THE ONES WHO MAKE THE QUARTERBACKS LOOK GOOD

So, I’ve just rated the five best Browns quarterbacks in history.

With Pro Football Hall of Famer Otto Graham leading the way, followed by Bernie Kosar, who might have ended up in the HOF had he not blown out his elbow in the 1988 opener just as he was ready to become an elite passer, Frank Ryan, a whiz 50-plus years ago whose three touchdown passes led Cleveland to the NFL championship in 1964, Brian Sipe, the trigger man of the Kardiac Kids whose 1980 season was a sight to behold, Bill Nelsen, who was almost as productive as he was tough, and he was extremely tough, and Milt Plum, the picture of efficiency from 1958-61, the Browns have a quintet that can match up with the top five all-time quarterbacks of any franchise in pro football history.

But for these guys to be good, there had to be someone – in fact, a lot of someones — to catch the passes, especially at wide receiver, which, of course, is the position most targeted in any passing attack. A great-looking pass – a tight spiral that cuts through those tough, tricky winds coming off Lake Erie — means absolutely nothing if it ends up simply as an incompletion.

So who are those someones – at least the best of them?

That’s an interesting question.

Unlike the quarterbacks, where, as mentioned, Graham clearly stood out, and the running backs, where a guy by the name of Jim Brown was the undisputed king, there’s not a definitive No. 1 wide receiver.

Now, this is not to say the Browns have lacked a big-time wideout in their history. On the contrary, there are four of them who could claim that honor.

Two of them are Hall of Famers in Paul Warfield and Dante Lavelli.

Another, Gary Collins, should be enshrined there as well.

The last one, Mac Speedie, would likely in the HOF if he had played just a little longer in the NFL.

I’ll let you know which one I like best, and in what order the other three are, in my next post.