Browns Make The Playoffs For The First Time In 18 Years
In 2012 the Browns drafted Travis Benjamin, John Hughes, Brandon Weeden, and Mitchell Schwartz. Three out of the four are in the NFL today! (Photo: NFL)
Who are the Cleveland Browns? The birthplace of football took place on September 17, 1920 Canton, Ohio. The league was founded at first as the American National Football Association. Now we know it as the NFL. Now how do the Browns play into things? They originated in 1946, they got their name The Browns from a former Ohio State football coach named, Paul Brown.
They were dominating the NFC until 1966. In 1966 there was a vote that would send the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore, Maryland. We had some great players before we moved. Such as, Jim Brown, Otto Graham, and Joe Thomas. After we were relocated it hasn’t been the same. Our record from 1966 to 2000 was 237- 239. Below a winning record, but we have had an awful start to the 2000s. We went 62-114. Way below a winning record. But the 2010’s were interesting. We started to put the pieces together through drafts, hiring, and firing.
Let's start with the draft picks. I am going to be naming the best picks from each year for the Browns. We drafted Joe Haden and TJ Ward in 2010 and they were great draft picks. Joe came out of Florida University as a cornerback. TJ Ward came out of Oregon University at safety. They were 3x and 2x pro bowlers, respectively. They eventually left, but they were great picks. I would give the class an A.
In the next draft we decided to get Phill Taylor, Jaabal Sheard, and Jordan Cameron in 2011. Two out of the three are not in the NFL. But Jaabal Sheard is nothing special. Phill Tayor is a lineman who played at Penn State and Baylor. Jaabal Sheard is an outside linebacker who played for Pittsburg. Jordan Cameron is a tight end who played for USC. I would grade this a D-.
In 2012 the Browns drafted Travis Benjamin, John Hughes, Brandon Weeden, and Mitchell Schwartz. Three out of the four are in the NFL today! Mitchell Schwartz is a NFL champion Travis Benjamin is a wide receiver who came out of Miami(FL). John Huges is a defensive tackle who played for Cincinnati. Brandon Weeden is a quarterback out of Oklahoma State. Mitchell Shwartz is an offensive tackle coming out of California. The biggest accolade between all four. I would give this draft class a C.
Next is the 2013 Draft. The Browns drafted Jarvis Jones, Jamar Taylor, Tyler Eifert. Jarvis Jones is an outside linebacker coming out of Georgia. Jamar Taylor is a cornerback who played for Boise State. Tyler Eiferts is a tight end out of Notre Dame. This is an alright draft class. I would give this class a C. Next Draft Class is 2014. We drafted Johnny Manziel, Justin Gilbert, Joel Bitonio. Johnny Manziel is a quarterback out of Texas A&M. Justin Gilbert is a cornerback out of Oklahoma State. Joel Bitonio is an offensive lineman out of Nevada. This is probably one of the most controversial draft classes. Johnny Manziel had a history of legal trouble and it was clear he wanted to play for the Browns. This draft was a rollercoaster for us Browns fans. I would give this draft class a B-.
2015 Draft Class. We drafted Cameron Erving, Nate Orchard and Duke Johnson. Duke Johnson is a running back out of Miami (FL). Nate Orchard is an outside linebacker out of Utah. Cameron Erving is an offensive tackle from Florida State. Duke Johnson was a crowd favorite for the Browns. Erving and Orchard were good solid role players for the Browns. I would give this Class a B+.
The 2016 Draft class. We went 1-15 that season while only getting the 15th pick. They drafted Corey Coleman, Emmanuel Ogbah, and Carl Nassib. Corey Coleman is a wide receiver from Baylor. Emmanuel Ogbah is a defensive end out of Oklahoma State. Carl Nassib is a defensive end from Penn State. This draft class was a very weak class. I was highly disappointed in these picks. But we redeem ourselves in the next draft.
The 2017 Draft. We went 0-16 this season, this was the Brown Bag season. People would wear brown paper bags on their head in utter disappointment. But the draft saved us, we drafted Myles Garret, Jabril Peppers, David Njoku. Myles Garret is one of the best defensive ends in the league today. And came out of Texas A&M. David Njoku is our starting tight end out of Miami(FL). And Jabril Peppers was looking like a good safety out of Michigan. This was a great draft class. I would grade it an A+.
The 2018 class. Our drafts lately have been super good. Back to back drafts have set up the future. With Baker Mayfield a quarterback out of Oklahoma, Denzel Ward a cornerback out of Ohio State, and Nick Chubb a running back out of Georgia. This draft class has set up the franchise. I would also grade this draft an A +. I interviewed my dad, Chris Szynal. I asked him which draft class has been the best in the last 10 years. He responded with, He said, “I would have to say the 2018 class, because of the talent and how many starters we have. Baker is our quarterback, Chubb is our running back, and Ward is a leader on the defensive side.”
Next is the 2019 Draft Class. The best players were Greedy Williams and Mack Wilson. Greedy Mack is a cornerback from LSU. And Mack Wilson is a linebacker out of Alabama, this was a bad draft in general. I would grade it a D. The 2020 Draft Class is up next. We decided to pick up Donovan Peoples-Jones, Nick Harris, and Jordan Elliot. These are role players for the team. And on the playoff run we needed these players.
After that 2018-2019 season, he was named as the head coach for the Cleveland Browns. The next season everyone was hoping they could get a wild card spot. At the end of that season the Dawg Pound was disappointed after going 6-10. Later there was news that he was fired. Everyone was in shock. When he got fired I interviewed my mom, Amy Lare about the organization's decision. She said, “It was looking promising for the Browns as Freddie was the coach. I thought that he could be our franchise coach.”
Next we hired a guy named Kevin Stafanski. The ex Minnesota coach. No one really knew who he was and how good he was. Little did we know he was a genius. After the regular season was over we were 11-5. And got a wildcard spot. Who would have known we would make the playoffs with a brand new coach. Before the wildcard game Kevin Stefanski caught covid and wasn’t able to go to the game. Apparently when the game started he turned off his phone, turned on the tv, and watched the game like a regular Browns fan in his basement. I think we have our franchise coach now.
Overall the Browns have had a rollercoaster team for the past 20 years. But we still love them and the fans. The organization has been doing a fantastic job so far. And we can't wait to see where they will take us. The Super Bowl? But in reality we are just a team that has hit the head of the hammer on the nail. And we are just now starting to take off.