A Triumphant Return for Browns

Who says exhibitions don’t matter?

Welcomed back to the NFL by the same fans who couldn’t say goodbye to them in 1996, the Browns ushered in a new football era in Cleveland with a 20-17 overtime victory against the Dallas Cowboys in the Hall of Fame Game Monday at Canton, Ohio.

“This was everything I expected and more,” said Cleveland defensive tackle Jerry Ball, one of three carryovers on the roster from the old Browns. “We battled. We went to overtime and we won. You can’t get better than that. The Cleveland Browns came back a winner.”

Browns fans hadn’t been able to cheer their beloved team since Dec. 17, 1995, the final game at Cleveland Stadium after former owner Art Modell announced he was moving his team to Baltimore.

But once Modell left and the shock wore off, Cleveland fought back and convinced the NFL to bring a team back in 1999. The league also agreed to keep the new team’s nickname, colors and history the same.

Phil Dawson kicked a 20-yard field goal with 8:06 to play in overtime for the Browns.

Rookie quarterback Tim Couch, meanwhile, dazzled in his pro debut. Couch, the No. 1 overall pick in April’s college draft, completed 11 of 17 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown.