Poor Lee and Olivia Schwartz. They sought peace and quiet in their suburban Los Angeles home, but their two sons were making a racket upstairs.
The scene was certainly not foreign to parents of red-blooded American boys throughout the country. But most red-blooded American boys were not as big as their kids.
Not even close.
Mitchell Schwartz and older his brother, Geoff, were downright huge, and their size coupled with their talent eventually landed them jobs as NFL offensive tackles. Mitchell (6-5, 320) is now a rookie starter with the Browns, and Geoff (6-6, 331) is in his first year with the Vikings after playing four seasons for the Panthers.
When they were roughhousing as kids, a rough house was required to withstand the pressure, and Mitchell speaks fondly of those days. He is now 2,000 miles from home, but his memories are never far from his early family life. He recalls with relish those innocent days shaking up the house and his folks.
"We played tackle games upstairs in our parents' room," he says. "There was this fan in the room underneath. We were so big that we rattled that fan too much. They pretty much told us we couldn't play there anymore."
Like many younger brothers, Mitchell developed his competitive spirit attempting in vain to defeat his brother in backyard games such as Wiffle Ball. But rather than feel a sense of jealousy, he admired Geoff. He didn't even become driven to play football until his brother landed a scholarship to the University of Oregon. He expresses pride that he was able to follow his brother into the NFL.
The younger Schwartz, like Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden, was a promising pitcher at Palisades Charter High School. But, unlike Weeden, he couldn't control his blazing fastball well enough to take his talents to the next level. He admits that if he had never been blessed with a brother, he likely would not be playing football today.
"I probably wouldn't have been this successful at it," he said. "Geoff didn't start until high school football, and I followed the same path. I was able to learn from him. I followed his recruiting process in high school, so I knew what to expect."
Geoff Schwartz didn't start playing the sport until age 13. Not only was he too heavy for the weight requirements of the local youth program, but his parents wanted him to focus on studying for his Bar Mitzvah, a right-of-passage for Jewish boys of that age. It took him time to develop a passion for football. It wasn't until he began to learn the mental and physical intricacies of playing offensive line at the University of California that he grew to love it.
He also grew to 320 pounds. And by the time the 2012 draft rolled around, he was considered by some as the best pure right tackle available. He fit the Browns' need perfectly. They had waived injury-plagued Tony Pashos and simply had no potential starter at that position.
"I knew the situation," he said. "I met with Cleveland a few different times. That obviously helped."
Schwartz was immediately installed as the Browns' starter at right tackle, but the learning process continues. He has earned praise from left tackle and perennial Pro Bowler Joe Thomas for the speed in which he has grasped his assignments. He has also gained a respect for the quickness of the pro game by taking on speed rusher Jabaal Sheard in practice.
And now, when he slams into his new brothers on the field, he is far away from his parents, so he can't get yelled at.
Stay dialed in on the Cleveland Browns on Twitter at @CBSSportsNFLCLE throughout the season with on-site updates from CBSSports.com RapidReports correspondent Marty Gitlin.