When Travel Channel chose to take a stab at chronicling the ups and downs of an NFL team, it would have been a cinch to pick one of the league's overtly marketable franchises.
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Who couldn't use another in-depth peek at the Dallas Cowboys, right? Wrong.
Travel Channel has taken the path less traveled, and one long-suffering franchise now finds itself the center of attention.
"NFL Road Tested: The Cleveland Browns," premiering Tuesday, Dec. 4 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT, sheds light on what it takes to transport a pro football team from city to city and game to game during the regular season.
Travel Channel partnered with NFL Films and RIVR Media for an inside look at how players are fed, clothed and housed on the road. Along the way, there's plenty of behind-the-scenes access detailing the NFL's youngest team.
New Browns owner Jimmy Haslam III is heavily featured in the series, which boils down to logic. Haslam is driven to put Cleveland back on the map after decades in the wilderness. The former owner was generous with his money but content to remain in the shadows. Haslam is cut from a different cloth.
We caught a preview of "Road Tested" on Monday, and it delivers the goods. Browns fans will melt, but this one's for anyone who wants to learn more about the league. In the same way HBO's "Hard Knocks" is at its best when bringing relatively anonymous players to life, Travel Channel has lifted the veil on a Browns team that's hoping the dark days finally are over.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
