Randomness from yesterday's Browns home game:

Special Guest: Shaun. Shaun was in attendance at the 51-45 Bengals which seems like it was an eternity ago. But he lives Downtown now, so it's easy for him to attend games...and tailgates.

Today's Opponent: The Green Bay Packers. The Packers are an interesting lot this year. Offensively, they are currently almost a one-trick pony, as Aaron Rodgers has assumed the QB job very nicely from Brett Favre. Rodgers leads a high-powered passing game and rarely throws an interception. But the offensive line hasn't been very good, which makes Rodgers feats even more spectacular. Rodgers even took 5 sacks against Detroit last week. And the run game has only been adequate, thus far.

The Browns are coming off a game where the Steelers should have scored 40. Turnovers helped the Browns stay interested in that game. But it's also a week where D'Qwell Jackson went down for the year and several others had bouts with the flu. As I've continually said we have no depth and when the injuries start, the Browns are heading for trouble.

As for this game, not a chance. Everyone expects the worst this weekend. This is clearly the most high-powered offense the Browns have seen this year, thus far. It would be nice to keep this one close, but...

Parking: East 6th northbound in a Truck Zone between Saint Clair and Rockwell. Same spot as Games 1 and 2. I am sensing a pattern here.

Pre-Game Festivities: We strolled in and had already missed the Browns Spirit Flag. The anthem was sung by some choral group, probably the opera unit of some organization. Bigass flag was mini-sized today.

Worst Feature (For Me): Today, it was really the fans. This was easily the quietest game from the start, I can recall. It was as if everyone realized the outcome three hours before it actually happened. If apathy sets in now, what is going to happen over the remaining 5 home games?

There are already rumblings of future games being blacked out. The Steelers Thursday night game is the only sellout. The Ravens Monday night and Chargers games have not sold out. And it looks the Raiders and Jaguars games are Friends and Family affairs right now.

The Weather: Marky Nolan and Hollie Strano welcomed us to the game today after Mohammed Massaquoi had already dropped a pass. This was like stealing today. Late October, sunny, about 60 degrees. Couldn't ask for a better day weather-wise.

Today's Giveaway: None. Three games, one giveaway. Randy Lerner can't find sponsors for anything. Guaranteed the two night games will give away something. That's where the promotional budget went.

Section 345: Extremely quiet today. If couches were available, it would have been nap time.

Best Browns Play: On the opening kickoff, Mason Crosby of the Packers drilled the pylon on the goal line. This allowed the Browns to start on the 40-yard line. I'm serious, that's how bad this game was.

Best Packers Play: Clearly the 71-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to Donald Driver. Seam route to perfection. Of course, this also suffered from the Browns ubiquitous bad tackling. Brodney Pool had a shot at the 50, he missed. Eric Wright, as ever, tried to punch the ball out of Driver's arms the rest of the way and failed three times. If only he would put that effort into tackling!

Worst Browns Play: The Browns are actually threatening to score at our end of the field at the end of the first quarter. It's second and goal from the 2. Derek Anderson fumbles the snap! Ugh! He then threw incomplete on the next play.

Then they marched to the other end of the field to kick the "bounce off the upright" field goal by Billy Cundiff for the only score of the day. Thanks, DA.

Second Worst Browns Play: Derek Anderson threw an interception in the second quarter that was just awful. Brian Robiskie had to have run the wrong pattern or something because that one looked brutal.

Best Exchange:
Me (after opening kickoff): "Great, we get to start on the 40."

Shaun: "Great, we get to punt from before the 50."

Oddest Browns Jersey: 2 Couch, 24 Fuller, 31 Green, 34 Droughns, 54 Spielman, 87 Andre Davis (twice).

Food Items: Shaun plied me with two beers, a hot dog and a pretzel.

Worst Scoreboard Feature: Baghdad Zac and his halftime highlight show. At least they showed the Driver TD. This is only the second game upon their return, opponents highlights are shown. The first was the Bengal game this season.

The Fuckin' Run: The second highest total of the year. 202 yards! But the Pack was the first team all year to commit to the run immediately, as they ran on 10 of their first 11 plays. To show how bad this was, it was the Packers highest output of the year. Last week against the Lions? They ran for only 107. And while we're at it, let's dismiss the canard of Shaun Rogers, all-pro. Big chunks of yardage up the middle from a weak offensive line. Again.

