Old Browns, Not Same Old Browns, In Week 2 Win
The Cleveland Browns beat the New Orleans Saints. Near the end of the second quarter the Saints drove down the field to score a touchdown to bring the score close at 16 – 10 going into halftime. For Browns faithful everywhere, and especially on Twitter, the idea that the team would fail once again after getting the fans excited, created some concern.
That talk continued when the Saints took their first possession of the 2nd half in for a touchdown, the second to Jimmy Graham on two straight possessions. The words “Same Old Browns” were talked about as if it was a given that the Browns were going to lose this game. This seemed especially difficult as the Browns were down 1 due to a missed extra point try, when Spencer Lanning couldn’t handle the snap.
The Browns bounced back immediately with their own touchdown drive, capped off by a 9 yard touchdown gallop by Terrance West. Yet the feeling couldn’t be shook that the same old Browns would figure out a way to lose the game since they were only up 6 and were facing Drew Brees. The Saints responding TD, a long deliberate drive going into the 4th quarter, pushed the anxiety up another level and put the Browns down 1.
Yet we know how the story ends. The story ends with the Browns dumping Gatorade on new head coach Mike Pettine and the fans of Cleveland celebrating hard. These are not the “Same Old Browns.” Actually they might be the “Old Browns.” You know that team of ages past that grabbed national attention, even if they never made it to the Super Bowl.
This Browns team with Terrance West, Isaiah Crowell and the now injured Ben Tate give the team a stable of backs that harken back to the days of Earnest Byner and Kevin Mack. The duo of Byner and Mack gave the Browns an early version of Thunder and Lightning. They gave the Browns an identity that fit with the down and dirty AFC Central at the time.
The Browns have also had a history of interesting, scrappy quarterbacks in Brian Sipe and Bernie Kosar. While both Sipe and Kosar were considered more talented than Brian Hoyer they both gave the fans a QB they related to and gravitated to. Each created excitement for the fan base. Neither led a dominate team including the creation of the Kardiac Kids in 1980.
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Even a player like Jordan Cameron, an athletic tight end, reminds the fans of their own Hall of Fame tight end Ozzie Newsome. Obviously Cameron has a long way to go before being compared to Newsome outside of some perfunctory connection as tight ends for the Browns. But a talented tight end with a solid run game and scrappy QB is an intriguing combination. Down the road Andrew Hawkins could remind many of Brian Brennan for his ability to pickup 3rd downs as a smaller receiver.Travis Benjamin even gave us some Eric Metcalf moments last year as a returner.
To be clear this team has a long way to go before it can be compared to some of the greats of the Browns past. Yet the comparison seems to be much better between this team and teams of the past than the “Same Old Browns” since the return in 1999. Could the Old Browns be back? Are we over-reacting to one huge win?
Who from days past would you compare to a current Brown?