How the Cleveland Browns Are Bucking NFL Convention
In trying to reverse a generation’s worth of losing, the team is loading up on stars and embracing the hype.
The NFL’s most heavily hyped team hasn’t had a winning season in a dozen years. The Cleveland Browns last made the playoffs in 2002 and last won a playoff game in 1995, when their then–head coach Bill Belichick led them to a Wild Card victory over the New England Patriots. In 2016, Cleveland won just once, and in 2017 not at all. Now the Browns are being spoken of as “true contenders” with “boundless possibilities” on the cusp of a potential “Golden Era.” Sports Illustrated has tabbed Cleveland to win 11 games and its division. One fan tattooed his leg in preemptive commemoration of a championship.
There’s reason for all the optimism.
