Cleveland Browns AFC North reality check

The Cleveland Browns look great on paper, but old school fans of the team know that they have to win before we can start to run our mouths about it

In the AFC North group I belong to on Facebook, there are a lot of brand new Cleveland Browns fans.

Know how I can tell they’re newbies?

They’re all talking shyte.

Oh, hush, sweet lil’ babies, don’t say a word, the fact that papa Dorsey bought Cleveland a respectable paper roster doesn’t mean a thing. Yet.

Sorry in advance for yucking your offseason yum here, bandwagon Browns fans, but with all due respect, this team hasn’t done squat. Yet.

Here’s a Browns history lesson for all you Johnny- and Jane-come-lately’s who assume that with Baker Mayfield, Jarvis Landry, Odell Beckham, Nick Chubb, David Njoku, Myles Garrett, and Denzel Ward on the roster the AFC North championship is automatically a given.

That’s a huge assumption, especially considering that the Cleveland Browns have never won the AFC North. Ever.

Say what?

It’s true – since the division was created in 2002, the Cleveland Browns have never won the AFC North.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have won it eight times, the Baltimore Ravens have won it five times and even the ‘lowly’ Cincinnati Bengals have won it four times.

But the Cleveland Browns have not even once championed the AFC North.

In fact, the last time the Browns placed higher than third or fourth place in the division was 12 seasons ago just after the turn of the century in 2002, the very first year of the AFC North, but that was just a 9-7 second place finish with a Wild Card spot in the playoffs.

Plus in that same time, the AFC North Steelers have been to three and won two Super Bowls while the Ravens have been to and won a Super Bowl.

Even the ‘lowly’ Bengals have been to the playoffs seven times since the AFC North was created, while the Browns have only been to the playoffs once in that same time, way back in 2002, when they lost in that aforementioned Wild Card round to – get ready for it – the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Ouch.

The truth hurts, numbers don’t lie, history tends to repeat itself, and all that other factual stuff that keeps us older Browns fans a little more subdued, cautious, low-key in the offseason and particularly online.

Bandwagon Browns fans are cute, like children who can’t see the ugly side of the carnival.

They’re seeing the Ferris Wheel all lit up on the boardwalk and counting the 2019 wins already.

Meanwhile, the grizzled old school dawg pounders are seeing the toothless carnies picking pockets and picturing a season hampered by injuries to key players (Dorsey forbid) and riddled with blatant game-losing missed calls by the refs and idiotic game planning by the powers that be.

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Not to mention whatever insane factors come in to play that somehow happen only in Cleveland (as in our quarterback turns out to be an alcoholic partier or our head coach turns out to be a blamer and a horrible leader or our best wide receiver loves weed as much as the next millionaire).

And so on…

Again, sorry for yucking your offseason yum here, young bucks, but let’s hold off on the online trophy hoisting until there’s actually some football metal to hoist in the Land.

Let’s stop talking online shyte to fans whose teams have already delivered championships to them and stay respectfully quiet until the Browns begin to deliver theirs.

Otherwise, it looks desperate and foolish, like the kid who brags about what his old man and big brother are gonna do to you.

Make no mistake, the 2019 Cleveland Browns are built to win, by Dorsey, with a roster that has more potential than a fat pig at a Flats barbecue, but until the wins start to happen, stop posting like they already have.

News flash: they haven’t.

Now the good news is that with Baker and Jarvis and Odell and Nick and David and Myles and Denzel on the roster the AFC North championship looks entirely possible.

But for now, unsullied Browns followers, hold off on embarrassing yourself with bold claims and empty promises until after Week 17 and the Brownies are on top of the AFC North for the first time. Ever.

Then toot the horn and rub it in their three-river faces, their team-stealing cake-holes, their same-state-orange-wanna-be grills…

…but until then, best be more shushy-like ‘cause nobody’s afraid of your old man or big brother until they prove they can kick some serious arse.

Browns training camp, open practice dates. dark. Next

And so far, no offense, the AFC North Cleveland Browns haven’t kicked any real arse. Yet.

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