Opposing GM Tips His Cap To Andrew Berry And The Browns

Andrew Berry told a story of an opposing GM and his former boss who reached out after the Browns clinched a playoff birth against the Jets in Week 17

Cleveland Browns Stadium was a zoo around 11:00 pm on December 28th. The Cleveland Browns clinched a playoff birth with a convincing win over the New York Jets and were among the hottest teams in football.

The scene was football heaven. David Njoku screamed "We're going to the playoffs" into the Thursday Night Football camera, Jim Schwartz made the defense run around the field high-fiving the fans, Juan Thornhill carried a whiteboard with "Playoffs!" written on it and life was good in Cleveland.

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General Manager Andrew Berry recalls many moments of that night but one that stood out to him came later on. When the celebration settled down, Berry looked at his phone and saw a message from his former boss and former Los Angeles Chargers General Manager Tom Telesco.

Telesco was Berry's boss in Indianapolis and while he was incredibly successful, Berry laughed when recalling how "demanding" he was. 

However, on that Thursday Night, Telesco was proud of his protege. In the message he sent, Telesco said,

"Your team had every excuse available to you to be a ten-loss team, and your players, coaches and staff never flinched. Good job and congratulations."

To Berry that was more than just the tip of the cap. It was the realization that outside the Browns building in Berea, people saw what was happening in Cleveland and realized how improbable of a season the Browns had.

We watched it every week. This Cleveland Browns team just continued to find ways to win. They battled for each other and they played for their brothers lined up next to them.

Although the season came to an abrupt end, these Cleveland Browns made their mark on the entire league.