Ouch. It’s the off-season already. The Browns had the inside track to the playoffs, but after spinning out in Cincy and then failing to get a competitive effort from Tony Dungy last night, they’re out.
They’re just the third 10-6 team in 15 years to miss the post-season. This year, two 9-7 clubs made it. So did all four other teams who shared the Browns’ record.
So what epitaph does this lost cause merit? I don’t know that I’m ready for “closure” yet, but here goes.
Winning, but unsuccessful. Thrilling, but thwarted. Fun, but flawed. Surprising, memorable, record-setting, promising. But gone too soon.
Or might it resemble 1963, the last time the Browns won double-digits but missed the playoffs? A balanced Cleveland squad posted a 10-4 record following several off-field tragedies and the controversial firing of its legendary coach. Superlative individual stats that season (Jim Brown’s then-record 1863 rushing yards; Gary Collins’s 13 receiving TDs, Vince Costello’s seven interceptions, tops among NFL linebackers) gave way the next year to greater team glory.
Will it be like Forrest Gregg’s 1976 team, which found its QB in erstwhile backup Brian Sipe and improved by six games, but missed the post-season despite a 9-5 record? Gregg didn’t make it through the next season, which ended with a disappointing 6-8 record.
Or might it resemble 1963, the last time the Browns won double-digits but missed the playoffs? A balanced Cleveland squad posted a 10-4 record following several off-field tragedies and the controversial firing of its legendary coach. Superlative individual stats that season (Jim Brown’s then-record 1863 rushing yards; Gary Collins’s 13 receiving TDs, Vince Costello’s seven interceptions, tops among NFL linebackers) gave way the next year to greater team glory.
In any event, 2007’s exploits will fit nicely into the rich and varied history of the Cleveland Browns. Odd contours, strange twists. The best season since the resurrection.
In the books.
