In Cleveland, Mary Kay Cabot notes Browns QB Baker Mayfield "threw a little shade at Browns fans" for there being "so many empty seats inside frigid FirstEnergy Stadium" for the Browns’ game against the Panthers yesterday. Mayfield after the game said, "We would love to have more fan support. Today was cold, I get it, but having more people, especially at our last home game coming up, we would love to have more people in the stands cheering for us because we feed off of the energy." Paid attendance for yesterday's game was 59,392, but there were "thousands of empty seats, especially in the upper deck." Gametime temperature was 28 degrees, with a wind chill of 23 (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 12/10).
FAMILY MATTERS: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Andrew Beaton writes as the Broncos' ownership dispute continues, a "family feud, which simmered privately for years," has "burst into public view, with the fate of a multibillion-dollar NFL franchise hanging in the balance." Broncos Owner Pat Bowlen's three-person trust is "tasked with picking which of his children should become controlling owner -- or selling the team if it believes it is in the family’s best interest." However, the task is "complicated by an intense family drama." It is a "divisive turn for a franchise that was long an NFL model, enjoying success with little drama" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 12/10).
JET SETTER: On Long Island, Bob Glauber wrote Jets Chair & CEO Christopher Johnson as the season comes to an end will "be front and center in determining the future of the team," and the decisions he makes will have a "lasting impact on the franchise he now oversees." Johnson is overseeing the team as his brother Woody is serving as the U.S. Ambassador to the U.K., and after the season he in "all likelihood will hire a new coach." Johnson could "decide to do a complete makeover similar to the one" that originally brought coach Todd Bowles and GM Mike Maccagnan to the Jets. But he "likely won’t make any significant moves" yet, choosing to let Bowles and Maccagnan "serve out the rest of the season" (NEWSDAY.com, 12/8).
