The 2006 Cleveland Browns NFL schedule: The Big Easy or Taking a Big Bite out of McGruff The Crime Dawg's Ass-???

So, the 2006 NFL league schedule for The Cleveland Browns was released today, and here it is courtesy of some superior investigating reporting on my part (in other words, I swiped it from Yahoo! sports):

Sept. 10 New Orleans, 1 p.m.
Sept. 17 at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.
Sept. 24 Baltimore, 4:05 p.m.
Oct. 1 at Oakland, 4:15 p.m.
Oct. 8 at Carolina, 1 p.m.
Oct. 15 BYE
Oct. 22 Denver, 4:05 p.m.
Oct. 29 New York Jets, 4:15 p.m.
Nov. 5 at San Diego, 4:15 p.m.
Nov. 12 at Atlanta, 1 p.m.
Nov. 19 Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.
Nov. 26 Cincinnati, 1 p.m.
Dec. 3 Kansas City, 1 p.m.
Dec. 7 at Pittsburgh, 8 p.m.
Dec. 17 at Baltimore, 1 p.m.
Dec. 24 Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
Dec. 31 at Houston, 1 p.m.

Okay, it's not a bad schedule, as our beloved Cleveland Brownies are taking on some interesting adversaries. But I just have one BIG question: How is it that the Browns are excluded from the Monday Night Football festivities-???

Now, granted, most SANE people would be happy to be as far away from Joe Theismann as possible (how this obnoxious know-nothing blowhard won an Emmy Award is still one of The X-Files that I will never truly solve... Now he's a commentator on Monday Night Football - oh, the humanity! Somebody make the bad man stop!!!).

And, it is completely reasonable to understand that the Browns did not have the best overall record (6-10) last season - but still! The other NFL teams that "made the cut" are absurd: The Oakland Raiders, The Minnesota Vikings (now without Daunte Culpepper and Randy Moss, mind you!), The Green Bay Packers - TWICE!!! (with or without the waffling Brett Favre they're still going to blow) and (gulp) ...The Arizona Cardinals!

Even the inept New Orleans Saints are on Monday Night Football this season! (Which is obviously a pity nod to them, but after all that city has been subjected to this last year, the people of New Orleans deserve it - and the NFL nation will welcome it.)

And even the dreaded Baltimore Ravens are on the Monday Night Football schedule - how did this happen? Need I remind everyone out there in "NFL land" that the woeful Ravens also finished a humbling (6-10) record last season, as well - and their final loss of the season came at the hands of The Cleveland Browns!

The Cleveland Browns are on the upswing - they have an exciting new management/coaching staff with Phil Savage and Romeo Crennel. They have even more exciting possibilites with talent like Charlie Frye, Braylon Edwards, Joe Jurevicius, Willie McGinest and (hopefully) Kellen Winslow, Jr. So, NFL, what's not to love-?

The Cleveland Browns had one of the BEST free-agency signings this off-season in all of the National Football League - and they haven't even made their mark in this April's NFL draft yet!

The Arizona Cardinals-???

So, puh-leaze, Mr. NFL/MNF schedule-makers (to quote an old Irish McProverb): "Don't piss in my face and tell me it's raining!"

The Cleveland Browns have faithful fans and devoted followers across the nation that deserve better than this - and they should be outraged by this slap in the face, as well.

Okay, I'm "over it" like Hurley is over "Dharma Initiative Peanut Butter" - Forget it, it's a Lost thing. So, yeah, anyway - Go Browns!