Worst Stat: The Browns gained 2.8 yards per running play. Not to be outdone, they also gained 2.8 yards per pass play.

2nd Worst Stat: The Browns had 5 first downs by penalty. Only 3 via the run and 4 by the pass.

Most Interesting Stat: This was the first visit to Cleveland Browns Stadium by the Packers. They are the last NFL team to do that.

Penalties: Actually, the Packers committed the boneheaded ones today. Two kicks went of bounds and they had 12 men on the field for a punt.

The effort and outcome of this game certainly rivalled the Ravens game for ineffectiveness. Easily the worst home game of the year. Probably the worst effort since the Bengal shutout two years ago.

Derek Anderson has become indefensible. The defense can't stop the run. And now the Browns fans appear to not even care. Bad signs all.

The Browns lose, as expected, to the Packers in a joke of a game, 31-3. They are now 1-and-6.

Leonard Cohen

S. and I made a pact a long time ago, that we would see Leonard Cohen if he ever came to town. Cohen is the 75-year old Canadian poet who is actually a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Plus, he fits into the category of "Entertainers who wear hats". Even his roadies wore hats. This is the first time he has performed in the United States since 1994.

The Venue: The Allen Theater. I can't recall the last time I was in the Allen, but we are blessed to have these venues in Playhouse Square.

Cohen Himself: His opening set was dominated with songs about people gettin' naked. OK, that's not totally true, but he certainly cranks out the love songs.

Cohen is not the greatest of singers, certainly better than Rod McKuen though. But he has a style about him when he sings. He gets down on his right knee and almost kneels for great lengths during some songs. He also takes his hat off quite a bit when he is listening to his backup singers sing.

But he thanks everyone generously for attending and gives all of his band members the spotlight during the program. And gave what I think were the best band introductions I've ever heard. He ran down all of the instruments they played, then coined a nickname for the person. His woodwind guy was the "Maestro of Breath". I guessed the drummer would be the "Prince of Percussion". Alas, he was the "Prince of Precision". Hey, I ain't no poet.

And when he exits the stage, he skips!

The Tickets: We were first row of the loge in the center. Great seats! If you were tall and stood up when the spotlight was on, you could have performed shadow animals for everyone.

The Crowd: I don't even think Leonard Cohen was wearing the chaperone hat. There were young people and old people all around.

The Sound: I'd say it bordered on perfect. When you have this sort of jazz combo sound or the strains of the Spanish guitar lilting through the auditorium, it was the right level. Again, an awesome place to see a performer.

The Stage: The setup is what you would expect for such a large ensemble. Keyboards (on the left) and drums on the upper level. Main stage, left to right, three female backup singers, bass, guitar, woodwinds, with the Spanish guitar guy up front. Cohen takes center stage, occasionally playing guitar and keyboards for one song. After he played a few notes on the keyboard, people applauded, and he said, "You are too kind.".

The Music:: Cohen really assembled an awesome band here. They have been touring extensively for the last 18 months and he recruited some of the best musicians you'd ever hear. The Spanish guitar guy is easily 1000 times the player that Esteban is, for example. they had a local Clevelander on the keyboards who was awesome. His bass player even brought out the standup bass for a song or two. Woodwinds guy was the class clown and appeared to be the youngest of the support players and was very good.

His backup singers were every interesting. One of them was his...ahem..."collaborator". This chick co-wrote some tunes with him and was absolutely stunning to look at. The other two backups were sisters from the UK and they could really sing, as well.

Setlist:

First Set:

"Dance Me To The End Of Love"
"The Future"
"Ain't No Cure For Love"
"Bird On The Wire"
"Everybody Knows"
"In My Secret Life"
"Who By Fire"
"Chelsea Hotel #2"
"Waiting For The Miracle"
"Anthem" (with introductions of band members)

Second Set:

"Tower Of Song"
"Suzanne"
"Sisters Of Mercy"
"The Gypsy’s Wife"
"The Partisan"
"Boogie Street"
"Hallelujah"
"I'm Your Man"
"A Thousand Kisses Deep" (spoken)
"Take This Waltz" (with band reintroduction)

First Encores:

"So Long, Marianne"
"First We Take Manhattan"

Second Encores:

"Famous Blue Raincoat"
"If It Be Your Will" (spoken)
"Closing Time"

Final Encore:

"I Tried To Leave You"

This had to be the most unique concert I've seen. Very hip.