I'm Starting to Not Care About the Browns Anymore

[Shep]

Great video to go with a speech. Sweet.

 

But overall... I agree. I can't imagine growing up a fan of a certain hometown team, building all that history with your dad and then your son... and then one day just saying, "Now I'm a Niners fan."

 

Is it tempting? Sure. Poof, I'm a Niners fan. Hey, they're even in California! Driving distance!

 

It just isn't real. It's like being a Packers fan because, well... you just are. You chose them. I had a friend in Kansas City who just woke up one day and became a Packers fans. Started going to their games and then the camps and all that. Has a lot of hats and jerseys and photos and shit, but somehow it isn't the same.

 

Lots of L.A. kids just pick a team since we don't have one. It's weird.

[The Cysko Kid]

I guess I am a bit lucky in this regard: I believe that most people develop their fandom or association/identity with their team during their teen years, or say from like age 10 to age 20. For me, this is how the Browns performed from when I first started following them at age 10 or 11 until I was 20:

1963: 10-4

1964: 10-3-1 *

1965: 11-3 *

1966: 9-5

1967: 9-5 *

1968: 10-4 *

1969: 10-3-1 *

1970: 7-7

1971: 9-5 *

1972: 10-4 *

 

So, to me, that is the basis of my Browns memories and traditions, and it is that type of winning team that I still envision the Browns to be.....and NOT the team the Browns have been in my 50s and 60s...that constantly loses.

And I do feel sorry for the young fans of today....who say turned 10 years old in like 1999.

During my youth, I knew the Browns as nothing but winners. These youths know them as nothing but losers.

And that is sad, because having known quality when I was young I know that this team under the right circumstances can hope to be outstanding again. I don't know if young people now can ever believe that the Browns could actually be an outstanding winning organization.

Which is why they perpetually lose. All the players are young people

[nickers]

Which is why they perpetually lose. All the players are young people

''Or the reverse when Mangina signed and traded for players that belonged in a convalescent home LOL

[miktoxic]

Which is why they perpetually lose. All the players are young people

wow, you ARE delusional.

 

what do you consider young?

 

you are one guy that cannot walk away from young vs. old.

 

do you consider peyton manning old? rodgers, the other manning, brady or brees? how about c. johnson, megatron, suh, haden etc. are they young in your eyes?

 

they all have been in the league for more than 3 years....so in college ranks they'd be old.

 

you make no sense sometimes.

 

what are you smokin dust?

[miktoxic]

i like the way cysco puts up his personal info.

 

meanwhile with a name like the cysco kid you know he's from: san fran....do i need to say more?

 

no wonder he is the leader of 'change the 'uniform' threads.

 

i hope you are from ohio and show up to the 9/29 tailgate.

 

i think slowburn could teach you how to breath right and chill...........

[hoorta]

I must say Gipper with all the bullshit on this board. You are without a doubt the only one that I would love to meet. You make more sense and understand more than anyone else ON THIS BOARD!!!!!

 

Oh, I'm sure you'd like the Gipper- or about any one of the regulars that show up down @ the Settler's Landing parking lot to talk football and down a few drinks before the game.

[hoorta]

 

Why do we care if you jump ship?

 

Just don't try and come back ...

 

Zombo

 

Not exactly Z. There's a truckload of lifelong fans- myself included- who plain can't take it anymore. I think it's just us and the Lions out of the pre 70s teams that have never been to the SB. How many teams have we seen that were garbage- Rams, Bucs, Cards- go from the basement to the Big Dance? The short attention Steeler trolls conveniently forget the pre 1970 Steelers were even worse than the 99-12 Browns, and now they're considered one of the top franchises in the NFL. History say the Browns can't suck forever- but man- just how long is it going to take for them to turn the corner. By last Sunday's game it isn't going to be this year either.

 

I said before the season- this is really the Browns last chance to hang onto the majority of the old school fanbase. 0-4 which is a distinct possibility will find a lot of former fans out raking leaves during the game or playing with the kids.

