Confessions of a Turncoat Jet Fan
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Do a google on Otto Graham. Second to Jim Brown the greatest Browns player in the history of the franchise and one of the best QB's to ever play the game. He's in the hall of fame and has several NFL records. I'll tell ya a little story since we're talking about the past.
I grew up in Sarasota FL and in the early 90's in fifth grade had my browns football cards in class and was drawing Browns logos and what not. My teacher asked me why I was interested in the Browns? You know how the early 90's were the Browns stunk, no one was a Browns fan in FL everyone loved the 9ers Cowboys and Raiders. So I told her I was from Dayton Ohio and my family raised me a Browns fan. She then told me she had a surprise for me the next day, I had no idea what she was talking about.
The next day came and she gave me an autographed black & white picture of a man posing throwing a football, looked a bit like the heisman pose. She said here ya go. I was like, thanks? Not knowing who the hell this guy was or what the hell this was about? The autograph read from an old Browns player to a young Browns fan. She then told me this is my father, his names Otto Graham. I still had no idea who this guy was and said thanks. That night I called my grandfather and uncles who basicly were the ones responsible for me becoming a Browns fan at birth.
I asked them who Otto Graham was and they dropped the phone! After picking it up they told me he's the greatest QB to ever play for the Browns and one the best to ever play the game. I then went to the library and got a book about Otto reading about his accomplishments at West Point being All American in basketball and football as well as his dominance in football winning ten championships with the Browns.
That week I told my teacher that I'd read about her father Otto and how amazing his career as a Browns player was to me. She told me she had one more surprise, he was going to come that friday during recess to throw football with my friends and I, I was exstatic! When he came that day I was so nervous to not drop any of the passes. I played football and played WR on offense and LB on defense, so I had very good hands and caught everything he threw me. It was a true honor to meet him and he was a very kind and generous man. Since that day, no matter what happens if the browns go 0-16 for the rest of the franchise history I will always be a Browns fan and am thankful I got to meet and catch passes from one of the greatest QB's of all time, the great Otto Graham.
Do a google on Otto Graham. Second to Jim Brown the greatest Browns player in the history of the franchise and one of the best QB's to ever play the game. He's in the hall of fame and has several NFL records. I'll tell ya a little story since we're talking about the past.
I grew up in Sarasota FL and in the early 90's in fifth grade had my browns football cards in class and was drawing Browns logos and what not. My teacher asked me why I was interested in the Browns? You know how the early 90's were the Browns stunk, no one was a Browns fan in FL everyone loved the 9ers Cowboys and Raiders. So I told her I was from Dayton Ohio and my family raised me a Browns fan. She then told me she had a surprise for me the next day, I had no idea what she was talking about.
The next day came and she gave me an autographed black & white picture of a man posing throwing a football, looked a bit like the heisman pose. She said here ya go. I was like, thanks? Not knowing who the hell this guy was or what the hell this was about? The autograph read from an old Browns player to a young Browns fan. She then told me this is my father, his names Otto Graham. I still had no idea who this guy was and said thanks. That night I called my grandfather and uncles who basicly were the ones responsible for me becoming a Browns fan at birth.
I asked them who Otto Graham was and they dropped the phone! After picking it up they told me he's the greatest QB to ever play for the Browns and one the best to ever play the game. I then went to the library and got a book about Otto reading about his accomplishments at West Point being All American in basketball and football as well as his dominance in football winning ten championships with the Browns.
That week I told my teacher that I'd read about her father Otto and how amazing his career as a Browns player was to me. She told me she had one more surprise, he was going to come that friday during recess to throw football with my friends and I, I was exstatic! When he came that day I was so nervous to not drop any of the passes. I played football and played WR on offense and LB on defense, so I had very good hands and caught everything he threw me. It was a true honor to meet him and he was a very kind and generous man. Since that day, no matter what happens if the browns go 0-16 for the rest of the franchise history I will always be a Browns fan and am thankful I got to meet and catch passes from one of the greatest QB's of all time, the great Otto Graham.
