Here are some quick, first-blush thoughts on the Browns 2018 preseason schedule that was announced on Wednesday:

*I like this schedule – a lot. It is attractive and challenging, with games against the New York Football Giants, who can’t possibly be as bad again as they were in last season’s 3-13 nightmare; the Buffalo Bills, who made the playoffs last year for the first time in forever; the Philadelphia Eagles, who, I am told, did something kinda, sorta special in early February; and the Detroit Lions, who finished 9-7 and then fired their head coach because missing out on the postseason by a whisker was unacceptable.

*I’m glad the Bills and Lions are part of the schedule. That should be the case every single season. These Lake Erie opponents are both close and within easy driving distance from Cleveland. Why travel across two time zones to play a game when good competition is right in your backyard?

*I am thrilled to death that the Chicago Bears, against whom the Browns played in their preseason finale for years in the expansion era, are finally off the schedule. The Bears don’t do anything for me. I’m sure the people in Chicago feel that way about the Browns. Let’s hope and pray it stays that way.

*The Browns playing the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles on national TV in the dress-rehearsal game? Yup. If head coach Hue Jackson’s guys don’t bring their “A” game with them, then they’ll end up getting run out of the stadium. And since that game will be in FirstEnergy Stadium, that would be doubly embarrassing for the Browns.

*The Browns were a perfect 4-0 in the preseason last year, but it obviously did no good since they finished the regular season with a perfectly terrible 0-16 record. I’d settle for 2-2 in the preseason and 7-9 in the regular season. Am I dreaming? Perhaps. But it’s early April, which makes it OK to dream.

A little more on the schedule in my next post.