[ballpeen]

No doubt 0-4 changes things. For that matter, 1-3 changes things. We need to be 2-2. We have to win one of the games against the Ravens and Vikes, and then win at home against Cincy. What it changes for me exactly is hard to say since I have locked in rooms to get a good rate. I suppose it won't take me long to pull the trigger on a game and head back to the room early.

 

The only real way to send a message is to boo the Browns, which I really don't like to do and mostly won't do, or show up for the game since I have paid for the seats, and leave early, which I might start doing.

 

For now, the attitude is we are going to clip the Ravens wings this week. I think what I am going to do is help the team the best way I can and go edit my pickems and pick the Ravens to win he game. Surely that will work in the Browns favor because my rooting for them hasn't helped a whole hell of a lot for the last decade and a half.

[Mark O]

Great video to go with a speech. Sweet.

 

But overall... I agree. I can't imagine growing up a fan of a certain hometown team, building all that history with your dad and then your son... and then one day just saying, "Now I'm a Niners fan."

 

Is it tempting? Sure. Poof, I'm a Niners fan. Hey, they're even in California! Driving distance!

 

It just isn't real. It's like being a Packers fan because, well... you just are. You chose them. I had a friend in Kansas City who just woke up one day and became a Packers fans. Started going to their games and then the camps and all that. Has a lot of hats and jerseys and photos and shit, but somehow it isn't the same.

 

Lots of L.A. kids just pick a team since we don't have one. It's weird.

 

I "rooted" for the Packers during the 3 years when we were on hiatus but it really wasn't the same. I didn't go out and buy Packers gear but I needed one team to at least care about and Green Bay fans seem to be a lot like Cleveland fans in their passion for their team.

 

As much as I rooted and followed the Packers, I never made plans around watching their games. Certainly not like now, they only way I miss watching a Browns game on TV is if I'm in the stadium watching it.

 

I don't understand switching teams or giving up on the team. They frustrate me a lot...but come Sunday morning I'll be sitting here watching thinking that we have a chance to win this week.

[hoorta]

 

I "rooted" for the Packers during the 3 years when we were on hiatus but it really wasn't the same. I didn't go out and buy Packers gear but I needed one team to at least care about and Green Bay fans seem to be a lot like Cleveland fans in their passion for their team.

 

As much as I rooted and followed the Packers, I never made plans around watching their games. Certainly not like now, they only way I miss watching a Browns game on TV is if I'm in the stadium watching it.

 

I don't understand switching teams or giving up on the team. They frustrate me a lot...but come Sunday morning I'll be sitting here watching thinking that we have a chance to win this week.

 

Well, during the dark years, I can honestly say I watched very little NFL football.

 

I'll never give up on the Browns- or can my season tickets. But the frustration is cumulative- just look like a professional football team for a few years, OK? A Super Bowl or two before I kick off would be a bonus. We're on the cusp of being relegated to Cub's fans irrelevant status. 1964 was a long time ago. The younger crowd has no memories of how wound up Cleveland can be when the team is winning. After the Browns OT win over the Jets back in '86, it felt like the whole city was going to float off into orbit, the stadium was plain crazy. By comparison going to a Browns game today is like heading to a funeral.

 

When I'm not at the game, the Sunday schedule for years has revolved around heading to my pal's house for wine and matching food with fellow Browns fans. (We even allow fans of other teams- have Packers, Jets, and even a Steeler fan that show up just to drink vino with us) A few more lousy years- it would be just as easy to DVR the game, head out on my bike for a nice 3 hour ride on those beautiful fall Sundays, rip through the commercials, and watch the game at home when I get back.

[Mark O]

 

Well, during the dark years, I can honestly say I watched very little NFL football.

