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Op/Ed: A Case Against “The Curse.” |
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Written by Robert Clemens; Browns247.com
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Thursday, 03 August 2006 |
 It’s now a part of Cleveland Browns folklore and legend: upon being fired by Art Modell after the ‘62 season, Paul Brown vowed that “The Browns will never win another championship.”
Since then, the Browns have been tantalizingly close on more than one occasion, but have never even been in The Big Dance… much less “won it all.” With each AFC Championship loss, the talk of the “Paul Brown curse” grew… first, as a whisper, and later, as openly spoken belief.
So… is there really a curse? Are we truly doomed to forever ride this “ghost ship,” tossed about on the seas of mediocrity, never to dock at that port where the piers are decked out in 24k gold-leaf?
Nope.
The year was 1963. It was a year of firsts for me: I was just 7 years old, and that was the year I:
1. saw my Father have his first emotional meltdown, 2. took my first ride in an English open-top roadster, and 3. saw my first pro football game.
Big "growing-up" -type stuff, for a little kid. Little did I know that all 3 pivotal events in my life were tied to the Cleveland Browns. For my 7th birthdaym I got a special gift- a mystery road trip. My dad’s best friend owned a Triumph sports car, and I remember sitting wedged into the luggage space behind the seats on a 2.5 hour top-down ride to Cleveland Municipal Stadium from Lima, Ohio. I couldn't believe where we were when we arrived at our destination. The Browns defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers that day, 35-23. My individual heroes did not disappoint, either... Jim Brown ran for a buck seventy-five and one TD. Gary Collins hauled in a couple of 6-point catches as well. I've since read that over 80,000 people attended that game. I remember 3... and that team I loved so much.
That was a day that I knew I’d never forget, even as it was unfolding before me. Life is perfect when you’re 7, and you get to see the Home Team heroes prevail against the Forces of Evil.
Oh- you were wondering about my Pops' first uncensored meltdown? Earlier that same year, he threw a drinking glass against the kitchen wall, and ripped off an awe-inspiring stream of expletives… finishing with the name: Art Modell.
Fast-forward to ’68. My Pops comes home with a goofy-looking knit cap in orange and black. He told me that Paul Brown was leading a new team in Cincinnatti. I couldn’t have cared less. They weren’t the Browns, and I didn’t really care who this Paul guy was. That’s when my Dad explained the broken glass from 5 years earlier. I stuck with the Browns even after his history lesson, telling him that HE taught me about loyalty… and if he wanted to jump ship, I’d stay here for both of us. (I was now an independant 13-year old...) What I didn’t realize was that my Dad was practicing loyalty of his own sort… he didn’t like that his beloved Browns were taken from the man after whom they were named- and he made a stand. As a middle-aged man, I can now accept, and even respect that. I’m old enough to know about the ways of money now. I even toyed with the idea of jumping to the Bengals after The Departure. (I almost threw a Browns beer mug across my own kitchen on that black day.)
But the Browns are still in my blood. Always will be, if the last 40+ years are any indication. It's a fine line between blessing and curse.... the difference is one's perspective. I choose to feel blessed.
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Now, for the curse.
No such thing, folks. The curse, if there ever really was one, was officially lifted from us all on February 8, 1996. That was the day that saw the city of Cleveland retain all rights to the name Cleveland Browns, its colors and history. That simple ruling divorced the city of Cleveland and the Cleveland Browns from the name Art Modell... forever.
In my mind, “the curse” was the team’s owner.
 My Father was a good judge of character, and he judged Paul Brown to be worthy of more of his respect and trust than the 'new' owner of the Browns. That’s why he came home with the goofy hat, and a new team to support. After the ’95 season, I understood exactly why he made his choice as he did. I also know from many accounts that Paul Brown was a big “character guy,” as well. Tough as nails, he’d always speak his mind, pull no punches, and always stand up tall for what he thought was right. In that way, he and my Pops were cut from the same bolt of cloth.
Perhaps Paul Brown’s statement wasn’t so much a curse, as it was a prediction. It’s possible that he knew what was in store for the team he loved and nurtured, when he saw what the 'new ownership' was capable of doing. And if that truly was the motivation behind his words, it’s rather hard to argue with him. Although it’s true that the Browns did “win it all” after his prophetic words, it came just one year after his ouster, with a team that he built and trained... ...and it never again won again.
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Now, it’s 2006. Modell is gone, the Keystone Kops in the front office are gone. John Collins, the last remaining trace of cancer has been excised. And in their places are people like Randy Lerner, Phil Savage, and Romeo Crennel... solid people with a goal and a plan- and the intellegence to make it happen.
We now have an owner who listens to his hired professionals, a competent and talented GM, and a coach who’s a lot like Paul Brown- in approach, demeanor, attitude, and standards.
To me, it’s not living under a curse- it's simply a matter of overcoming inertia. We Dawgs have had a decade of sleazy business, back-stabbing, bad administration, and foolish choices to overcome. And we’ve started to turn the corner from all that in just 18 short months.
Instead of singin’ da blues about some silly “curse,” we should all be singing The Halleluiah Chorus… now that we’re finally building a team that Paul Brown and My Father could be proud of.
Pops died in ’79, but I’m sure that he’d be more than happy to wear a brand-new goofy-looking knit cap today- in official orange and brown.
Curse? No such thing.
Not for this Dawg.
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