With at least four weeks before rookies report to training camp in Berea Ohio, Cleveland Browns Fans are bombarded daily with online content and hot takes regarding their team.  Rumors and speculation run rampant in the internet and social media era. Long gone are the days of newspapers, newsletters, television, and radio to get the latest information about your team. Twitter X feeds are filled with information, and it is hard to tell what is accurate or inaccurate.

The first step to differentiate good and bad information is to consider the source. Many times, an article gets published as speculation, conjecture, or opinion. And it will later get tweeted or rereported as a fact. A good example is the recent trade rumors of Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper. One person just looked at two teams each with a receiver in a contract situation and merely speculated that a trade makes sense to happen. Trades, contracts, salary cap structures in the NFL are a lot more complicated than that. And it is a time of the year when content needs to be created and there is not that much to report on right now. And there are other steps for Browns fans to take on getting accurate news about their team.

A second step is to read the whole article, many times the headline will get you to click on the link. And once you get to the last paragraph of the article, you realize that the writer is just theorizing what might happen. Which is fine, but the reader needs to understand that.

The third and final step is to check multiple sources of information. A good example is the other day when Browns General Manager Andrew Berry did an interview on NFL Insiders. Reactions to what he said could be found on many sports talk platforms. The video itself is a source along with the takes. Any Browns fan can listen to the interview and find out for themselves what was the context of what he said. That is an added benefit to living in this information era. We can find out things for ourselves.

I feel every Browns fans frustration with the anticipation to the start of the NFL season. Opening day cannot get here soon enough. As much as we like to enjoy the summer. Browns fans are eager to tailgate this fall. Regardless of what is reported today, the truth and reality will play itself out on the football field starting September 9th. And there will be no speculating the results.