 

I'll never give up on the Browns- or can my season tickets. But the frustration is cumulative- just look like a professional football team for a few years, OK? A Super Bowl or two before I kick off would be a bonus. We're on the cusp of being relegated to Cub's fans irrelevant status. 1964 was a long time ago. The younger crowd has no memories of how wound up Cleveland can be when the team was winning. After the Browns OT win over the Jets back in '86, it felt like the whole city was going to float off into orbit, the stadium was plain crazy. By comparison going to a Browns game today is like heading to a funeral.

 

When I'm not at the game, the Sunday schedule for years has revolved around heading to my pal's house for wine and matching food with fellow Browns fans. (We even allow fans of other teams- have Packers, Jets, and even a Steeler fan that show up just to drink vino with us) A few more lousy years- it would be just as easy to DVR the game, head out on my bike for a nice 3 hour ride on those beautiful fall Sundays, rip through the commercials, and watch the game at home when I get back.

 

I know what you mean and I know full well that its A LOT easier to be optimistic and also know that it's easier to not let the team beat you down when I live 2000 miles away. The only way I get Browns news is if I go looking for it. Everyone who lives in Cleveland gets truly beat down by the bad years a hell of a lot more than I do all the way out here. I get to see the Chargers struggle and laugh my ass off at their fans.

[Shep]

I was in Cary, NC, and that's right when the Panthers were starting. I really enjoyed it. They went to the NFC championship their first or second year. My son Cooper was born there and stayed a Panthers fan.

[The Cysko Kid]

wow, you ARE delusional.

 

what do you consider young?

 

you are one guy that cannot walk away from young vs. old.

 

do you consider peyton manning old? rodgers, the other manning, brady or brees? how about c. johnson, megatron, suh, haden etc. are they young in your eyes?

 

they all have been in the league for more than 3 years....so in college ranks they'd be old.

 

you make no sense sometimes.

 

what are you smokin dust?

Like it or not the browns have one of the losingist reputations in the entire NFL. Probably not the worst since Jacksonville is around but certainly bottom three. Has any other team that played before the super bowl faiked to make a single super bowl appearance? To me it looks like the kids, hell all the players, get here and think "oh. I'm on the browns" and start phoning it in. This could change if we got a super elite quarterback but we haven't, have we?

[The Gipper]

Which is why they perpetually lose. All the players are young people

If the players lose because they have not seen the Browns win much in their lifetime.....then they themselves would just be fucking losers.

Who can change the situation: ONLY owners/coaches/players. Players are one third of the equation. And if they are losers, then their fungibility becomes paramount. Players want to be losers? Get new players.

[The Gipper]

 

Oh, I'm sure you'd like the Gipper- or about any one of the regulars that show up down @ the Settler's Landing parking lot to talk football and down a few drinks before the game.

I AM just so lovable. All men want to be me, all women want to be with me.

 

[The Gipper]

 

I "rooted" for the Packers during the 3 years when we were on hiatus but it really wasn't the same. I didn't go out and buy Packers gear but I needed one team to at least care about and Green Bay fans seem to be a lot like Cleveland fans in their passion for their team.

 

As much as I rooted and followed the Packers, I never made plans around watching their games. Certainly not like now, they only way I miss watching a Browns game on TV is if I'm in the stadium watching it.

 

I don't understand switching teams or giving up on the team. They frustrate me a lot...but come Sunday morning I'll be sitting here watching thinking that we have a chance to win this week.

During that time I too was "somewhat" of a Packer backer. There was the greedy owner issue, and since Green Bay is the only team not owned by a greedy individual (yes, all 31 other owners ARE greedy), but rather owned by the community, they seemed worthy of support. Plus my wife is from Wisconsin and her dad is a Packer fan. (not that she personally really cared)

[The Gipper]

Like it or not the browns have one of the losingist reputations in the entire NFL. Probably not the worst since Jacksonville is around but certainly bottom three. Has any other team that played before the super bowl faiked to make a single super bowl appearance? To me it looks like the kids, hell all the players, get here and think "oh. I'm on the browns" and start phoning it in. This could change if we got a super elite quarterback but we haven't, have we?

