Browns wearing white on white, a former trusted aide of Phil Savage resurfaces and Clay Mathews III is idle.
GREEN BAY, Wisc. -- Pre-game notes and observations from hallowed Lambeau Field ...
• The Browns ditched their brown pants and are wearing white-on-white, as the Packers chose to wear their dark green jerseys. Last year the Browns debuted their brown pants look here and kept it for all road games. No word yet on whether this means the Browns will return the brown pants to cold, cold storage in 2010.
• Bill Rees, who was Browns player personnel director for a while under former GM Phil Savage, is scouting the game for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Rees has worked for the Bears, the Chiefs and Northwestern University since he left the Browns. Tampa Bay opens the regular season against the Browns on Sept. 12, but Rees is not the club's "advance" scout. He said he's doing reports on Browns players on the roster bubble who may be available at the two preseason roster cutdowns.
• Rees said that Savage expects to continue as a player personnel consultant for the Philadelphia Eagles during the season. Savage consulted for the Eagles prior to the 2010 draft. Savage, who is still getting a handsome severance package from the Browns, will return a second season as radio analyst for his beloved University of Alabama.
• The Packers scratched two starters because of injuries. One is linebacker Clay Matthews, the son of the former Browns great. Matthews is out with a hamstring injury -- same thing that caused him to miss a couple preseason games as a rookie. The other Green Bay starter out is linebacker Brandon Chillar.