BROWNS PREDICTED TO WIN SUPER BOWL IN NEXT FIVE YEARS
By STEVE KING
I saw the title of the article on Friday morning, so, acting on a hunch, I checked it out.
And the hunch was right, which just about knocked me out.
In the sportsillustrated.com piece, entitled, “Which NFL Teams Will Win the Next Five Super Bowls,” two staff writers voted for the Browns.
Yes, that’s right, the Browns, as in the Cleveland Browns, your Cleveland Browns, who were a combined 1-31 in 2016 and ’17, including 0-16 in the latter season.
Yes, the Browns, who have had 11 consecutive losing seasons.
Yes, the Browns, who have had only two winning marks in the 20 seasons since they came back into the league in 1999.
Yes, the Browns, who have made the playoffs just once in this expansion era, that occurring in going on 17 years ago, in 2002.
Yes, indeed, the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns and Super Bowl champions in the same sentence. Believe it. Really, truly believe it.
Staffer Walter Klemko picked the Browns along with the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts. He described his selections this way:
“These picks are about the quarterbacks. The question might as well have been: Who do you think will be the Top 5 QBs over the next five years? I could see Tom Brady winning one more before his arm deteriorates to the extent that nobody is afraid of his deep ball (Note: I don’t want to rule out Brady failing to win another before retirement, and Belichick pulling off a title in 2023 with, say, Jacoby Brissett or Jimmy Garoppolo). Patrick Mahomes is too good not to have the Chiefs in the Super Bowl in the next two years. Post-Brady, his main competition in the AFC will be Andrew Luck’s Colts. If Carson Wentz can stay healthy for an entire season, the Eagles should represent the NFC in the Super Bowl again soon. My deep, deep projection is the Browns. John Dorsey is the NFL’s best roster builder in my opinion, and with the combination of Baker Mayfield and a fan base finally reaping the rewards of its loyalty in the dormant years, that team will be riding an emotional high for the next decade. The Rams aren’t on my list, but Sean McVay will eventually get a ring, whether it’s with Jared Goff in the near future or with another QB, further down the road. I could also see the Seahawks getting dominant soon, too.”
Mark Mravic chose the Browns, Patriots, Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams and New York Jets, but did not explain why.
That’s OK, however, for in picking the Browns, he doesn’t need to say anything more. That’s quite enough in itself, thank you very much.
