I can recall, that during one Browns season I was very disappointed, and disgusted with the teams performance that I decided to give away my tickets to the final home game of the season. I tried to pawn them off on friends and family, but with no luck. I even tried selling them on eBay for one cent, but I had no takers. I was surprised at the lack of interest for these tickets.
They were great seats and although the game was against the Bengals, I figured someone somewhere would want an NFL experience. Finally just a few days before the game I had a brilliant idea. I had a meeting in downtown Cleveland, so when I went I would simply place the tickets on the windshield between the wiper-blades and someone walking by would likely take them. However, upon returning to my car an hour later I was dumbstruck. Not only did no one take the two tickets, but there were six more tickets to the game on my windshield.
This was a joke that was shared with me by a Reverend during a church service, but it illustrates a point that has become more prevalent to Browns fans this off-season. And that point is that if the NFL was a travel agency for vacation destinations, then the Cleveland Browns s would be the “New Jersey” of vacation spots.
Perception is reality, and Cleveland displays a franchise stuck in the mire. A team that has had 16 different starting quarterbacks, five different head coaches (6 if you count interim head coaches), and numerous different GM’s and team presidents since coming back into the league in 1999. Given all that, would you want to come and play here?
Matt Miller, who is the Senior NFL Draft Lead Writer for the Bleacher Report has reported that at least 3 of the top 10 players in this upcoming draft do not want to play for Cleveland. He has also reported that free agents like Pierre Garcon had no desire to go to Cleveland either. Even Super Bowl hero Mario Manningham has taken shots at Cleveland publicly. It has also been noted that this is one reason that Holmgren and company have traded down in the last two out of three drafts.
The Cleveland Browns are a storied franchise with 8 NFL championships prior to the Super Bowl era. And the team was always a factor in the league as they were semi-regular players in the NFL playoffs. But since their return to the League in 1999, the Browns have simply become a non-factor. The Browns are simply a place-holder to ensure that the AFC North has four teams.
Out of the 13 seasons that have come and gone since then, the Browns have only 1 playoff appearance. They have had only 3 1,000-yard rushers, and only 1 quarterback to appear in a Pro Bowl. Is there any doubt that Cleveland is what everyone says they are? Even as a passionate fan of the team, I am forced to admit that my beloved Browns are simply a franchise in trouble.
However there is reason for hope. Tom Heckert and Mike Holmgren have made excellent draft picks the past few seasons. Players like T.J. Ward, Joe Haden, Jabaal Sheard, Phil Taylor, and yes Colt McCoy have all been draft picks taken by this regime. And it has been said best by Pat Kirwan who is an analyst on Sirius XM Satellite Radio and CBS Sports.
Kirwan stated on Cleveland Browns Daily with Vic Carucci. “Don’t blame Mike Holmgren for all the sins of the past.” And that statement is very true.
We all remember draft picks like Courtney Brown, William Green, and Braylon Edwards. We all remember free agent signings like Danta Stallworth, Jeff Garcia, and Trent Dilfer. The truth is that the current Browns Brass had nothing to do those mistakes. So we cannot hold them accountable.
As Browns fans (regardless of how difficult it may be) we must show patience. We must show faith, and we must be confident that Holmgren and company will right the ship and turn this franchise around. Because if we don’t, we will be spending the foreseeable future as a franchise that will forever be rebuilding..
Michael W. Youngman
(Lead Analyst C.B.R.)
