Daily Dawg Tags: The best No. 82 there ever was

The Cleveland Browns are 82 days away from the start of the NFL season, which is also the uniform number of the greatest tight end in franchise history.

The Cleveland Browns will open the 2017 NFL season on Sept. 10 when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers.

That is 82 days away and 82 just happens to be the jersey number of one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history: Hall of Famer Ozzie Newsome.

Newsome played his entire 13-year career with the Browns after being selected in the first round of the 1978 NFL Draft, which was one of the greatest first rounds in franchise history as the Browns also selected linebacker Clay Matthews.

Newsome shares the club’s single-season record for receptions with 89, and is Cleveland’s career leader in receptions (662) and yards (7,980). He also had a reception in 150 consecutive games.

According to his bio on the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s website:

"Throughout his 13-season, 198-game NFL career with the Cleveland Browns from 1978 to 1990, Ozzie Newsome was a fixture at tight end, a true team leader in every respect, and one of only five players in Browns history to play in parts of three decades."

"The first rookie in 25 years to be named the Browns’ Offensive Player of the Year in 1978, Ozzie earned all-pro honors in his second season in 1979, and again in 1984."

"He was a vital cog in the potent offensive machine that took the Browns to three AFC championship showdowns against the Denver Broncos in a four-year stretch between 1986 and 1989. He also was a Pro Bowl choice following the 1981, 1984 and 1985 seasons."

Let’s roll on with today’s edition of the Daily Dawg Tags.

Cleveland Browns news:

Browns running game primed for a big season

The Cleveland Browns had a solid year running the ball in 2016 and they could be even better this fall if they can stay committed to the run.

List of best players by jersey numbers taps several Browns

A recent article ranked the best players in the NFL by jersey number, and the Cleveland Browns had several players make the list.

5 winners from Browns minicamp and OTAs (Dawgs By Nature)

"Through the team’s OTAs and minicamps to date, it’s almost impossible for anyone’s stock to be down, particularly since we know the order of the rep distributions in those sessions don’t mean anything. But, we can take a look at five winners from the Browns’ offseason programs — that is, players who appear to have boosted their stock a little."

Ricardo Louis playing with confidence (clevelandbrowns.com)

"Physically, little has changed. Ricardo Louis was one of the Browns’ most athletically gifted players in 2016 and he remains that way entering the 2017 season. But now, as he displayed throughout the Browns offseason program, the fourth-round wide receiver is moving with a purpose."

Jabrill Peppers has Chris Tabor dreaming of Josh Cribbs (ohio.com)

"When the Browns drafted strong safety Jabrill Peppers the night of April 27, special teams coordinator Chris Tabor reacted as if he had just hit the Mega Millions jackpot."

NFL news:

Eric Decker signing further fuels Titans hype train (NFL.com)

"The Titans weren’t ready last season. Before Nashville was famous for catfish, before Marcus Mariota’s broken leg, Tennessee was being pushed around in a decisive Christmas Eve game in Jacksonville. The franchise traveled the NFL road from laughingstock (five wins combined in two years) to competitive (9-7 in 2016) in a hurry, outmuscling two AFC contenders in December wins while joining the NFL’s middle class in scoring defense and offense. Parts of the roster remained undercooked, however, and general manager Jon Robinson knew it."

Top 10 faces in new places for 2017 (ESPN)

"Quite an eventful offseason that was, wouldn’t you say? We had a trio of running backs past their 30th birthdays change teams, with one of them coming out of retirement to do so (Jamaal Charles, Marshawn Lynch and Adrian Peterson, with Lynch the one who “unretired”). We saw the Super Bowl champion beef up its receiving corps (Brandin Cooks) for the mere price of draft picks. We saw a team lose its big-play receiver (DeSean Jackson), only to replace him with another (Terrelle Pryor Sr.). And we saw the league’s leader in rushing touchdowns wait a whopping two months before finding a landing spot (LeGarrette Blount)."

Supreme Court strikes down law blocking disparaging trademarks (CNN)

"The Supreme Court struck down part of a federal law that denies trademark protection of terms that disparage living or dead. The ruling could benefit the NFL’s Washington Redskins, whose trademark was canceled based on the same law in a separate proceeding."

5 reasons the Colts are a playoff sleeper (Indianapolis Star)

"They have been the epitome of average the past two seasons. They have been neither very good nor embarrassingly bad. When you attempt to characterize the Indianapolis Colts in 2015 and 2016, the word “blah” comes to mind. But here’s a different point of view: There are actually quite a few reasons to believe the Colts will be one of the NFL’s sleeper teams in 2017."