This individual has done it all. Whether it is flexing his verbal muscles about his favorite comedian from western Pennsylvania, flaunting about his favorite NFL team’s championship tradition, or getting yelled at by a devoted Italian Catholic mother of four on a Massillon news forum for repeated glamorization of his Pittsburgh friends, one thing remains constant.
This writer doesn’t make people happy all the time and for a person of his stature, that is perfectly OK with him.
But for one glorious Saturday night at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, for the next three hours, any allegiances toward that team was put aside as this author found out exactly how dedicated fans of the Cleveland Browns are to their team and what they are thirsty for.
Not just to win a division title, an AFC title along with a Super Bowl championship but to defeat this 26-year-old writer’s favorite team that has agonized them for the last four-and-a-half years: the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This very well easily might be the year that either Derek Anderson or the guest host of the Granted Wish Foundation Saturday night, Brady Quinn leads the orange and brown over their rivals.
Since their return to the National Football League in 1999, the Browns have won 50 games and recorded two winning seasons. But the record against their archrival is a woeful 2-15.
Canton native Linda Wright attended the Granted Wish Foundation event last night with her daughter Danielle. Both are devout fans of the Browns and based on last year’s successful season believe that it is time for a power shift in the AFC North.
“They have to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers and I believe that they can beat them,” Linda said zealously.
Danielle added, “They can beat the Steelers and be successful!”
There might be a power shift approaching in the AFC North. Last year, the Browns and Steelers finished with identical 10-6 records. But if it was not for Phil Dawson’s failed 52-yard field goal into a venomous Pittsburgh wind that knocked the ball short of crossing the uprights by a yard added with key losses to Arizona and Cincinnati, the Browns not only may have won the AFC North, but even hosted their first playoff game since the 1994 season.
Browns fans do grimace over the last two of four games. In 2006, they held a 20-10 fourth quarter lead but surrendered two scores in a 24-20 loss to the defending world champions at Cleveland Browns Stadium, followed by the Heinz Field debacle when they led 21-9 only to be outscored 22-7 in the second half of last season’s loss.
In both games, Kent State product Joshua Cribbs returned kickoffs for touchdowns. That says a changing of the guard might be ominous. Don’t expect that to be given to them.
They will have to earn it.
That means a much more demanding schedule than last season. This time, they are the recipients of five prime time games and for the second time in three seasons will host a Super Bowl champion at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
It will make for an interesting season for a hometown starved for a championship. But can the Browns find a way to vault past their deadly rival and win their first division title in nearly 19 years going back to the 1989 season, when they advanced to their third AFC championship game in four years?
The pieces are in place. They return an offense that became one of the most explosive in the NFL. Defensively, they played a lot tougher this year than in the past. This is not to say that this can be a Super Bowl run but they can go as far as this can take them.
Cleveland fan Thomas McDonald believes that the Browns are poised to be division champions based on last year’s success.
“I am looking forward to improvement from the players on the team and winning games. It won’t be long before the Browns take over the AFC North and dominate teams for a long time,” McDonald said.
If that statement holds up, there might as well be a shift of power. But that remains to be seen. Their first four games might be a forecast of what is to come in 2008. And both teams have to open up at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Five time Super Bowl champions Dallas and Pittsburgh make trips to Cleveland. The Browns then travel to Baltimore and Cincinnati.
Who knows what the season will hold for the Browns and it is one filled with hefty expectations.
The Browns are poised to take it to the next level. If they can make this writer unhappy and beat his favorite NFL team along making a deep run, a wish for a division title or even better might be granted for a franchise long starved for.
