Fire from the Hip: Thoughts on Sports & Real Life

I find it necessary to address the Cleveland Browns heart-breaking loss yesterday to the Baltimore Ravens, thanks to Matt Stover's 52 yard-field goal with 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter. A familiar sight to die-hard Browns fans took place Sunday afternoon: the Browns fought hard, put forth a good team effort, and still managed to lose the game in the final minute. Bemoaning the loss and feeling cursed, as every Browns fan does, I took to the internet, seeking solace and comfort in group therapy (a Cleveland Plain Dealer's Browns chatroom). However, what I found was disgruntled fans blindly calling for Head Coach Romeo Crennel's head, and owner Randy Lerner's too. Non sensical, sure, but nonetheless disturbing. Crennel has overseen this program for a mere 19 games and one would be foolish to argue that Lerner isn't willing to spend money on the team.
No, the problem is a culture of losing; a malady that has affected this team since the Browns won the 1964 championship. It isn't hard to see why fans, the media, and even players see this team as accursed. Art Modell's firing of Paul Brown, the team's namesake, and Jim Brown's early retirement at age 29 could be seen as early warning signs that this team had bad karma. Due to the absolutely devastating playoff losses to Oakland and Denver (twice in a row!) in the 1980s, the team became famous for legendary meltdowns. Since the Browns return to the NFL in 1999, (I don't want to get into the move right now) the team has managed to disappoint their fans repeatedly. In the sole playoff game the team has played since 1994, the team blew a 17-point lead to archrival Pittsburgh in a 36-33 loss. Futility has been the one constant for the new Browns. Three coaches, nine starting quarterbacks, and a myriad of other bizarre events have made the Browns one of the most fascinating teams to follow. Over the last seven years, I have witnessed: a 325 pound offensive lineman, after nearly being blinded by a penalty flag, attack a game official; a game turned riotous when fans pelted the field with glass beer bottles after an officiating gaffe, and a UFO defensive scheme that had the Browns front seven milling about at the line of scrimmage before each play.
With all that addressed, I could make a stronger argument that the Red Sox until 2004 were more cursed than the Browns. They had some tangible reason for their curse," referring to the trade that sent Babe Ruth to archnemesis New York. 86 years, Bucky Dent, Aaron Boone are just a few of Boston's cursed moments. So, trying to keep this succint, I will argue that the Browns are trying to build a team that refuses to accept this supposed jinx. Unfortunately, some players and fans are still struggling to shed that belief. Yesterday, every Browns fan, and I want to hear from those who didn’t feel this way, felt like the Browns would lose the game after Chris McAllister’s interception. Braylon Edwards has talked openly recently about the difficulty in turning around a team that has become famous for its losing ways. Phil Savage, the Browns GM, has refused to admit to any curse, despite the bad luck the Browns have endured, most recently with the spat of injuries at the center position. He has admitted publicly that his most important task in rebuilding the Browns is shedding the loser’s mentality. As a Browns fan, I simply continue to wait patiently for the day when I can celebrate a Browns championship, like Red Sox fans did in 2004.