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As he made his way toward the entrance gate on the north side of the stadium, the 53-year-old project manager was stopped by three Cleveland city police officers, who harassed him for his choice of attire and banners.

"I'm sorry, sir," one of the officers said to Haas, who lived in Pittsburgh all his life until his job recently moved him to Youngstown, Ohio. "You're going to have to take that shirt off and hand over that flag."

But the officer was only joking with him. In fact, when requested to, he actually snapped a picture of Haas posing in front of the opposition's home turf.

"This is a mug shot," the officer again kidded. "Because you're on your way to jail after this."

Smiling for the camera, Haas promptly shot back: "It's great to have you guys back. We're probably in as much ecstasy about this as you are. It wasn't as much fun without you guys around."

New team, new stadium, same old rivalry. After a nearly four-year hiatus, the Browns, Steelers and their fans are at it again.

"This is tradition," said NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who watched the Steelers' 43-0 victory from the stadium press box. "It's the kind of matchup we always have in mind (for opening night)."

However, despite the lopsided outcome, it will be hard to duplicate in the future because, frankly, resurrections are a rare occurrence. In most cases, dead means dead -- unless you're the Messiah or the expansion Browns, whose Second Coming was a religious experience for most of the 73,138 fans in attendance.

"What true Browns fan wouldn't want to go to the opening game," said Joe Lewis, a 21-year-old member of the U.S. Marine Corps who grew up a Browns fan in Akron, Ohio, and was part of the color guard during pregame ceremonies. "This is one of my most memorable moments next to earning the title of Marine."

The evening was even more memorable because the Steelers and their fans also were a part of it. The folks from just down the turnpike have been jousting with the Browns for nearly 50 years. Sunday's meeting was the 95th in this series, which the Browns lead 52-43 despite losing the past seven games.

Who can forget the classic battles between these AFC Central Division rivals? The likes of Jim Brown, Leroy Kelly, Brian Sipe clad in orange and brown; Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris and the Steel Curtain on the other side of the field.

"This is incredible," said Andy Grow, a 28-year-old member of the Coast Guard who followed the Detroit Lions as a child in Traverse City, Mich., but now lives in Cleveland and breathes the Browns. "To be here on opening day for one of the best rivalries in the NFL is amazing. Browns-Steelers, this is the rust-belt rivalry, baby."

It might be the rust-belt rivalry, but it was sprinkled with tons of glitter on this historical occasion -- a night when the outcome of the Indians' game in Chicago, for a change, didn't seem to matter.

Instead, all eyes were focused on the Marine Drum and Bugle Corps as they belted out the national anthem, which fittingly was sung only by the fans. Then, it was actor-comedian Drew Carey's turn to grab the spotlight. The Cleveland native made an appearance at the 50-yard line before the game and introduced the Browns as they took the field to a thunderous ovation minutes before the coin toss.

There were plenty of fireworks as well, not to mention a host of former Browns players -- including Lou Groza, Paul Warfield and Hanford Dixon -- to light up the sparkling new $283 million stadium with all the amenities: 148 luxury suites, two club lounges, 112 concession stands, 82 bathrooms, the largest big-screen TV in the NFL and even a new doghouse for the 1,000 or so rabid fans known as the Dawg Pound.

Comedian Drew Carey led the pregame pep rally for Browns fans. (AP)

But some things remain the same. The field dimensions haven't changed. And the Steelers and Browns still enjoy kicking the snot out of each other -- although the latter, as expected, didn't have much of a kick (40 net yards on offense compared to the Steelers' 460) in the first meeting between these teams since Nov. 26, 1995. The 40 yards of offense set a Browns franchise record for futility.

"The fireworks weren't for me," said Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart, who was 15 of 23 for 173 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 33 yards and another score. "There was a lot of noise and stuff going on before the game got started, but I wasn't worried about what was going on out there.

"It was great for them, as far as having a team back, having a nice stadium and the excitement for it. But, still, you have to come out and play football."

Said Browns linebacker John Thierry, who spent most of the night three steps behind Stewart: "Any time you lose a game, especially with the score the way it was, we're ready to play these guys again.

"It's a big rivalry for the fans, a big rivalry for us. We want to win. We got to win. I learned a valuable lesson tonight, and I'm sure my teammates learned a valuable lesson. We're just ready for the next time."

Thierry will have to wait until Nov. 14 to get the chance. As will Steelers fans, who likely will welcome them back to Pittsburgh with open arms -- at least until the opening kickoff.

"I hope it goes well for Cleveland, except when they play us," said Scott Rigdon, 26, who just finished law school at the University of Pittsburgh. "It's fun to have them back and a rivalry close to home."