The Official Announcement of My NFL Fanship
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by user I am a cpcp
Two months ago, on this website, I denounced my fanship in the Cleveland Browns. The decision was based solely on the fact that I hate Brady Quinn, think he is a mediocre quarterback that was the product of a good system and didn’t think the Browns needed him, let alone should be putting the fate of their future in his hands.
I said some other things in my Dear John letter to the Brownies, things I didn’t mean, but the real reason I left was pure and simple Brady Quinn.
After much toil, analysis and article writing the time has come for me to declare my fanship for the 2007-08 NFL season and continuing forward from there. Before I announce my decision, I’d like to thank everyone for their interest, support and suggestions through this difficult time.
It’s not easy being a sports fan without a team. Luckily, the Cavs’ season went longer than ever and the Indians have been keeping things interesting as well and it has kept me keep my mind off the football-shaped void in my life.
Without further ado, the moment has come, here we go, there’s no time like the present… I’d like to announce that from this point on I will be supporting the Cleveland Browns.
It turns out it was a trial separation, not a divorce.
After looking at every other NFL team and trying to convince myself that following them would be so much better (which some times wasn’t that hard) I’d always find myself thinking about the orange and brown. The unworn Ruben Droughns jersey hanging in my closet catches my eye every morning and I feel a pang of hurt in my heart.
The truth is deep down I wanted to be a Browns fan all along but I just could get that pretty boy’s face out of my head. My decision to stay with the Browns instead of going with a new team didn't have to do with anyone's comments (although again I appreciated all the feedback) and especially not because of the namecalling.
The deciding factor came when I found something that comforted me enough to keep myself in the Browns camp despite Quinn’s presence: if I’m right about Brady Quinn, I’ll only have to endure him for about two years.
I don’t think Quinn is going to make it in the NFL, so why am I worried about him being on the Browns? I’ve lived through how many other QB screw-ups by this franchise, what’s one more? The only difference is that I completely despised this guy from the start. Their handling of Charlie Frye proved that the Browns, like most teams, haven’t learned that a quarterback should sit out at least a year to get used to the new surroundings and situations.
It doesn’t even sound like the Browns are going to start Quinn as early as originally believed. The QB contest at the beginning of the season is between Frye and Derek Anderson.
I’m still a fan of the rest of the team and I haven’t given up on Romeo Crennel. I can put up with one guy I can’t stand. I got through the Aaron Boone era at Jacob’s Field, which wasn’t quite as bad, but I think I can still make it through this.
I’m not going to let Brady Quinn destroy my love of the Browns. I’ve been through so many worse things as a Cleveland sports fan; I’m going to man up and tolerate him. If I'm right, he'll be gone in a few years and this will all be forgotten. If I'm wrong and he becomes a perennial Pro Bowler in a Browns uniform I'll be a man, admit I was wrong and give the guy his due respect.
So hello, Cleveland Browns. I’m back and I’m back for good.
PS: If I would have chosen a new team, it would have been the Carolina Panthers.
