It’s the Cade York Principle.

“I promise you, it was going in if the guy didn’t block it,” the Browns rookie kicker said after his 60-yard field-goal attempt was rejected by Baltimore Ravens linebacker and ex-Ohio Stater Malik Harrison with 1:59 left, thus all but sealing the deal in a 23-20 loss last Sunday.

That’s an unbelievable comment. Talk about a losing mentality.

As the sayings go, “If ifs and nuts were candy and nuts, oh, what a Christmas it would be,” and “If a snake had legs, he wouldn’t crawl around on its belly all the time.”

But they aren’t candy and nuts, and snakes don’t have legs.

What if his way of thinking — the Cade York Principle — was applied to other dubious moments in Browns history?

“I promise you, Earnest Byner was going to score a touchdown against the Denver Broncos in the final minutes of the 1987 AFC Championship Game to tie the score 31-31 if he hadn’t fumbled the ball away at the 3-yard-line.”

“I promise you, the Browns were going to win the 1986 AFC title game 20-13 if Denver quarterback John Elway hadn’t directed his team on a 15-play, 98-yard touchdown drive in the final five minutes to tie the score and force overtime.”

“I promise you, the Browns, trailing the Oakland Raiders 14-12 in the final minute of the 1980 AFC divisional playoffs, would have had Don Cockcroft kick the winning field-goal if quarterback Brian Sipe’s pass into the end zone intended for tight end Ozzie Newsome hadn’t been intercepted by Mike Davis.”

“I promise you, the Browns, ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers 33-27 late in the 2002 AFC wild-card playoffs, would have gotten a first down to clinch the victory if wide receiver Dennis Northcutt, who didn’t have a defender within 15 yards of him, had not dropped quarterback Kelly Holcomb’s right-on-target third-down pass.”

Steve King