“We would expect that from a person who admits to being a Browns fan. 8>) (Just kidding!!!)”
No harm done. It’s a very old ID, and I’m an old man. My loyalties have been eroded by decades of ineptitude. The Browns are without question the worst professional sports franchise in any sport, possibly ever. The current owner of the Browns is a criminal and a clown. That franchise is doomed, and I’d be shocked if the criminal owner doesn’t try to move the team in an attempt to escape his own incompetence.
You know I was unaware of a lot of their history actually.
The franchise was founded in 1945 by businessman Arthur B. McBride and coach Paul Brown as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). The Browns dominated the AAFC, compiling a 47–4–3 record in the league's four active seasons and winning its championship in each of them. When the AAFC folded after the 1949 season, the Browns joined the National Football League along with the San Francisco 49ers and the original Baltimore Colts. The Browns won a championship in their inaugural NFL season, as well as in the 1954, 1955, and 1964 seasons, and in a feat unequaled in any of the North American major professional sports, played in their league championship game in each of the Browns' first ten years of existence. From 1965 to 1995, they made the playoffs 14 times, but did not win another championship or appear in the Super Bowl in that period. (I remember the game in the playoffs where the running back, Earnest Byner, fumbled at the goal line or very near, that would have most likely resulted in a tie in regulation, after a successful PAT, against the Broncos. Even I was heartbroken,)
In 1995, owner Art Modell, who had purchased the Browns in 1961, announced plans to move the team to Baltimore, Maryland. After threats of legal action from the city of Cleveland and fans, a compromise was reached in early 1996 that allowed Modell to establish the Baltimore Ravens as a new franchise while retaining the contracts of all Browns personnel. The Browns' intellectual property, including team name, logos, training facility, and history, were kept in trust and the franchise was regarded by the NFL as suspended. A new team would be established by 1999 either by expansion or relocation. The Browns were announced as an expansion team in 1998 and resumed play in 1999.
Since resuming operations in 1999, the Browns have struggled to find success. They have had only two winning seasons (in 2002 and 2007), one playoff appearance (2002), and no playoff wins. The franchise has also been noted for a lack of stability with quarterbacks, having started 26 players in the position over the past 18 seasons. To date, the Browns' overall win-loss record since 1999 is 88–200.