If i make a movie, i'm taking that story, maybe i'll have Joe Namath be the guy or maybe i'll just keep it Otto Graham, but either way its a great story! Its good to love a team no matter how crappy, i just don't like rooting for a team that plays for the money, the jets are becoming that team.
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Holy hell, Ithika, that is an incredible story. Thanks for sharing.
Turncoat, you will quickly learn to love the Orange and Brown. First of all, NO ONE dares to wear our colors but us, and that right there should tell you something about how special the Orange and Brown are. Second, the Orange and Brown are recognized by real football fans everywhere and are treated with respect by those who understand what real football is and what real football fans are all about. Third, you are an Orangeman so you should feel right at home in orange; you'll find the brown is a natural fit.
As for players, in addition to Kosar, Mack and Web-star, you also need to know the names of Clay Matthews, Earnest Byner, Reggie Langhorne, Hanford Dixon, Frank Minnifield, Bob Golic, Carl "Big Daddy" Hairston, Michael Dean Perry and many other greats of the 80's (my generation of Browns greats).
You are on track with hating the Steelers and Ravens. The Steelers -- and especially their fans -- we hate but with a mixture of pity and good humor, knowing how pathetic their lives are and how it took an historic heist of our team and a bumbling rebuilding process in order for them to ascend to their current place. (They won't be there too much longer, make no mistake.) The Ravens -- and their thieving city and fans -- we hate with the fury of a thousand suns (most of us, anyway) and view them with utter scorn. Their souls are as black as their mascot.
You also must keep a special place of derision in your heart for the Broncos, for what they did to us in '86. Though not quite raising to the level of hate, a strong distaste for the sight of that damn "D" is required. (Luckily, with their uniform change, we don't have quite the same reaction to them anymore.)
As for the current team, you nailed it with Thomas and Steinbach. I think Winslow could still be a great player and team leader if he's inspired and made to feel like he's valued. Cribbs is a beast, as you know, as is Big Baby Shaun Rogers who was worth everything we gave up to get him this year. D'Qwell Jackson is starting to look legit and though he's struggled, we're holding out hope for Kamerion Wimbley's resurgence.
Good to have another co-sufferer...er...fellow fan along for the ride.
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Holy hell, Ithika, that is an incredible story. Thanks for sharing.
Turncoat, you will quickly learn to love the Orange and Brown. First of all, NO ONE dares to wear our colors but us, and that right there should tell you something about how special the Orange and Brown are. Second, the Orange and Brown are recognized by real football fans everywhere and are treated with respect by those who understand what real football is and what real football fans are all about. Third, you are an Orangeman so you should feel right at home in orange; you'll find the brown is a natural fit.
As for players, in addition to Kosar, Mack and Web-star, you also need to know the names of Clay Matthews, Earnest Byner, Reggie Langhorne, Hanford Dixon, Frank Minnifield, Bob Golic, Carl "Big Daddy" Hairston, Michael Dean Perry and many other greats of the 80's (my generation of Browns greats).
You are on track with hating the Steelers and Ravens. The Steelers -- and especially their fans -- we hate but with a mixture of pity and good humor, knowing how pathetic their lives are and how it took an historic heist of our team and a bumbling rebuilding process in order for them to ascend to their current place. (They won't be there too much longer, make no mistake.) The Ravens -- and their thieving city and fans -- we hate with the fury of a thousand suns (most of us, anyway) and view them with utter scorn. Their souls are as black as their mascot.
You also must keep a special place of derision in your heart for the Broncos, for what they did to us in '86. Though not quite raising to the level of hate, a strong distaste for the sight of that damn "D" is required. (Luckily, with their uniform change, we don't have quite the same reaction to them anymore.)
As for the current team, you nailed it with Thomas and Steinbach. I think Winslow could still be a great player and team leader if he's inspired and made to feel like he's valued. Cribbs is a beast, as you know, as is Big Baby Shaun Rogers who was worth everything we gave up to get him this year. D'Qwell Jackson is starting to look legit and though he's struggled, we're holding out hope for Kamerion Wimbley's resurgence.
