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Quick thoughts on 2012 Browns schedule

The NFL released the 2012 schedule on Tuesday (in case you hadn’t heard) and, as always, the Browns have some interesting match-ups ahead of them this fall.

• The team opens at home, naturally, against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 9.
• Their lone scheduled primetime game comes in Week 4 when they travel to Baltimore for a Thursday night NFL Network appearance.
• They face the Colts and (presumably) Andrew Luck in Week 7
• They travel to Dallas in Week 11 – probably the sole appearance of the brown jerseys this season.
• The bye comes in Week 10
• Week 14 brings Kansas City to town with old friends Romeo Crennel, Brian Daboll and Peyton Hillis.
• The Browns host the Redskins and (presumably) Robert Griffin III in Week 15.
• They travel to Denver in Week 16 to take on Peyton Manning and the Broncos.
• For the third season in a row, the Browns close the season with Pittsburgh.

Oddly enough, after making a big deal last year about back loading the schedule with division games, the Browns only have two division contests after the bye week – both against the Steelers.

The Browns will face teams that had a combined 135-121 record (.527) last season, giving them the third-toughest schedule in the league and the hardest for a non-playoff team.

Cleveland will face just four teams who had losing records last season – Kansas City, Buffalo, Washington and Indianapolis.

“Although we have known our opponents and where we are going to play since the end of last season, there is always a certain amount of anticipation as to how everything will fall into place,” Browns coach Pat Shurmur said in a release. “I think that opening the year at home against the Eagles will be great for our players and our fans. It will be exciting to play a team, an organization and a coach for whom I have a tremendous amount of respect. It will be a good test for our team. Ending the year in two of the tougher venues in the NFL also will present a challenge. I am looking forward to kicking off the 2012 season.”

Which just makes next week’s NFL Draft that much more important.

(Photo by Cleveland Browns.com)