2005 superbowl
Who Says Cleveland Has a Great Tradition?
One of the first things coach Eric Mangini addressed when he was hired was the great tradition of the Browns.
Everyone does that when they come to Cleveland.
But it is time to stop. Because the tradition is a myth, and it creates nothing but unrealistic expectations that make bad situations worse.
Except for a couple of stretches the Browns’ great tradition has been dormant since the NFL and AFL merged in 1971.
The numbers in those 36 seasons clearly show the fact:
A win-loss record of 248-301-3 since the merger, which is 45 percent of the time. That pans out to an average record of 7-8 per season.
Fourteen winning seasons out of 36.
Eleven playoff teams which means the Browns make the playoffs less than one-third of the time.
There was success in the Sam Rutigliano and Marty Schottenheimer era, but since Schottenheimer left it has been worse:
A 102-169-1 record (wins in 37.5 percent of the games)
Four winning seasons in 17.
Three playoff teams out of 17 seasons.
Six coaches, including Mangini.
Since 1990, the Browns have been to the playoffs twice, going 1-2. That’s three playoff games in 18 years(three without football)
That’s an entire generation that has grown up without a winning team, with nothing but talk of Otto Graham and Jim Brown and Paul Warfield.
Former GM Phil Savage talked about putting those great memories into color when he arrived, and he was right, because most of them are in black and white.
The Browns had an unbelievable tradition in the 1950s when Graham and Marion Motley played and Paul Brown coached. It continued with Jim Brown and Frank Ryan and Blanton Collier in the 60s.
Since then it has been a series of missteps, with the occasional blip of good fortune.
They’re one of very few teams that has never made it to a Super Bowl, and their overall playoff record is 11-20.
This is tradition only to those who believe that the past can magically appear merely because the helmet is orange and the jersey is brown. It’s the same thinking that said Bill Cowher would walk through hot coals to coach the team merely because it’s the Browns.
It’s just not there anymore.
And it’s time to recognize that this Browns team is not your grandfather’s team.
These Browns are in a position in which they have to earn the faith and trust of the fans paying for the tickets.
Fans will return of course. They always do. But it’s time the team produced, and perhaps the hiring of Mangini will produce long expected results.
Tradition doesn’t win games.
Winning generates tradition.
That’s where the Browns find themselves: Needing to win to generate some new and true tradition.
The cult of the Browns has been living off a myth. The team’s tradition died in a time long ago and far away.
Related posts: Adrienne shelly, Simple living, Knowledgeability, Pyro, Patrick dempsey