Friday, Aug. 21 (AM) – The pro football people from back in the day had it right.

What we now call preseason games, they used to label as exhibitions.

Indeed, these aren’t really games, as we know them, that the NFL plays in August. There is no great desire – or any desire, really – to win. Rather, these guys are putting on demonstrations, much like the salesman at the appliance store showing you the latest in washing machines.

That’s exactly what went on Thursday night at FirestEnergy Stadium – that is, a demonstration of football, and a not very good one, or exciting one, at that.
The Buffalo Bills came back to defeat the Browns 11-10.

That’s great for a baseball score or a hockey final in this offensive-minded age, but not so great for a football game.

That’s how these exhibitions go most of the time, however. It’s less than the real thing, or the ideal thing.

In this case, the Browns performed well in some areas – they ran the ball a little better and played the run more effectively – and were disappointing in other facets, such as quarterback Josh McCown’s two interceptions, one of which should have been caught by his receiver.

But perhaps the biggest negative was – again – all the Browns who missed the game with injuries. There were probably more name players on the sidelines in street clothes than those decked out in full pads.

The clock is ticking and the Browns have to get ready for the start of the season on Sept. 13. As such, the time for so-so play and guys sitting out with health issues has to come to an end.
The biggest of these exhibitions is slated for next Saturday night when the Browns visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As the third exhibition of the season, it is the dress rehearsal for the games that count, with starters playing as much as three quarters. For some of the starters such as Pro Bowl cornerback Joe Haden and wide receivers Dwayne Bowe and Terrelle Pryor, their dress rehearsal will be their first time on stage. Hope they’ve been working on their lines – er, moves — somewhere off on the side.

For a team that wants to – and has a real chance to – get off to a fast start with three winnable games right out of the gate, this isn’t exactly the preparation that Browns head coach Mike Pettine had in mind.

So the Browns have a lot of things to do as they get ready for that game. While it is an exhibition, Saturday night should start being an example of how they want to play and what they want to be.

So far, it’s hard to tell who, and what, that is, exactly.