Lions.

Let’s start with the good parts first, with the understanding that everything that follows is prefaced by the fact that this is only the preseason.

In the two games that he has been on the field, quarterback Brandon Weeden has looked more comfortable in Norv Turner’s offense than we can remember looking at any point last season. Against Detroit, Weeden played four series and looked crisp, completing eight-of-12 passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns.

While there was some talk that Weeden’s performance against St. Louis in the opening preseason friendly was aided by the Rams playing a vanilla defense, the Lions front seven were active on Thursday night, although the Browns line did a nice job of handling them. The Lions defensive linemen may run around a lot, but that doesn’t mean anything if they are not making plays.

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Since the Browns debuted their underwhelming sequel in 1999, Bernie Kosar has been the team’s most conspicuous extra.

He’s never been given even a supporting role in the organization, but despite his lack of any official football-governing capacity, he’s been active and involved. He frequently appears on local radio and TV stations from the start of training camp through the end of the season, offering his analysis and opinions. You can find him at the stadium on many a Sunday, chatting with players, coaches and executives, obliging media requests – doing anything to stay close to the game he lived and still loves.

The fans reciprocate Kosar’s devotion to the Browns and football. Despite never leading the Browns to the Super Bowl, despite the fact that his career prime lasted all of two years – he was never the same after his elbow was injured in the 1988 season opener – despite the fact that he is quite possibly the fourth-most-accomplished quarterback in Browns history behind Otto Graham, Frank Ryan and Brian Sipe, the fans have elevated Kosar to folk-hero status.

Part of it is his local ties, having grown up a Browns fan in Boardman, Ohio, just outside Youngstown. Part of it is the fact that he declared for the 1985 supplemental draft specifically so the Browns could select him. And part of it is grasping at the strands of what little we have had to cherish about the Browns over the past quarter-century.

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