This won’t be that long.

It doesn’t have to be.

Longtime Browns fans will know right away where I’m going with this, and will truly get it.

For the rest of you, just take our word for it.

I went back and watched – again – Clay Matthews’ interception against the Cincinnati Bengals in 1987 that I discussed the other day. It’s the one in which Matthews returned it 36 yards and then lateraled to defensive tackle “Big Daddy” Carl Hairston, who rambled 40 more for a 76-yard play that was huge in the Browns’ late-season 38-24 win at Cleveland Stadium.

Former Browns head coach Sam Rutigliano was the color analyst for NBC’s telecast of the game and, not surprisingly, did a great job of breaking the play down, having to practically yell to be heard over the noise.

Indeed, the crowd – a sellout of 77,331 – roared so loud that the old stadium shook. It, it actually shook. It used to happen all the time. You could see it as the camera slightly vibrated along with the place when Big Daddy finally got tackled and his teammates, laughing like crazy and jumping up and down, rushed to embrace him.

Seeing all that in yet another crucial home game played under gray skies, rekindled a lot of memories and provided the kind of excitement that brings tears to your eyes. I didn’t cry, mind you, Ms. T. My eyes water at this time of year because of the heat, don’t you know?

Oh, if only these current Browns – 35 years later — could bring a return of those happy times.