Again, a short sighted view. ONLY the Packers and the Bears have more overall titles than the Browns. The Giants have the same number. When you take non-Browns teams from Northeast Ohio that also won, Cleveland/NEO and Green Bay are tied for most titles.

OK, you say that it is a "What have you done for me lately league"? Yes, perhaps it is. Then that is where my adage truly comes into play: "The only titles that count are the last one and the next one."

The Ravens have their current reign going for them. They wear the Crown. So be it. But everything else, from 1920 to 2011 is just history. And that is all. The New York Giants title won in 2011 does them no more good to who will win the next one than the Cleveland Browns title from 1950 does them.

Reputation won't win shit. Performance will.

And that is a fucking fact.

[hoorta]

I was in Cary, NC, and that's right when the Panthers were starting. I really enjoyed it. They went to the NFC championship their first or second year. My son Cooper was born there and stayed a Panthers fan.

 

 

Yeah- and that's yet another sore spot if you're a Browns fan. The Panthers and Jags got a much better deal- and far more start up time than the Browns did. It's been almost exclusively a comedy of errors since. Let's hope & pray the new ownership, management, & coaches can get it right this time. And to my mind, the jury is still out on hiring Lombardi.

[The Cysko Kid]

Again, a short sighted view. ONLY the Packers and the Bears have more overall titles than the Browns. The Giants have the same number. When you take non-Browns teams from Northeast Ohio that also won, Cleveland/NEO and Green Bay are tied for most titles.

OK, you say that it is a "What have you done for me lately league"? Yes, perhaps it is. Then that is where my adage truly comes into play: "The only titles that count are the last one and the next one."

The Ravens have their current reign going for them. They wear the Crown. So be it. But everything else, from 1920 to 2011 is just history. And that is all. The New York Giants title won in 2011 does them no more good to who will win the next one than the Cleveland Browns title from 1950 does them.

Reputation won't win shit. Performance will.

And that is a fucking fact.

No one cares about the 1950s titles except old Cleveland fans. No one remembers no ome cares. It's lost to antiquity like roosevelts radio broadcasts. All anyone except you and your ilk know is that the Browns have never even been to a super bowl and haven't won since before the AFL was folded into the league.

[Umadogg]

One step closer to Bridgewater.

 

I hate to tell ya' but you're probably sucking for Sanchez.

[Stewy]

It's just sad the way this team has ripped the heart and soul out of the greatest fans in the NFLs chest by their horrendous play. And as someone else has said, it's been this way since I was 18. It's amazing how a team can be this consistenly bad for nearly a decade and half.

 

It's funny to hear Browns fans say how bad the Browns have been "since they came back"...which is true, but the sad part is that they sucked before the move as well...In six seasons, from 1990 to 1995 the Browns have managed ...

 

3-13

6-10

7-9

7-9

11-5

5-11

 

...only 1 winning season. Thats 20 yrs of suck now.

 

The Browns merely picked up where they left off.

[Zombo]

 

It's so funny to hear Browns fans say how bad the Browns have been "since they came back".

 

They sucked before the move folks...in six seasons, from 1990 to 1995 the Browns have managed ...

 

3-13

6-10

7-9

7-9

11-5

5-11

 

...only 1 winning season.

 

The Browns merely picked up where they left off.

 

A. Why did you go back "six" years an not 5, 7,8, or 10?

 

B. The Browns were 3-3 and coming off a playoff year when the move was announced and the team basically folded.

 

C. The last "non-move" year the Browns were in Cleveland, they were 11-5 and won a playoff game.

 

D. You are basically saying that Bill Belichick sucks.

 

Zombo

[hoorta]

No one cares about the 1950s titles except old Cleveland fans. No one remembers no ome cares. It's lost to antiquity like roosevelts radio broadcasts. All anyone except you and your ilk know is that the Browns have never even been to a super bowl and haven't won since before the AFL was folded into the league.

