Standing Up For Rust Belt Football

I have nothing against the New Orleans Saints. I'm happy they are going to their first Super Bowl, though with no real rooting interest in yesterday's Saints-Vikings game, I found myself leaning toward the Vikings as the game went on. Maybe it was a sentimental/masochistic thing: wanting to see a 40-year-old, Brett Favre, get one more shot in the limelight and wanting to endure two weeks of Favre media worship. Or maybe my leaning toward the Vikings had more to do with anti-Saints sentiments. After all, now there are only two NFL teams who have been around the entire Super Bowl era (1966 on) who have not made at least one appearance in the big game: the Detroit Lions and my Cleveland Browns. I'm not holding out a lot of hope that my Browns will get there anytime soon, but I'm hardly frightened that the Lions will beat them to it.

But here's a little history lesson for all of you snickering at us Lions and Browns fans (and let me tell you, it pains me to stand up for anything Detroit other than its music): in a mere six years (1952-57) the Browns and Lions met each other for the NFL Championship (the big enchilada--pre AFL, pre-merger) four times, including three years in a row ('52. '53, '54, '57--yes, the Browns went 1-3, but still). In fact, in incredible fact actually, in the sixteen years the Browns were in the NFL before the Super Bowl era began (1950-1965), the Browns were in the NFL Championship Game nine times (4-5 record).

So, it may have been mostly before my lifetime, and it may have been back when the whole world was black and white (the world didn't turn color until the Summer of Love, am I correct?), but once upon a time the Cleveland Browns virtually ruled the NFL, and the Lions were no slouches either. You can look it up.

So I'm grasping at straws here, showing my age and my despair--fine. Just don't pity me. If you must though, throw in some draft picks and a quarterback along with your jibes. Those who don't know their Browns ancient history are doomed to deeper gloom than necessary.

Delroy Wilson--Once Upon A Time