By John Doe

November 24, 2008 9:46 AM | Link to this

Dear Browns, I was born in 1983 and began watching Browns games with my grandpa at about age 5. Growing up in Dayton, Ohio, most folks down there root for that team from Cincinnati. My grandpa was a die-hard Browns fan and I distinctly remember sitting on his lap at his local watering hole watching guys like Kosar, Slaughter, Mack, Metcalf, Matthews, Langham, Byner, Deleone, Dieken, Golic, Hoard, Minnifield, Newsome, Pruitt, Sipe, etc. The teams of the 1980’s were very good and came awful close to reaching the Super Bowl on three separate occasions. While I don’t really remember “The Fumble” or “The Drive” I have seen enough replays to last a lifetime. During the early 1990’s I used to wake up on Sunday, roll out of bed and put on my #21 Eric Metcalf jersey. I would hang on the edge of my seat watching every single play while suffering through losing season after losing season. When the Browns left for Baltimore I thought I had given up on the NFL. For 3 years I didn’t watch a single down of pro football with the exception of the Super Bowl each year. I just did not care. In 1999 my Browns were returned to their home and I watched every second of the 41-0 a*s beating that the Steelers hung on you upon your return to the league. While ticked at the outcome of the game I could have really cared less. My Browns were back. I didn’t expect a winning product right off the bat but in their 10th year back I have suffered again and again. From draft picks like Couch, Warren, Brown and Green, four head coaches, heartbreaking losses week after week (i.e. Chicago’s 21 point comeback in 2001….Dwayne Rudd removing his helmet vs. the Chiefs…..playoff loss to Steelers) I have stuck by my team and continue to buy tickets to games, apparel like jerseys, hats and sweatshirts sit in my closet and I devote every Sunday afternoon or Monday night to watching my Browns. I HAVE HAD ABOUT ENOUGH! Yesterday’s game vs. the Texans was an embarrassment to the city of Cleveland and their fans. It was an embarrassment to the NFL and the Browns greats that played before you like Jim Brown, Otto Graham, Gene Hickerson, Bill Willis and Dante Lovelli. Receivers dropping passes and quitting on routes (yes Braylon that would be you!), defenders missing tackles, lineman jumping offside and kickers shanking field goals. Do you hear your fans? They are BOOING you! Not a single one of you should collect your paycheck this week. You are a joke! Here are some fun facts for you: Record since 1983: 156 wins 205 losses Winning %: 43% 7 playoff appearances with a 4-7 record. 5 of those appearances having come in the 1980’s. 10 times you have lost 10 or more games in a season Since 1999 you have drafted 78 players. 18 of them are still on your roster. That is 23%. That is not good. We have seen 9 head coaches since 1983. In the 37 years prior to that we had 6. I have watched 22,320 hours, 1,339,200 minutes and 80,352,000 seconds of Browns football in my life. I am about done. Either finish this season strong or you risk losing yet another fan. Regards, A disgruntled Browns Fan….

By John Doe

November 24, 2008 9:47 AM | Link to this

Dear Browns, I was born in 1983 and began watching Browns games with my grandpa at about age 5. Growing up in Dayton, Ohio, most folks down there root for that team from Cincinnati. My grandpa was a die-hard Browns fan and I distinctly remember sitting on his lap at his local watering hole watching guys like Kosar, Slaughter, Mack, Metcalf, Matthews, Langham, Byner, Deleone, Dieken, Golic, Hoard, Minnifield, Newsome, Pruitt, Sipe, etc. The teams of the 1980’s were very good and came awful close to reaching the Super Bowl on three separate occasions. While I don’t really remember “The Fumble” or “The Drive” I have seen enough replays to last a lifetime. During the early 1990’s I used to wake up on Sunday, roll out of bed and put on my #21 Eric Metcalf jersey. I would hang on the edge of my seat watching every single play while suffering through losing season after losing season. When the Browns left for Baltimore I thought I had given up on the NFL. For 3 years I didn’t watch a single down of pro football with the exception of the Super Bowl each year. I just did not care. In 1999 my Browns were returned to their home and I watched every second of the 41-0 a*s beating that the Steelers hung on you upon your return to the league. While ticked at the outcome of the game I could have really cared less. My Browns were back. I didn’t expect a winning product right off the bat but in their 10th year back I have suffered again and again. From draft picks like Couch, Warren, Brown and Green, four head coaches, heartbreaking losses week after week (i.e. Chicago’s 21 point comeback in 2001….Dwayne Rudd removing his helmet vs. the Chiefs…..playoff loss to Steelers) I have stuck by my team and continue to buy tickets to games, apparel like jerseys, hats and sweatshirts sit in my closet and I devote every Sunday afternoon or Monday night to watching my Browns. I HAVE HAD ABOUT ENOUGH! Yesterday’s game vs. the Texans was an embarrassment to the city of Cleveland and their fans. It was an embarrassment to the NFL and the Browns greats that played before you like Jim Brown, Otto Graham, Gene Hickerson, Bill Willis and Dante Lovelli. Receivers dropping passes and quitting on routes (yes Braylon that would be you!), defenders missing tackles, lineman jumping offside and kickers shanking field goals. Do you hear your fans? They are BOOING you! Not a single one of you should collect your paycheck this week. You are a joke! Here are some fun facts for you: Record since 1983: 156 wins 205 losses Winning %: 43% 7 playoff appearances with a 4-7 record. 5 of those appearances having come in the 1980’s. 10 times you have lost 10 or more games in a season Since 1999 you have drafted 78 players. 18 of them are still on your roster. That is 23%. That is not good. We have seen 9 head coaches since 1983. In the 37 years prior to that we had 6. I have watched 22,320 hours, 1,339,200 minutes and 80,352,000 seconds of Browns football in my life. I am about done. Either finish this season strong or you risk losing yet another fan. Regards, A disgruntled browns fan…

By tbill

November 24, 2008 11:09 AM | Link to this

Why doesn’t Sean cover the Brownies any longer? Instead we have to read the AP stories; why? So Quinn with a broken finger is as bad as Anderson with unbroken fingers. Maybe for every dropped ball, we break one of Edwards’ fingers! Nah; he only has 10….

By don

November 25, 2008 3:42 PM | Link to this

Much like John Doe above i also grew up watching those same Browns players and am disgusted at what they have become since returning in 99. My daughter must have been trying to troll for Christmas gift ideas and hinted about Browns players I liked and jersey discussions. I told her that i could not think of a single browns player that has a jersey I’d even want to wear. The closest I can come to wanting to wear cannot even play this season and he is obviously the heart and soul of this team….Joe Jurevicius.

By quantoid

November 25, 2008 7:41 PM | Link to this

Savage is supposed to be an expert in PR. Guess he needs to be censored like he tries to censor the players. I also agree with tbill above. I am tired of poorly written copy from other papers. The stories are not sensitive to Dayton’s interest. So sad.