Cleveland Browns to debut orange jerseys on Sunday
By Thomas Moore
Nov 16, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns mascot Brownie the Elf at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
It was only a matter of time before the Cleveland Browns did it and Sunday is the day that the club will debut its new orange jerseys.
It will be the sixth time in franchise history that the Browns have worn orange jerseys, and the first time since the 2004 season. The Browns will be looking to even their record while wearing orange jerseys to 3-3 when they take the field at FirstEnergy Stadium against the Arizona Cardinals.
"ORANGE."
Previous appearances by the orange jerseys came in:
- A 37-13 defeat of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1953
- A 3-17 defeat of the Houston Texans in 2002
- A 13-6 loss to the Carolina Panthers in 2002
- A 26-20 loss to the San Diego Chargers in 2003
The last time the Browns wore orange jerseys was for a home game against the New York Jets on Nov. 21, 2004. According to The Browns Bible, here’s how the 10-7 loss played out that day:
"For the third straight week, the Browns’ offense was non-existent, and the defense couldn’t come up with the stops it needed to hold onto a fourth-quarter lead as the Browns lost their fourth straight."
"A short scoring pass from Jeff Garcia to Aaron Shea gave the Browns a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter, and the Browns were still ahead early in the fourth when Phil Dawson uncharacteristically missed a 34-yard field goal that would have made Cleveland lead 10-3. Dawson, who had also missed from 42 yards in the first half, had entered the game having made his last 27 attempts."
"The Jets responded with a 75-yard drive and tok the lead with 5:32 remaining. After the Browns were forced to punt on the ensuring possession, the Jets picked up three critical first downs to melt the last four minutes of the game and drop the Browns to another frustrating defeat."
"Jeff Garcia injured his shoulder late in the first half and was taken out of the game – he wouldn’t start again for the remainder of his one-season tenure in Cleveland."
Hmm, a disappointing loss where the veteran quarterback is knocked out with a shoulder injury and is never seen again in a Browns uniform? We can see why the Browns are anxious to get back to wearing orange jerseys.
“We knew that orange would be an exciting color,” Browns president Alec Scheiner said last spring when the Browns unveiled their redesigned uniforms. “It hearkens back to some really cool moments in this organization.”
It remains to be seen if the Browns can create some “cool moments” on Sunday against the Cardinals.