Cleansing The Browns Of All Their Past Demons - Wild Card Playoff Preview Presented By Skyhio

This Cleveland Browns preview is presented by Skyhio. Skyhio offers reduced prices on Delta 8 THC, a legal and more functional alternative to Delta 9 THC, which is the active component of marijuana. Head to Skyhio.com and check them out. Thank you to Skyhio! 

Head to Skyhio.com and check them out. Thank you to Skyhio!
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I can't believe it's here, folks. The Browns are back in the NFL Playoffs for the first time since the 2002-2003 season.

1) That's fucking exciting as hell. Even for someone as pessimistic as me, I couldn't be happier right now. I've been a Browns fan my whole life, raised to be one by my Cleveland-born dad. We've watched countless seasons of trash, including a stretch of the team going 1-31 just a few years ago. Today is a day long-desired.

2) The situation fucking stinks. It sucks, I won't beat around the bush. For the first time in nearly 20 years, the Browns are in the Playoffs and this is the status of the team:
- Number of practices since Dec. 27th: 3 (maybe 4?)
- Head Coach Kevin Stefanski - Out (COVID)
- Offensive Line Coach Bill Callahan - Out (COVID)
- Assistant Offensive Line Coach Scott Peters - Out (COVID)
- All-Pro OG Joel Bitonio - Out (COVID)
- Pro Bowl CB Denzel Ward - Out (COVID)
- WR KhaDarel Hodge - Out (COVID)
- CB Kevin Johnson - Out (COVID)
- All-Pro OT Jack Conklin - Questionable (Illness)
- All-Pro DE Myles Garrett - Questionable (Shoulder)
- All-Pro OG Watt Teller - Questionable (Ankle)

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Some of this evens out, as the Steelers have lost a few key guys this season. The Browns also activated a handful of key players yesterday, as well. While the Steelers had their stars out last weekend, not enough stock was put into the fact the Browns didn't really practice, or the fact they were missing all but one of their linebackers, cornerbacks, and safeties. The point being, I don't think last week was a great indication of what to expect tonight for either side.

With all that said, there is no denying the Browns are down. The Steelers have their big guns back, and the Browns are outmanned.

But fuck that shit. I'm not going to spend the first Playoff gameday in 18 years thinking the Browns have no chance. It'll be an uphill battle, and there is a chance a few more key pieces (OT Jack Conklin) are ruled out tonight. But I am fired up and ready to go.

This won't be your normal preview that I usually toss out every Sunday. No analysis, no prediction, just hype. We need to rid ourselves of the demons of Cleveland Browns past, though. The Browns need some extra power tonight…

Let's talk about some of the worst of the worst over the years, before maybe, just maybe, seeing some of the best of the best tonight.

BROWNS BLOW 14-POINT LEAD IN FINAL 30 SECONDS
November 4th, 2001 - Bears def. Browns, 27-21 (OT)

Chicago Bears fans old enough to remember this game will recall Mike Brown's stretch of winning games for the team with game-winning pick-sixes, but Browns fans will remember this as the first domino in a terrible 2001 collapse. The Browns would go from 4-2 to 4-3 and finish the season at 7-9, obviously missing the Playoffs. I didn't get to watch the game as I lived in Connecticut at the time, but I did see the score quickly change from "great" to "shit." Back in 2001, I was a naive 10-year-old Browns fans… boy have we come a long way.

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DWAYNE RUDD THROWS HELMET, BROWNS LOSE SEASON OPENER
September 8th, 2002 - Chiefs def. Browns, 40-39

This game is up there with the worst Browns moments of anyone's lifetime. Since returning to the league in 1999, the Browns are 1-20-1 in Week 1 opening games.The Dwayne Rudd Helmet Game might be the most egregious of them all. In the end, the Browns ended up making the Playoffs, but only by a hair, and this absurd way to lose knocked them out of the AFC North race.

