The worst organization in sports.
It’s what all your friends say.
It’s what all the analysts and experts say.
It’s what all the historians say.
You’re from Ohio, and if you aren’t you’ve got issues because there is no other way you’d root for this team.
You’re cursed.
You’re a Cleveland Browns fan.
They were once a storied franchise, and won four NFL championships from 1950-1964.
Since then, however, it’s been a living hell for Browns supporters with disappointment after disappointment. It’s been almost 50 years since Browns fans have watched their team celebrate an NFL Championship and even more disheartening in recent years.
The Browns haven’t won a division championship since 1989.
They’ve made the playoffs once (2002), in the last 18 years.
They were deactivated from the NFL from 1996 to 1999, killing their previous loyal fan base.
They haven’t had a noteworthy player since Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown in the late 50’s and early 60’s.
It’s been a mess to say the least. I don’t think I’ve ever met an optimistic Browns fan.
And I don’t blame them. The future doesn’t look all that bright. The Browns are 2-8 this year and are annually one of the worst teams in the league. Sure, Trent Richardson has promise. The rookie tailback from Alabama is 16th in the NFL in rushing and has almost 1,000 total yards from scrimmage through only 11 weeks, but he can’t do it alone for this franchise.
It’s a passing league. You have to be able to move the ball through the air and defend the pass efficiently. The 2012 Cleveland Browns do neither. And they don’t look like they will anytime soon.
Brandon Weeden—who the Browns foolishly wasted an early round draft pick on—is already 29-years-old. Instead of developing a 22-year-old quarterback with potential, they decided to go with the supposedly more seasoned Weeden. It’s going to be a short career for the former Yankees 5th round pick and the Oklahoma State football product. He has 16 turnovers to only 11 touchdowns this year and a 55 percent completion percentage. That’s Mark Sanchez-esque.
As for the receiving core, it’s hit or miss. Josh Gordon has potential as a supplementary draft-pick and has big-play ability with his 4.3 speed, but that’s all he is, a straight line fly route on every play. He lacks consistency and will most likely never gain it. Greg Little is a physical freak, but a head case in the worst way. He’s led the NFL in drops the last two seasons. Receivers like that don’t often last long in the league. Nobody wants them. Ask Braylon Edwards.
Defending the pass is even worse. The Browns are 22nd in the league in pass defense. Joe Haden has all the talent in the world and is considered to be a shutdown corner, but he’s had more disciplinary issues than Kim Kardashian has shoes in the last couple years. The rest of the secondary is a battlefield of journeymen and bad draft picks.
Speaking of bad draft picks, the front office is at fault as well.
Weeden last year, Phil Taylor the year before, Brady Quinn, William Green, Tim Couch, the list goes on and on. You can’t expect to compete when you’ve had the drafts the Cleveland Browns have had in recent years, especially when you’re picking early in drafts in almost every instance.
Until the Browns make adjustments in player evaluation, player development and in the front office, the future just doesn’t look very bright, and for diehard Browns fans, the nightmare will likely continue.