NFL Team Profiles: Cleveland Browns

Cleveland is home to the Cleveland Browns, a well known American football team. They participate in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the North Division of the American Football Conference (AFC). They are named after their co-founder and first coach, Paul Brown. 

 

The Cleveland Browns have had a very turbulent playing history in the NFL. Thus, it is worth looking at the NFL money lines for the Cleveland Browns when making any bets on this team. However, to gain a better understanding of this team, we have created this simple team profile.

 

Read on to learn everything you need to know about the Cleveland Browns. 

Origins Of The Cleveland Browns

The Brown’s were created in 1944 as a founding squad of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) by Arthur B. McBride. They then started to compete in 1946. 

 

The Browns led the AAFC, amassing a record of 47-4-3 and claiming the league’s championship in each of the four seasons. The Browns, in addition to the Baltimore Colts and the San Francisco 49ers, joined the NFL after the AAFC disbanded following the 1949 season. 

 

The Browns competed in their division championship game in every finale of their initial 10 years of existence, winning seven of those games. A feat unmatched in any of the major professional sports in North America. The Browns won a title in their debut NFL season, in addition to the 1954, 1955, and 1964 seasons.

 

They were eligible to participate in the NFL playoffs around 14 times between 1965 and 1995. Yet, they failed to win another championship or make it to the Super Bowl during that time.

 

Owner Art Modell, who bought the Browns in 1961, revealed plans to relocate the squad to Baltimore in 1995. An agreement was struck in early 1996 that allowed Modell to launch the Baltimore Ravens while keeping the contracts of all Browns employees after legal threats from the city of Cleveland and supporters. 

 

The Browns’ trademarks, including their name, logos, stadium, and historical data, were maintained in trust. The Browns didn’t really play again until 1999. 

Cleveland Browns NFL Success

The Browns have had trouble succeeding since they resumed operations in 1999, particularly in the 2010s. They have only won more than one-third of their games overall. Overall, they have only ever had three successful seasons in 2002, 2007, and 2020. In addition to  2 playoff appearances in 2002 and 2020, and one postseason victory (2020).

 

The team’s lack of consistency with head coaches is a factor for this. They’ve had 10 full-time, plus two who were dismissed after just one season, and 2 temporary since 1999. The Browns have also had trouble with quarterbacks, as they have signed 34 different starters since 1999.

 

The Browns endured a 17-season postseason drought from 2003 to 2019 that ended with the 2020 campaign. They are one of four teams without a Super Bowl appearance. However, you should keep up to date with the NFL news, to see how they are doing this season. 

Cleveland Browns Stadium

FirstEnergy Stadium, where the Browns host their home games, was built in 1999. Brown, white and orange are the official club colors. The Cleveland Browns stand out from the other 32 NFL teams since their helmets lack a logo.

 

The Cleveland Browns are known for being able to easily fill their stadium for all of their home games. In fact, a study in 2006 discovered that the Browns supporters are the most devoted in the NFL. It was discovered that Brown supporters will fill 99.8% of seats in the stadium. 

Cleveland Brown Rivalries

Most NFL teams have a couple of rivalries, and this team is no different. Below we have explained a couple of their most well known rivalries that you can still witness today. 

 

Pittsburgh Steelers – The Pittsburgh Steelers have long been the Browns’ main enemy in what is referred to as the “Turnpike Rivalry.” From 1964 to 1970, previous Browns president Art Modell arranged home games versus the Steelers on Saturday evenings to promote the rivalry.

 

 It is the longest rivalry in the AFC and the fifth-oldest in the NFL because the teams have played twice a year since 1950.

 

Baltimore Ravens – The animosity between both the Baltimore Ravens and Browns, which was sparked by the turmoil surrounding the Browns’ move, was mostly focused on Art Modell rather than the team. It is now just seen as a divisional matchup in Baltimore. However, these two squads have never faced off in the postseason.

 

Detroit Lions – Throughout the 1950s, when the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions faced off in 4 NFL Championship Games, their rivalry was born. In the 1950s, this was perhaps one of the NFL’s great rivalries. The clubs have played each other less frequently since the NFL and AFL merged in 1970. 

 

The “Great Lakes Classic” was an annual preseason match between the two teams from 2002 until 2014.

Conclusion 

The Cleveland Browns have had a rocky history within the NFL. They are one of few teams that have ever made it to the Super Bowl finale. We hope this article has made it clearer on whom the Cleveland Browns are.