Good to have another co-sufferer...er...fellow fan along for the ride.
Holy hell, Ithika, that is an incredible story. Thanks for sharing.
Turncoat, you will quickly learn to love the Orange and Brown. First of all, NO ONE dares to wear our colors but us, and that right there should tell you something about how special the Orange and Brown are. Second, the Orange and Brown are recognized by real football fans everywhere and are treated with respect by those who understand what real football is and what real football fans are all about. Third, you are an Orangeman so you should feel right at home in orange; you'll find the brown is a natural fit.
As for players, in addition to Kosar, Mack and Web-star, you also need to know the names of Clay Matthews, Earnest Byner, Reggie Langhorne, Hanford Dixon, Frank Minnifield, Bob Golic, Carl "Big Daddy" Hairston, Michael Dean Perry and many other greats of the 80's (my generation of Browns greats).
You are on track with hating the Steelers and Ravens. The Steelers -- and especially their fans -- we hate but with a mixture of pity and good humor, knowing how pathetic their lives are and how it took an historic heist of our team and a bumbling rebuilding process in order for them to ascend to their current place. (They won't be there too much longer, make no mistake.) The Ravens -- and their thieving city and fans -- we hate with the fury of a thousand suns (most of us, anyway) and view them with utter scorn. Their souls are as black as their mascot.
You also must keep a special place of derision in your heart for the Broncos, for what they did to us in '86. Though not quite raising to the level of hate, a strong distaste for the sight of that damn "D" is required. (Luckily, with their uniform change, we don't have quite the same reaction to them anymore.)
As for the current team, you nailed it with Thomas and Steinbach. I think Winslow could still be a great player and team leader if he's inspired and made to feel like he's valued. Cribbs is a beast, as you know, as is Big Baby Shaun Rogers who was worth everything we gave up to get him this year. D'Qwell Jackson is starting to look legit and though he's struggled, we're holding out hope for Kamerion Wimbley's resurgence.
Good to have another co-sufferer...er...fellow fan along for the ride.
The browns are a nice fit for sure, i went to the Browns Vs. Bengals game in the Nati a few seasons ago and i had a good time laughing at the bengals loosing so thats a nice bonus. I'm not conmfortable rooting for a dominant team, i like the underdog. All my teams The Orangemen, Brewers, Knicks and Rangers have pretty much stunk my whole like, the Rangers won a bit in 1994 and i haven't cared about the knicks since 99 either so not much to carea bout there, i invest most of my time in the Brewers and Jets but the whole point of this post and journey is, i simply am tired of rooting for the Jets, i dont even like the team anymore. Favre is a fraud although he's a gamer but the Jets owner is a total trust fund baby looser. The Jets would have gone 11-5 this season with Pennington but they sold their soul for Brett Favre and it cost them (although Pennington is nothing special believe me most Jet fans would prefer Brady Quinn)
As for Brown, Bring it on, Orange is a great match and i agree, football is about things like the Dog Pound and Mud Bowls and Crap Weather and all out war, glitz and glamor like the cowgirls flat pisses me off, and it will be very easy to keep hating pittsburg baltimore and denver. I hate denver anyway, always have, didn't like Elway and i didn't like Shanahan.
You guys are a fun bunch to talk football with, i look forward to getting in on the conversation.
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You'll love the Brownies, Turncoat. They're simply adorable with their orange helmets and their woof, woof, woof.
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i'll root for mangini's brown too, except when it concerns the jets, sorry i cannot leave the jets too much emotional attachment to them
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Nice post JTC....we...well, most of us welcome new fans, and even fans of other teams if they come over here as fans wanting to talk some football in a reasonable manner(some ribbing allowed) but not showing up to just talk smack and tell us how bad our team is(like we don't know that)
I don't even mind bandwagon fans if their reasons are true...I call them casual fans..fans of the team who might not be rabid fans, but guys who do like the team for one reason or another and do pay attention to most of the goings on...I myself would fall into that category and could be called a casual Titans fan. They play 110 miles up the road, are the in state team, are a decent team, and are on TV all the time.....but the Browns is my true unyielding loyalty.
