As longtime NFL fans might point out, the last of that legendary trio earned his place in Canton as a tight end for the Browns. Newsome retired from pro football after the 1990 season, joined Cleveland’s front office in 1991 and followed them in the move to Baltimore in 1996.
Effectively, Sunday’s game is a multilayered reunion with plenty of personal connections: Flacco’s first return to Baltimore, and a franchise celebrating its inception ahead of a game against the team that made their existence possible.
Although it was a scheduling coincidence, Browns fans see the obvious connection between their meeting on Sunday and the timing of Baltimore’s anniversary celebration. Flacco is aware of it, too.
“Yeah, you know, it’s funny because that isn’t the first thing that I think about, you know, not being from here, but I can understand how that looks,” Flacco said. “And listen, they do these things, and I think you can take it however you want. If you’re from Cleveland, you can take it one way, and if you’re from Baltimore, you can say it’s not a big deal. It’s just one of those things.
“Honestly, for me, it kind of makes it more exciting. You know, we get to go in there when they’re throwing, you know, when they’re having some people back and just more ex-players, more eyes on you. It’ll make it more interesting.”
If the Week 2 game between division rivals who share more history than the average pairing of competitors is entertaining, it will be considered a win for Cleveland especially after they lost in excruciating fashion in Week 1. The same could be said about the Ravens, who are coming off a colossal collapse on national television in a Week 1 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
The circumstances surrounding the game might be entertaining enough. Flacco hopes the team he’s on emerges victorious so he can smile as he exits through the unfamiliar visitor’s tunnel.