Looking back at an exciting opener for the Cleveland Browns in Canton

The Cleveland Browns and New York Jets opened the new football season Thursday with the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio.

While preseason wins and losses don't mean anything, all players love to win, so enjoy that W. The day was special for all Browns fans simply because Joe Thomas finally got what we all knew was coming once he retired.

He finally put on that beautifully ugly yellow jacket and got his bust as a Cleveland Brown in the football Hall of Fame.

Joe Thomas

Joe Thomas was the epitome of consistency and excellence over his ten years as a Brown. Never has anyone embodied everything it is to be a midwestern blue-collar guy than Thomas. He was going to go top five in the draft, and he went fishing with his dad because he had been planning it for a while, and he had plenty of fishing gear and no nice suit.

The man was everything Cleveland fans want in their star players. If only they could have won a bit more during his time.

The young guys showed out

In case you missed it, most of the young players and recent draft picks put on a fun show for the fans. Kellen Mond started the contest and was okay in the first half leading the offense. He did have an interception but seemed to settle down as the night went on.

Behind him, John Kelly, Jr. showed up with ten carries for 42 yards and a touchdown reception late in the first half to put the Browns on the board.

The big show was in the second half as Dorian Thompson-Robinson electrified the offense with both his arm and legs, and don't forget his blocking. That block would lead to Demetric Felton's rushing touchdown on the night.

DTR played with a ton of swagger, and the players seemed to get a lift immediately. While these were all young players at the time, it was nice to see a quarterback come out there with supreme confidence in his ability and play as well as he did. We all have no idea what the Browns have in DTR, but watching him, he sure believes he is ready to play in the big leagues.

While Dawand Jones has always made everyone else look small seeing in the NFL has a bit of a wow factor. The fact that he looked nimble on feet that size was impressive.

A rookie giving up zero pressures, even in a preseason game, is impressive. One with his size in a position that could get tested this year makes it more interesting. Let's also not forget about his Ohio State University partner Luke Wypler, who showed out with no pressures in his debut also. Reaching into the backyard could pay off for the Browns' front office over the next few years. 

Preseason is preseason for a reason, but having the current rookie class show some fire and skill out there is something. Also, seeing someone like Demetric Felton have some success brings hope that maybe a few more of Andrew Berry's previous picks may need a little more time to pan out.