Sure fill us in with all you know, and you are welcome no matter what level of fandom you achieve following this team....and I suspect the Jets are still your team...you are just a little ticked right now....so when the two teams play again, I won't even hold it against you if you revert back and can't help but root for the Jets. I am not one of these people who view team colors as flags and people wearing the other jersey is somehow the enemy. Sports wouldn't exist if you didn't have different fans and different teams....we are all Americans.
Welcome
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i'll root for mangini's brown too, except when it concerns the jets, sorry i cannot leave the jets too much emotional attachment to them
i'll root for mangini's brown too, except when it concerns the jets, sorry i cannot leave the jets too much emotional attachment to them
As I said in my last post...that is fine with me and respect that position....in sports, things don't have to be all or nothing.
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Great story Ithica....Otto lived down there for years.
My MIL has lived down there (Venice) many years and I had a similar experience maybe 20 years ago.
We were out for a quick lunch and I was wearing a Browns hat. I was sitting there with my wife waiting for our food when this older guy walked up to tell me he liked my hat...my jaw about dropped...it was Otto. We chatted for a few minutes and I had him sign the hat.
I would have never known he was in the place, but I guess he noticed the hat when I walked in and made it a point to say hello on his way out after finishing his meal.
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Who are the all time Brown greats, besides Jim Brown (whom i already love being a Syracuse Graduate class of 2000) - if your 30 who do you consider the best guys to play in your life.
Here is a good place to start
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i'll root for mangini's brown too, except when it concerns the jets, sorry i cannot leave the jets too much emotional attachment to them
i'll root for mangini's brown too, except when it concerns the jets, sorry i cannot leave the jets too much emotional attachment to them
i never said i can go cold turkey on the jets, its like an ex girlfriend that you broke up with even though you still like her, you still want to know what she is doing, you just don't want to spend every day miserable with her drama. I just want to talk Football with some real passionate fans who i respect, that are not bandwagon fans and that aren't idiotic hot heads like i find on the jets boards. When the Jets and Browns play i'll expect the Jets to loose like always, but i can't say who i'll root for, its too early in this process for me. But what i will say is i've had more enjoyment talking browns football (i'm even starting a browns madden franchise) in a week then i have talking jets football in 20 years.
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Do a google on Otto Graham. Second to Jim Brown the greatest Browns player in the history of the franchise and one of the best QB's to ever play the game. He's in the hall of fame and has several NFL records. I'll tell ya a little story since we're talking about the past.
I grew up in Sarasota FL and in the early 90's in fifth grade had my browns football cards in class and was drawing Browns logos and what not. My teacher asked me why I was interested in the Browns? You know how the early 90's were the Browns stunk, no one was a Browns fan in FL everyone loved the 9ers Cowboys and Raiders. So I told her I was from Dayton Ohio and my family raised me a Browns fan. She then told me she had a surprise for me the next day, I had no idea what she was talking about.
The next day came and she gave me an autographed black & white picture of a man posing throwing a football, looked a bit like the heisman pose. She said here ya go. I was like, thanks? Not knowing who the hell this guy was or what the hell this was about? The autograph read from an old Browns player to a young Browns fan. She then told me this is my father, his names Otto Graham. I still had no idea who this guy was and said thanks. That night I called my grandfather and uncles who basicly were the ones responsible for me becoming a Browns fan at birth.
I asked them who Otto Graham was and they dropped the phone! After picking it up they told me he's the greatest QB to ever play for the Browns and one the best to ever play the game. I then went to the library and got a book about Otto reading about his accomplishments at West Point being All American in basketball and football as well as his dominance in football winning ten championships with the Browns.