 

 

Then you're just reinforcing what Gip said- nothing matters except the last one, and the next one. What have you done for me lately? So if you're a Bears fan, you'd have to be at least 34 to remember when they won the Super Bowl Just about the same age to remember the Kosar years- when the Browns were pretty decent.

 

It's akin to our Steeler trolls contention the history of the NFL started in 1970, when- hard to believe- they stopped sucking,

[The Gipper]

No one cares about the 1950s titles except old Cleveland fans. No one remembers no ome cares. It's lost to antiquity like roosevelts radio broadcasts. All anyone except you and your ilk know is that the Browns have never even been to a super bowl and haven't won since before the AFL was folded into the league.

Why would anyone care about a title that was won in 2011 any more than one that was won in 1950? That is as much lost to antiquity.

OK, so you say "All anyone except you knows....yada yada yada" is simply an admission of ignorance.

You CAN choose to be ignorant. Or you CAN choose to be informed.

Just don't be so stupid as to wear a badge that says "I am ignorant and I like it".

 

You know the old saying....better to shut your mouth and let people think you are stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.

[The Gipper]

 

It's funny to hear Browns fans say how bad the Browns have been "since they came back"...which is true, but the sad part is that they sucked before the move as well...In six seasons, from 1990 to 1995 the Browns have managed ...

 

3-13

6-10

7-9

7-9

11-5

5-11

 

...only 1 winning season. Thats 20 yrs of now.

 

The Browns merely picked up where they left off when they returned.

Figure this: That is Belichick's legacy without a guy named Tom Brady.

[ballpeen]

 

 

Then you're just reinforcing what Gip said- nothing matters except the last one, and the next one. What have you done for me lately? So if you're a Bears fan, you'd have to be at least 34 to remember when they won the Super Bowl Just about the same age to remember the Kosar years- when the Browns were pretty decent.

 

It's akin to our Steeler trolls contention the history of the NFL started in 1970, when- hard to believe- they stopped sucking,

I hear you my friend, but if it isn't a bit absurd to have to go back 50 years, I am sure you would have to agree it is getting close. Just saying, and you know I am not a Browns basher and I root for the team.

[Umadogg]

This thread amuses me.

[nickers]

Figure this: That is Belichick's legacy without a guy named Tom Brady.

 

 

That will be Belichick's legacy after Brady too...

[The Cysko Kid]

Why would anyone care about a title that was won in 2011 any more than one that was won in 1950? That is as much lost to antiquity.

OK, so you say "All anyone except you knows....yada yada yada" is simply an admission of ignorance.

You CAN choose to be ignorant. Or you CAN choose to be informed.

Just don't be so stupid as to wear a badge that says "I am ignorant and I like it".

 

You know the old saying....better to shut your mouth and let people think you are stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.

Your homerism is making you act willfully stupid, gip. The AFL wasn't even folded into the league the last time the browns won. About a third of the modern teams didn't exist. It was before Woodstock. Am I getting through to you? My Dad was seven. Martin Luther king and Bobby Kennedy were still alive. The film only exists as grainy highlight clips. It was a completely different era and to try and tell a thirty three year old guy like me "hey the browns are the best team. They won the championship in Lyndon Johnson's first year as president" is absurd and disingenuous. Of course 2011 matters more in this day and age. Football in 1964 was nearly a different game.

[Tour2ma]

Why would anyone care about a title that was won in 2011 any more than one that was won in 1950?

 

Because even I was not alive in 1950???

 

Only reasons I know as much pre-60 Browns triva as I do are discussions with my Dad (who was born in 1925 and raised in Brooklyn, Ohio) and a couple good books including a Plain Dealer one on the history of Cleveland sports.

 

That will be Belichick's legacy after Brady too...

 

Ohhhh... I want some of that action.