New Browns envious of old Browns

By STEVE KING

The mistake about Doug Dieken’s time with the Browns was more than a mistake.

Indeed, that the Browns, in putting out a recent story about their broadcasting teams for their preseason games, had the wrong number of seasons that Dieken served as the color analyst on the team’s radio network, provided a window into the soul of this reborn franchise. The people running the expansion Browns franchise don’t care one bit about the original franchise. To them, that franchise, which existed for 50 seasons, from 1946-95, is a non-entity. To them their Browns are the only franchise that counts.

The 11 seasons Dieken spent with the original franchise, giving him 34 overall with the club, are the ones that weren’t counted, either by mistake — not! — or on purpose (yes!). It was only the 23 he was with the “new” Browns.

Hmmm.

The present Browns acknowledge the original Browns only when it benefits them, not because it’s the proper — and professional — thing to do, or historically responsible and accurate.

The new Browns are oh, so jealous of the original Browns because the first franchise was highly successful, being one of the pillars of the NFL, while the current Browns have stumbled around like a punch-drunk fighter.

My advice to the current Browns has been consistent: you guys should spend more time copying the original Browns instead of distancing yourselves from them. If you want to carve out a niche for yourself, then do so by winning, not necessarily by trading for a quarterback who, in the minds of a good number of people, should be forced to register as a sex offender.

Just sayin’.

Yeah, sometimes the truth really hurts.

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