When he coached in Green Bay, Mike Holmgren would point to the names ringing the upper deck facade at Lambeau Field.

Ray Nitschke. Vince Lombardi. Bart Starr. Paul Hornung.

Those Packers set the standard.

"I could say, 'Look up at those names. Know who they are. Study them,' " Browns president Mike Holmgren said Thursday. "For the young players coming into the league, there's no better example than the men who are going to be in our ring of honor."

The Browns, with a history rivaling any NFL franchise, will unveil a ring of honor with the names of their great players during a halftime ceremony on Sept. 19.

They're hoping the greatest one of all shows up.

Jim Brown, stripped of his senior adviser title by Holmgren, has not committed to attending the event. Brown is one of 16 Hall of Famers whose names will be permanently displayed on the facing of the stadium's upper deck — an honor Holmgren says is long overdue.

Following a report that Brown intended to skip the ceremony, Holmgren said he called the legendary running back and that the two had a "great conversation."

Holmgren now thinks Brown may attend.

"I'm hopeful that he'll be there," Holmgren said Thursday at a news conference attended by Hall of Famers Paul Warfield and Joe DeLamielleure. "Jim Brown is synonymous with the Cleveland Browns. It's going to be a great celebration for all of us and the 16 families, and I trust he'll be part of that. He's going to holler back at me."

Speaking to WSKO, a sports radio station in Syracuse, N.Y., Brown wouldn't say if would attend the ceremony or not. "I'm a very sensitive person. I do like to be respected. I'm very loyal. I like it to be a two-way street," he said.

Brown served as an executive adviser to owner Randy Lerner for several years. When Holmgren took over, he revamped Cleveland's front office. Brown was one of the casualties.

"That happens when you have someone come in and they are changing things," Holmgren said. "New people come in, people go, their responsibilities change and that was what happened with Jim. ... His responsibilities prior to me coming on board have changed a little bit. Would I like Jim Brown to come in and talk to our rookies? Absolutely. Do I want him as part of this day? Absolutely. "

Among the other Browns legends to be honored in the initial ring of honor class are coach Paul Brown, quarterback Otto Graham and kicker/tackle Lou Groza.

"I'm overwhelmed," said Warfield, previously enshrined in the Miami Dolphins' ring of honor. "This organization has the richest and proudest history. There's something special about the Cleveland Browns."

Average team value falls

The average value for NFL teams has fallen for the first time since Forbes began keeping track in 1998. The magazine released its annual ranking of NFL team values Wednesday, and it found larger-market teams have weathered the rough economy far better than their smaller counterparts. Overall, the average value decreased 2 percent from last year to $1.022 billion.

The Dallas Cowboys remained the league's richest team and widened the gap between themselves and the rest of the NFL. They're now worth $1.805 billion, their value increasing a league-best 9 percent.

On the other end of the spectrum was Jacksonville. The struggling Jaguars lost 16 percent of their value to fall to last place at $725 million.

Around the league

Giants: Starting center Shaun O'Hara, dealing with left Achilles' tendinitis and ankle swelling, was placed in a hard cast Thursday and will likely miss the remainder of the pre-season. Left guard Rich Seubert will take O'Hara's starting spot.

Cardinals: Matt Leinart has been benched after just two pre-season games. Derek Anderson, signed to be his backup, will start Saturday night in Chicago against the Bears, Coach Ken Whisenhunt said Thursday.

Steelers: Safety Ryan Clark will sit out Sunday's exhibition game in Denver because playing at a high altitude can trigger a red blood cell condition that caused him to lose his spleen and gall bladder after a 2007 game there. Clark also didn't play in the Steelers' regular-season game in Denver last season.

Bears: Linebacker Brian Urlacher will miss Saturday's pre-season game against the Cardinals as he nurses a left calf muscle strain.