Donovan finally getting his turn

Note: This was written around 12-12-20

By STEVE KING

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Jim Donovan is, for my money and also that of others who know a whole lot more about it than me, the best radio play-by-play announcer in the NFL.

It is a joy – and a privilege – to have heard him call Browns games for what is now 22 seasons. His ability to provide a crystal-clear – and easy-to-understand – picture of what’s going on in a lively, entertaining manner is unparalleled.  

But unlike Nev Chandler, Gib Shanley and Ken Coleman, three of the iconic Browns radio play-by-play men who have gone before him, Donovan has not had many good games – let alone championships – to announce. That’s because his time doing the games has occurred entirely during the team’s nightmarish expansion era beginning in 1999, when the Browns, heading in 2020, had had only two winning records and made just one playoff appearance.

That might be changing, though. In fact. It already has changed quite a bit, and that could be just the tip of the iceberg. With a lot of young players who are expected to continue to grow, mature and improve, the Browns have won four in a row coming out of their bye week at the midway point of  the season and will be playing their biggest game since 2008 when they host the AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium on Monday Night Football.

To say the Browns are a big topic in Northeast Ohio is a vast understatement.

“Even during this crazy time with the coronavirus pandemic, anywhere you go, the Browns are all people are talking about,” Donovan told me Friday night.

He admitted he’s having “a blast. This is so much fun. I’m really enjoying this.”

Everybody around here is.

Week by week, as the Browns keep finding ways to win in heart-stopping fashion, the drama grows.

“Boy, these games just get bigger and bigger,” Donovan said.

And the bigger the game, the better the call from Donovan, who has upped his game even more in this special season.

It’s what you’d expect from the best.