That week I told my teacher that I'd read about her father Otto and how amazing his career as a Browns player was to me. She told me she had one more surprise, he was going to come that friday during recess to throw football with my friends and I, I was exstatic! When he came that day I was so nervous to not drop any of the passes. I played football and played WR on offense and LB on defense, so I had very good hands and caught everything he threw me. It was a true honor to meet him and he was a very kind and generous man. Since that day, no matter what happens if the browns go 0-16 for the rest of the franchise history I will always be a Browns fan and am thankful I got to meet and catch passes from one of the greatest QB's of all time, the great Otto Graham.
Do a google on Otto Graham. Second to Jim Brown the greatest Browns player in the history of the franchise and one of the best QB's to ever play the game. He's in the hall of fame and has several NFL records. I'll tell ya a little story since we're talking about the past.
I grew up in Sarasota FL and in the early 90's in fifth grade had my browns football cards in class and was drawing Browns logos and what not. My teacher asked me why I was interested in the Browns? You know how the early 90's were the Browns stunk, no one was a Browns fan in FL everyone loved the 9ers Cowboys and Raiders. So I told her I was from Dayton Ohio and my family raised me a Browns fan. She then told me she had a surprise for me the next day, I had no idea what she was talking about.
The next day came and she gave me an autographed black & white picture of a man posing throwing a football, looked a bit like the heisman pose. She said here ya go. I was like, thanks? Not knowing who the hell this guy was or what the hell this was about? The autograph read from an old Browns player to a young Browns fan. She then told me this is my father, his names Otto Graham. I still had no idea who this guy was and said thanks. That night I called my grandfather and uncles who basicly were the ones responsible for me becoming a Browns fan at birth.
I asked them who Otto Graham was and they dropped the phone! After picking it up they told me he's the greatest QB to ever play for the Browns and one the best to ever play the game. I then went to the library and got a book about Otto reading about his accomplishments at West Point being All American in basketball and football as well as his dominance in football winning ten championships with the Browns.
That week I told my teacher that I'd read about her father Otto and how amazing his career as a Browns player was to me. She told me she had one more surprise, he was going to come that friday during recess to throw football with my friends and I, I was exstatic! When he came that day I was so nervous to not drop any of the passes. I played football and played WR on offense and LB on defense, so I had very good hands and caught everything he threw me. It was a true honor to meet him and he was a very kind and generous man. Since that day, no matter what happens if the browns go 0-16 for the rest of the franchise history I will always be a Browns fan and am thankful I got to meet and catch passes from one of the greatest QB's of all time, the great Otto Graham.
Greatest story ever.
...and welcome aboard, JTC. Juke's post on guidelines for learning & understanding the Browns is nails.
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i'll root for mangini's brown too, except when it concerns the jets, sorry i cannot leave the jets too much emotional attachment to them
i never said i can go cold turkey on the jets, its like an ex girlfriend that you broke up with even though you still like her, you still want to know what she is doing, you just don't want to spend every day miserable with her drama. I just want to talk Football with some real passionate fans who i respect, that are not bandwagon fans and that aren't idiotic hot heads like i find on the jets boards. When the Jets and Browns play i'll expect the Jets to loose like always, but i can't say who i'll root for, its too early in this process for me. But what i will say is i've had more enjoyment talking browns football (i'm even starting a browns madden franchise) in a week then i have talking jets football in 20 years.
i never said i can go cold turkey on the jets, its like an ex girlfriend that you broke up with even though you still like her, you still want to know what she is doing, you just don't want to spend every day miserable with her drama. I just want to talk Football with some real passionate fans who i respect, that are not bandwagon fans and that aren't idiotic hot heads like i find on the jets boards. When the Jets and Browns play i'll expect the Jets to loose like always, but i can't say who i'll root for, its too early in this process for me. But what i will say is i've had more enjoyment talking browns football (i'm even starting a browns madden franchise) in a week then i have talking jets football in 20 years.
i can respect that, but when its browns v jets, i'll be all green and white
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