BEREA, Ohio - Come Saturday, the Cleveland Browns will load the chartered buses, then the fancy chartered plane, then more buses will be waiting on the tarmac in Nashville for the ride to the fancy hotel.
Everywhere but Nashville, that ride includes a police escort.
The point is, the really tough part of an NFL road trip comes on game day. But as the Browns enter what appears to be a favorable part of their schedule, they'll have an opportunity to move forward from the organization's stormy recent history and maybe put together a run at some sort of contention in the AFC North if they can win on the road -- in unfamiliar territory, in front of unfriendly fans, on the back end of what's usually a 30-hour business trip.
"I think it really comes down to (wanting) to build a team that you feel that you can win anywhere, and we talked to the team about it," Browns coach Mike Pettine said. "A big part of what it does take to win on the road (is) the poise and the focus and the staying together. The perseverance is a big part of it."
Sunday's opponent, the Tennessee Titans have been awful, getting outscored 100-34 in a three-game losing streak. The Browns' next five opponents are currently 4-16.
There's opportunity here.
"I addressed it in the team meeting that (looking ahead) is for fans and media only," Pettine said. "It is hard to win in this league, especially on the road. I asked our guys, 'When was the last time that the Browns won a game on the road?' We can't think about our schedule or look at our next opponent beyond Tennessee. That's just not how we operate. I think it is a dangerous thing.
"I talked about being confident at 1-2, but it is so hard to win in this league."
To answer Pettine's question, the Browns last won on the road last September, in Minnesota, in quarterback Brian Hoyer's first start.
It's not like the Browns have won a bunch of games anywhere, but the road wins are easier to remember.
The 2013 Browns won one road game.
The 2012 Browns won one road game.
The 2011 Browns won one road game.
"I just think it's hard to win in this league, period," Hoyer said.
It's hard to argue.
The Browns are 33-88 on the road since being reborn in 1999. That doesn't include the 2002 playoff game at Pittsburgh which the Browns lost after leading by 17.
For more proof that things happen in the NFL that defy explanation, that 2002 playoff team went 6-2 away from home and snuck in the postseason at 9-7. Six of 33 came in one year; there's been just one road win in each of the last three.
Brutal.
"It's hard to win on the road in the NFL, no matter who you are," Joe Thomas said. "Then you throw in some (Browns) teams that weren't very good and you're just not going to win much on the road."
Eight seasons and five head coaches later, Thomas probably doesn't remember much about his rookie season, when the Browns got four of their 10 wins on the road. He said he hasn't noticed much deviation in routines, travel plans or anything else. It -- as you often hear out of NFL locker rooms -- comes down to execution.
"I just think these are close games, competitive games, and the margin for error is so small," Paul Kruger said. "Last year, we didn't finish games. Did playing on the road have something to do with that? I don't know. New Orleans this year, we finished. That was at home. I don't know if there's any difference.
"In the first game this year we didn't play well for a half at Pittsburgh. Their crowd got into it. By the end, the place was silent but we didn't finish. It comes down to making the plays. I don't know the stats...but I know these games are coming to the end, and whether we're on the road or not we have to make plays down the stretch to win."
The Browns last won a road division game in 2008. They're 0-17 since and in nine of those, they've scored 17 points or fewer.
The Pittsburgh ending stung. The next chance in the division comes Nov. 6 at Cincinnati.
In this young NFL season, 12 teams have yet to lose a home game. Six teams haven't lost on the road, but only two have won more than one road game.
The Titans are 0-1 at home but 72-49 at what's now called LP Field since the franchise started playing there. That includes some really good teams and some forgettable ones. Sunday, both teams see opportunity. The Browns are trying to build something, and history or location matter little.
"Anywhere you go, you're going to have points where it's really loud," Hoyer said. "Third downs, down in the red zone where you're a little bit closer to the fans, situations like that. You just have to be ready to handle that. That's why we practice out there with the speakers. You blare them when you're on a road game (week), so you work on your communication without being vocal; it's signals and things like that.
"For me, I think more about our game plan, what the defense is doing. I really don't think about where we're playing. Obviously we talked about being on the road, it does present its challenges. But when it comes down to it, it's between those white lines. You've got to execute."
Follow on Twitter FSOhioZJackson
