The Cleveland Browns of the 80's

Sure, today's Cleveland Browns are...awful, but there was a time when they could've been Super Bowl Bound!
On
October 01, 2012
Hi, I'm back to tell you some good news...some bad news...and some ugly news...

First...The Good News...


This might sound sadistic, but Art Modell who sold-out to Cleveland is no longer a bother because...well...he's dead.



Many haven't forgave of what he did in 1995...nor forget!

Next...The Bad News...


LeBron James won The Championship...In Miami! It could've been Cleveland's Championship, but since LeBron sold-out...he's now flashing his Championship Ring on his Middle-Finger and saying "I won a ring before Cleveland Can"!



So it prooves that "The Decision" IS a Curse, and it bit Clevelanders in the ass mighty hard!

Now The Ugly News...


Where to Start? The Indians going from First to Worst in 2012, or The Cleveland Browns Season This Year? How about...Both?

Yeah...Manny Acta right now is cleaning his desk and Sandy Alomar Jr. is taking over the Indians Coaching, perhaps he'll be the 2013 GM next year...I just hope The Dolan Brothers could sell that damn team, otherwise we'll have another season like The Mets....



Now The Browns...they have a new owner, but the same coach and General Manager! They're 0-4 now and may be 1-15 this year...so Pat Shurmur and Mike Holmgren will be cleaning their desks too. And we heard a lot from Chick-Fil-A this year, but they're on the dot with one thing...



But it wasn't that way...at one point...The Cleveland Browns WERE a great team! When?...Well, in 1946 when Paul Brown formed a team from the defunct All-American Football Conference, The Browns won all 4 Championships when the League was around and were 10-0 in 1948! Then when two teams merged into the NFL from the AAFC, The Browns were the 1st Team and the San Francisco were the next (The Baltimore Colts would join the NFL, but would be temporarily suspended for awhile until 1953).

Ironically...the Browns and The Detroit Lions were the two teams that were hot in the 50's, cooled-down in the 60's, got lost in the shuffle in the 70's, and nearly forgotten in the 80's and 90's. But The Cleveland Browns weren't that forgotten in the 80's...they kept us on our feet that decade, having winning seasons mostly that decade. Let's start with 1980 and The Cardiac Kids!...



Sam Rutigliano took over the coaching job for The Browns in 1978 after Forrest Gregg and eight years of being absent in the NFL Playoffs...The Cleveland Browns would be in the action in 1980 after a 11-5 Season, but like anything Cleveland...The Red-Right 88 would crush all playoff hopes and The Oakland Raiders would go all the way to The Super Bowl and win the Title against the Philadelphia Eagles. This is one of the seven Curses that I mentioned in Cleveland Sports.

In 1981, The Cleveland Browns were littered with injuries and The Kardiac Kids that we knew only won 5 of 16 games...not good! And neither was the 1982 Season that gave the NFL a Strike-Shortened Season, but The Browns got into the Playoffs with a 4-5 Record...the same record that The Detroit Lions had that year too...but The Raiders (who were now in Los Angles) would win, but no close calls.

In 1983, The Kardiac Kids were back with a 9-7 Season, but fell short of any playoff action. 1984 was dismal for The Browns as Rutigliano would clean-out his desk halfway through the Season and Marty Schottenheimer would take over The Cleveland Browns as coach.

But it would be 1985 when The Browns would return to Playoff Action, even though they were 8-8 that Season and falling short against The Miami Dolphins by 3 points (The same Dolphins who would play against The Browns in 1972 when they had their 17-0 Season which is STILL the Record...Sorry New England Patriots, you fell short against The New York Giants when you were 16-0 in the Regular Season in 2007). But it was Bernie Kosar who would help The Cleveland Browns to those victories and even edge The Pittsburgh Steelers for being the #1 Team in the 80's.



There was also Ozzie Newsome, Ernest Byner, Kevin Mack and Al "Bubba" Baker. Though the Browns were the Worst Playoff Team in 1985...they would be better in 1986 by winning their 1st postseason franchise since 1969...The Lions didn't do that until 1991, so...

However, the Season was abruptly ended by "The Drive"! Yes...when John Elway would go from the Broncos 2-Yard Line to a Touchdown and tie the game 20-20. The Browns couldn't get the job done and The Broncos would win the AFC Championship by a Field Goal...and this will be the closest The Browns will ever get to a Super Bowl...EVER!



Yes...I mentioned that too on the 7 Curses Article. In 1987, The Browns would still be winning games and they would have their 3rd Division Crown of the 80's (They won 4 that decade). However...it would be abrupt again against Denver...this time in Denver, and Ernest Byner would commit "The Fumble" which would frustrate him so badly...he didn't play on the Browns in the 1988 Season!



1988 was a highly competitive year for the Browns which finished with a 10-6 record...yet The Houston Oilers and Cincinnati Bengals had the same record too. But what was real bizarre was that The Browns and Oilers would play in one week apart from each other! It wasn't a Merry Christmas for The Browns when they lost to the Oilers by a point, and Marty Schottenheimer got a Pink Slip that Christmas...he too cleaned-out his desk by The Holidays. Then came 1989...which had The Browns win the Division Crown, but lost the AFC Championship against Denver. Unfortunately, there was no Drive or Fumble...and no, 3rd Time wasn't a Charm for The Browns against Denver!

After that season, The Browns would be in a slump in the early 90's, though Bill Bellicheat (Yeah, I know his name is Bill Bellicheck, but after the 2007 Imperfect Patriots Season...I'm not fond of his coaching, but then again no one from Cleveland was when he got rid of Bernie Kosar in 1993 to Dallas) would give The Browns a playoff spot in 1994...he did blow it when he dumped Kosar who would win a Super Bowl Ring with the Dallas Cowboys.

Then...Art Modell took his talents (and our team) to Chesapeake Bay and we would get...The Browns who would play like this!...



Well...It looks like we'll wait 'till next year...AGAIN! So now if you'll excuse me...I gotta send The Browns to The Super Bowl!...
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