Cleveland resident Phil Steele is one of the best college and pro football analysts around.

In fact, especially with the college game, he may be the very best there is right now.

So when Steele talks football, I listen with both ears. That’s a lot of listening, if you know what I mean.

When Steele is a guest on ESPN Radio’s “Dory and Mel” show on Saturday mornings, he is always asked by hosts Dari Nowkhah and Mel Kiper Jr. about the struggling hometown Browns.

There’s not much Steele can say. That’s because there is not much anyone can say.

Nonetheless, Steele made a comment last Saturday that I thought said it best.

It’s just a simple comment. It includes two sentences, the latter one with a conjunction.

But it really sums up the situation well – as well, in fact, as I’ve heard in a long, long time.

“This is not Cleveland Browns football. I don’t know what this is, but it’s certainly not Cleveland Browns football,” Steele said.

You have to have a little gray in your hair – a remembrance of black and white TV, cars with big fins and Hula Hoops – to really understand, and appreciate, what Steele means by that.

This expansion era has been the nightmare of all nightmares for the Browns. That’s no secret to anyone.

But there was a time when the Browns were constantly competing for championships, and winning them.

Paul Brown. Jim Brown. Otto Graham. Dante Lavelli. Marion Motley, Lou Groza. Bill Willis. Frank Ryan. Gary Collins. Paul Warfield. Bobby Mitchell. Tommy James. Kenny Konz. Blanton Collier. Sam Rutigliano. Lindy Infante. Charlie Hall. Dub Jones. Brian Sipe. Dave Logan. Bob Gain. Walt Michaels. Ozzie Newsome. Gene Hickerson. Jerry Sherk. Michael Dean Perry. Hanford Dixon. Frank Minnifield. Bernie Kosar. Mike Johnson. Reggie Rucker. Tony Jones. Don Cockroft. Matt Bahr. Clay Matthews. Ernie Green. Jim Houston. Bernie Parrish. Mike Baab. Clarence Scott. Thom Darden. “Big Daddy” Carl Hairston. Al “Bubba” Baker. Brian Brennan. Reggie Langhorne. Greg Pruitt, Mike Pruitt. Cody Risien. Doug Dieken. Robert Jackson. Frank Gatski. Mac Speedie. Kevin Mack. Earnest Byner. Eric Metcalf. Horace Gillom. Abe Gibron.

Those are real people – all of them – and each one exuded greatness.

What they did – all those amazing things — is so far removed from the disaster going on now that it’s like night and day.

Every once in a while, that needs to be said, if only to make us feel a little better, add some perspective and perhaps even offer us a bit of hope that things won’t be like this forever.

And now – in the midst of another miserable season — is one of those times.