In all due respect. The real Brown's are now the Ravens. Get over it. So many Brown's fan's from yesteryear are in denial and actually believe these Brown's of today have this storied history in Clev. The Trophies and records are only for those fans that are hanging on by their fingernails of this long lost dream called the Brown's in hope of a SB champ they never got to see with the real Browns before. Sorry it's just a fact. Today's pretend Brown's have nothing to do with the previous storied real Brown's except in name only.
I have to respectfully disagree. Here's why:
1. Take the reverse view for a moment. Cleveland's fans have no more connection to that team than Baltimore has with the Colts. They ceased being the Browns the minute Art Modell signed those papers. The team's address changed. The team's name changed. The team's fan base changed.
2. By the same token, Browns fans accomplished something that has (to my knowledge) never been done before or since: they leveraged the almighty NFL to keep the history- the ENTIRE history (good and bad) of the team for themselves. That's important, because it's directly tied to:
3. On that day
when the Browns finally win it all, the story will have been written from from the team's origins, way back in 1948- tying the Browns' legacy together from no fewer than 4 generations of loyal fans. The Move, The Absence, The Rebirth- ALL of it will matter... and those events of the late '90's will contribute to what might be THE most unique "history" in all of professional sports.
With our history, Browns fans above all others will be able to say that they've
EARNED the right to gloat. In my opinion, the story is made much richer because of its longevity... and it will an indescribable pleasure to see the championship story come full-circle.
I don't give a rat's rump about the NFL Championship Game being nicknamed the "Super Bowl" in so-called modern times... the Browns were national champions 4 times over, and runners-up 7 more times.
That history belongs to the fans and the city of Cleveland, and is valid until there is no Browns team at all..02