BROWNS MISS WINNER, BLOCK STEELERS WINNER… BUT THEY KICK AGAIN
September 29th, 2002 - Steelers def. Browns, 23-20

People often forget about this game, but it was another piece of the Browns season that helped stop them from grabbing the division against the Steelers. This was the Tommy Maddox Game for the Steelers, where he took the reigns from Kordell Stewart and then never gave them back. The Browns blew a late lead, missed a 45-yard field goal to win in OT, and then the unthinkable… they blocked the Steelers' game-winning kick… only for the Steelers to get another chance because they kicked on 2nd down and recovered the blocked field goal that never crossed the line of scrimmage. Fucked up, I know. It was also a season in which the Browns fumbled away a home game to a bad Panthers team, lost another close game to the Steelers, and blew a fourth-quarter lead to the Colts in Week 15. It all led to this…

BROWNS BLOW 17-POINT LEAD IN PLAYOFFS AT PITTSBURGH
September 29th, 2002 - Steelers def. Browns, 36-33

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Fuck this game. Fuck Tommy Maddox. Fuck Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala. Fuck that dropped Dennis Northcutt pass that would've sealed the game. This one will haunt me until they finally win a Playoff game.

BROWNS GO 10-6, MISS THE PLAYOFFS
2007-2008 Season

The Browns, with 10-wins, have a chance to clinch a Playoff spot in Week 16 against an inferior opponent, but lose? Where have I seen that story (THIS SEASON) before?

When it comes to pain, the 2007-2008 seasons was a heavy one for Browns fans. Despite some fun memories, a 95-point shootout with the Bengals, Phil Dawson's crazy field goal in Baltimore, the Snowmaggedon win against the Bills, and some more in-between, the Browns blew so many opportunities in the season that it has left a forever bad taste in the mouths of fans. They lost on a blocked field goal in Oakland early in the season after a timeout was called during a make, they blew a 16-point lead in Pittsburgh, they fumbled a game away against a mediocre Cardinals team.

I won't include this on the list, but you have to note that the 2007-2008 season heartbreak led into a 2008-2009 season in which the Browns were gifted five primetime games… and sucked ass with a 4-12 record.

Over the years the Browns have made some, uh, errors with the 22nd pick in the Draft. In 2007, they traded up for Brady Quinn, giving away a first-round pick in the process. Then in 2012, they used their pick from the previous Draft's Julio Jones trade to take Brandon Weeden (after taking Trent Richardson at number three overall). And then, as we all know, the Browns moved up a handful of spots in 2014 to select Johnny Manziel.

None panned out. Zero. They all either stunk or had very few positive flashes. This Brandon Weeden throw taking the cake…

Years later, it's funny. I am laughing.

One thing that was always baffling with the Browns was the fact they were bad, but never quite bad enough. They went from 2001 through 2016 without ever grabbing the number one overall pick.

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BROWNS START SEASON 7-4, LOSE THEIR FINAL FIVE GAMES
2014-2015 Season 

This Browns season felt different. All of the hype from the Johnny Manziel Draft went into the season (Josh Gordon got suspended the following day, that should've been a sign), but it was Brian Hoyer who led the team to a great record. Even with a few heart-breaking losses early to the Steelers (they even lost All-Pro Center Alex Mack for the season) and Ravens, the Browns had a statement win against the Bengals in Cincinnati on Thursday Night Football in the middle of the season to prove they were contenders.

Then, all of a sudden, they weren't!

Brian Hoyer began to stink, Manziel played and was awful, then he got in trouble. It was a fucking mess.

BROWNS GO 1-31 OVER THE SPAN OF TWO SEASONS
2016-2017 & 2017-2018 Seasons 

They went fucking 1-31.

…and then they didn't fire Hue Jackson.

This was a pathetic era for the Browns. The players weren't good. They had weird hype going into each season. Not Playoff hype, but that they maybe improved. Robert Griffin III revival? Nope. DeShone Kizer? Nope.

There weren't any positive moments whatsoever, except maybe the fact it got them Myles Garrett, Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward, and Nick Chubb.

BROWNS ENTER SEASON WITH HYPE, STINK, GO 6-10
2019-2020 Season

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This game and season had such a great start. The Browns executed a beautiful first drive, scoring a touchdown… and then it went to shit as the Browns lost 43-13 to the Titans. It's easy to figure out the name for this season: the Freddie Kitchens Season. Browns fans, and the organization, were fucking bamboozled. Freddie Kitchens ended up not being anything that he seemed to be in their previous promising 7-9 season. Everything about the 2019-2020 season was downright fucking embarrassing, but…

OFFICIALLY CLEANSED

…it definitely ended up helping the Browns become what they are today, a Playoff team.

The culture has changed. The quarterback has improved. The vibe is positive.

There is no question that the hurdle is big tonight, but win, or lose, the Browns are back in the Playoffs and I cannot wait for tonight's game.

LET'S. FUCKING. GO. BROWNS.