SAME TIME, THREE DECADES LATER

By STEVE KING

It was 30 years ago when the Denver Broncos three times ended the season for the Browns.

Those all came in the postseason, in the AFC Championship Game, because of a quarterback whose name will always be remembered in pro football history.

But it was early evening Sunday when the Broncos once again ended the season for the Browns. But it came in the middle of the regular season because of a quarterback whose name, unlike that of John Elway, will never be remembered in the annals of the game.

It was neophyte, virtual unknown Brandon Allen – Brandon Allen, for goodness sakes! – who, even though he had never thrown a pass in a game since a bowl appearance in college, led with his arm, legs and smarts the mediocre Broncos, previously lacking any kind of an offense, to a 24-19 win over the visiting Browns, effectively ending Cleveland’s season.

After the team that couldn’t beat the Browns if they had had any hopes of making this season special, beat them, they fell to 2-6 at the halfway point of the year. That’s worse than last season, when they were 2-5-1 at this point. Only this time, don’t expect some miracle comeback in the second half of the season.

 Instead, the Browns are barely breathing. Some would argue that they are not, as they are looking way up at the Baltimore Ravens and even the surging Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North. At the end of last season, the difference between the Browns and those two teams was razor-thin.

So where do the Browns go from here? Good question.

It appeared they had learned to win in the last half of last season. Now it appears they have forgotten all that. They seem lost, confused and severely lacking in confidence.

The Browns are all amiss.

And they are a mess.