Cleveland Browns: Joe Haden uses Cavaliers title as motivation

Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden has found a new source of motivation after the Cavaliers brought Cleveland its first championship in 52 years.

Joe Haden has embraced the city of Cleveland ever since he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns back in 2010.

He is a loyal supporter of the Cleveland Cavaliers and was rewarded for his loyalty when the Cavaliers brought home a championship last night in Oakland.

The sheer will of coming back from a 3-1 deficit to win a championship, on the road, should serve as inspiration for any athlete at any level.

The inspiration was felt by Haden, who wrote a piece for MMQB on how the title will serve as motivation for the Browns:

"When I try to think about what this means, I think how it shows the athletes in this city, and the people in this city, that anything’s possible. LeBron came back to Cleveland and made it his mission to win a title. It’s like he willed it. And it happened. I look at our Browns team now, with the new coach, Hue Jackson, a lot of new coaches on the staff, and so much new blood, and I can tell you we’re going to be competitive. This is an inspiration to us, and to the Indians I’m sure."

Several players have already spoken out on the confidence in Hue Jackson’s ability to make the Browns great again, which is a great sign for the franchise.

After so many years of being associated with a town of heartbreak, the NBA title won by the Cavaliers can take some pressure off the Browns to be great right away, allowing them to focus on rebuilding a once-great organization.

It also shows the team that a title can be won in Cleveland, and it should lead to the players striving to bring Cleveland its next title.

Haden went even further on how the title will inspire himself and the rest of his teammates:

"So the Curse is dead. The Cavaliers are champs. Now we’ve got to work like LeBron and the Cavs to get ours. This is motivation for our city, and motivation for our team. I am just so ready to go win a championship right now."

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Haden joins the many who are still coming down from the excitement of the title, but the motivation will only take the Browns so far in 2016.

But the new mindset given to the athletes in town after the Cavaliers brought home a title should help to forget the losing seasons of the past and focus on contributing to the new narrative in town. The Cavaliers championship will serve as a distraction from the losing for some time, but Cleveland is a Browns town.

Getting the Browns back to relevance is something that seems possible only in dreams, but Haden and his teammates seem to be taking a step toward that becoming a reality.

Imagine that parade.