1-Man’s Opinion on Sports-Tuesday……”Browns-Top Pick-Terrible Quarterbacks”

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The once proud NFL franchise, that brought us the brilliance of running back Jimmy Brown, and the leadership of NFL icon owner Art Modell, has fallen on hard times.

It’s hard to believe that Cleveland, which lost its team in the mid-1990’s, when Modell moved the money troubled team to Baltimore, has been down for so long. It’s harder to believe the number of quarterbacks who have worn the Orange helmet since the team was put back on the field.

They have a (1-31) record over the last two seasons. Have failed miserably under any and all head coaches, since the team was readmitted to the NFL in 1999.

No one, not Bill Belicheck, Eric Mangini, Butch Davis, nor others, has been able to resurrect the franchise.

And how special was this franchise? The flagship team, founded in 1946 by the legendary Paul Brown. Won all those championships in the old All American Football Conference. Won an NFL title in 1964. Haven’t won much recently, with anybody and everybody trying to make plays.

— DeShone Kizer-Cody Kessler-Kevin Hogan—

The NFL gave Cleveland the expansion franchise in 1999, and gave them extra draft picks with Chris Palmer as incoming head coach. It’s been a horror show of bad ownership decisions, bad coaches and bad drafts.

The numbers surrounding Browns football are staggering, not just last year’s (0-16) season, or the (1-31) record dating back two seasons. So to are the numbers of quarterbacks they’ve tried to win with, 28-different starters in all since 1999..

—-Tim Couch-Charley Frye-Colt McCoy—

Since the advent of Browns football in 1999, the team has a composite record (88-216). Cleveland has just one playoff appearance since the ’99-debut. It’s had just two winning seasons in 19-years, despite being a wealthy franchise, in a new stadium, with tremendous heritage and fan support. All that is Browns football’s honor roll, and then there’s the other history of the team, the ‘Mistake by the Lake’.

—Ty Detmer-Spurgeon Wynn-Doug Pederson-Jake McCown—

The NFL is all about stats and performances. And here’s the most staggering stat of all. Since 1999, when they re-emerged, and drafted quarterback Tim Couch with the number one pick, the Browns have gone thru 28-different starting quarterbacks in those 19-seasons.

Now we fast forward to this Thursday and the NFL draft. Because of that winless season, and by virtue of a number of trades, the Browns will draft 1st and 4th in the opening round. They have 3-second round picks, winding up drafting 1-4-33-35-64. New GM-John Dorsey has 5-of the top 64-picks.

Oh do they ned a quarterback, having given up of draft picks DeShone Kizer and Cody Kessler since traded.

They have dealt for ex Bills starter Tyrod Taylor, a decent QB, not prone to turnovers, but not someone with a winning track record.

—Jeff Garcia-Kelly Holcombe-Ken Dorsey-Connor Shaw-Austin Davis—

Cleveland approaches Thursday with the chance to make the right pick, or as the fans fear, make the wrong pick.

The bluechip names atop the board come in all sizes, shapes, backgrounds. Quarterbacks galore, but which is the right one-vs-the wrong one?

USC’s Sam Darold rewrote the passing records for the Trojans. Big strong, loud,, makes big plays, but has a history of big turnovers.

Wyoming’s Josh Allen put together two big stat seasons in Laramie, but completed just 52% of his passes, but that may be a by-product of not having much talent around him.

UCLA’s Josh Rosen is a riverboat gambler, who put up big number, got big injuries, and is a showboat.

Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield is only 6′ tall, is free spirit, and did fabulous talent, but has some Johnny Manziel in him.

—Trent Dilfer-Derek Anderson-Robert Griffin III-Johnny Manziel—

Though losing a lot, the Browns have spent past draft currency on defense. The off season has brought them ex Miami wide receiver Jarvis Landry. Josh Gordon, a tremendous skill receiver, seems to have fought thru the demons of substance abuse, and finished the season strong.

The Browns could take a quarterback at number one, and the top defensive player at four. They could take Saquon Barkley, a Bo Jackson lookalike, at running bak with the first pick, and take a QB at four. They could keep the first pick, trade th fourth, and add more picks.

Thursday will be fascinating, with hopes the Browns hit the jackpot,make the right calls, and start to win.

—-Brady Quinn–Bruce Gradkowski–Jake Delhomme-Bryan Hoyer—

The glare of the spotlight is everywhere around this team, or maybe it is more the dark shadow of past bad quarterback history, that still rings around this franchise.

I’d take the running back first, the quarterback next, and start the drive to takeover the AFC-North.

The Dawg Pound is sitting there waiting to explode. The franchise, that has gone to the dogs, needs this to be the biggest day in modern Browns history. i

—Branden Weeden-Seneca Wallace-Thad Lewis-Jason Campbell—

The franchise that set the pace back in the day, starting with Otto Grahame thru Bernie Kosar, has also given us Jin Ninowski-Frank Ryan and Milt Plum.

What they give us Thursday has to be better than they’ve given their fans the last two decades or so. Things have to get better.

It just cannot be the Browns as we know the Browns to be

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