The 1999 Cleveland Expansion Team

[ShinobiMusashi]

After all these years am I the only one that has a slight issue with this franchise claiming to be the Browns? Kind of weird right? The team really has no ties to the original Browns that left Cleveland for Baltimore after the 1995 season. As far as I know there were no players on that 1999 roster that had played for the original Browns. I know with the Houston Texans in 2002 they at least had Gary Walker, who played as a rookie for the Oilers' final games in the Astrodome in 1996(Walker was the first Pro Bowler in Texans history that 2002 season). Am I the only one that is to the point with this franchise that they aren't worthy of all that proud Brown's history? You can clearly tell with the Ravens that they are the team with that historic lineage of Paul Brown, Jim Brown, the AAFC titles, the NFL titles in the 50's and 1964. The Cleveland Browns of today to me are like a Pet Cemetery deal, they went and buried the team in an indian burial ground and it came back in 1999 but something was way off about it. This makes me grateful that the Houston expansion team of 2002 started fresh without the bad energy of the past.

But I figured this would be a fun thread to track the mess that has been this 1999 Cleveland Expansion Team over the last 26 year of ineptitude. What in the world went wrong with this team? They seemed like they were on track to being ok in 2002 but quickly were a huge mess immediately by 2003-2004. So many years as the worst team in the NFL. I seen somewhere that the Saints offered Browns' GM Dwight Clark their entire 1999 draft for their #1 spot. Clark said it was one of the biggest regrets not taking that trade, could have gone a long way in building a new roster. He passed on it to take Tim Couch.

[Brian wolf]

Looking back, maybe a different owner would have been better for the team but Al Lerner was able to take over after having a stake in the Bravens.

Maybe because he had a stake in the Browns and helped send them to Baltimore--something that probably should have automatically disqualified him in expansion ownership, since it was a brand new team in Cleveland after all--he had dibs on getting the team back but once he died, nepotism took over before the disastrous Haslem era, one of the worst in NFL history.

[74_75_78_79_]

Thinking of it, imagine...

The Colts never leave Baltimore in '84 to begin with

The Cards never leave StL in '88

Rams stay in LA; Raiders still go back to Oakland

Indianapolis and Phoenix each get a franchise in '95

Browns stay in Cleveland

Oilers stay in Houston

Panthers & Jaguars, instead, enter the League in 2002 making it...32 teams!


Maybe not a perfect set-up. Nashville, sadly, still awaits here for the next bid. Baltimore Ravens fans would especially see this as a cruel scenario with all that Purple & Black 'tradition' the past quarter-century IRL. This, sure-enough, butterflies away the Coughlin era in Jax. The Houston Oilers make it to a Super Bowl in 1999! Yes, St. Louis doesn't experience what they actually did turn-of-century (the still-struggling Cards there instead), but the City of Angels have themselves a...'Greatest Show on Grass!’ Baltimore gets to enjoy PEYTON while the Cleveland Browns WIN THE SUPER BOWL over the Giants in 2000, and WIN THE SUPER BOWL over San Fran in 2012 whilst their rivalry with the Steelers is, now, the best its ever, ever been!

[Brian wolf]

I will always believe that had Bert Jones never had his injury problems in 78-79, the Colts would have stayed in Baltimore. Though he came back and played in 1980, his longest completion was 47 yards. Their 1981 season was disastrous.

[Ten Minute Ticker]

I will always believe that had Bert Jones never had his injury problems in 78-79, the Colts would have stayed in Baltimore. Though he came back and played in 1980, his longest completion was 47 yards. Their 1981 season was disastrous.

Irsay was there one way or another though. Jones or no Jones, Irsay was unstable and might have bolted regardless.

[Ten Minute Ticker]

Thinking of it, imagine...

The Colts never leave Baltimore in '84 to begin with

The Cards never leave StL in '88

Rams stay in LA; Raiders still go back to Oakland

Indianapolis and Phoenix each get a franchise in '95

Browns stay in Cleveland

Oilers stay in Houston

Panthers & Jaguars, instead, enter the League in 2002 making it...32 teams!


Maybe not a perfect set-up. Nashville, sadly, still awaits here for the next bid. Baltimore Ravens fans would especially see this as a cruel scenario with all that Purple & Black 'tradition' the past quarter-century IRL. This, sure-enough, butterflies away the Coughlin era in Jax. The Houston Oilers make it to a Super Bowl in 1999! Yes, St. Louis doesn't experience what they actually did turn-of-century (the still-struggling Cards there instead), but the City of Angels have themselves a...'Greatest Show on Grass!’ Baltimore gets to enjoy PEYTON while the Cleveland Browns WIN THE SUPER BOWL over the Giants in 2000, and WIN THE SUPER BOWL over San Fran in 2012 whilst their rivalry with the Steelers is, now, the best its ever, ever been!

It’s fun to think of that. The Edwards Jones Dome Cardinals do get their Super Bowl bid though.

Depending on whether you’d get the Indianapolis Panthers, Arizona Jaguars or vice versa, those cities have different legacies and heroes too.

I think for what was the improvised new Browns-Texans expansion, Carolina gets a team, but Jacksonville doesn’t. Nashville (especially if NFL types correctly guessed how much it would grow) or even Memphis gets a team in the theoretic 2002 expansion. Neither of those franchises have made a Super Bowl, so nouveux Carolina and Tennessee are fresh out.

[Throwin_Samoan]

I will always believe that had Bert Jones never had his injury problems in 78-79, the Colts would have stayed in Baltimore.

That jibes with everything except...you know...understanding exactly why they moved. It wasn't because they were terrible, or couldn't sign John Elway, or did sign Art Schlichter. It was because Robert Irsay was a crazy person. Had Jones continued to play, he would still have been a crazy person. And Indianapolis would have still built the Hoosier Dome, and it would have been too enticing for Irsay not to bolt for.

[7DnBrnc53]

And Indianapolis would have still built the Hoosier Dome, and it would have been too enticing for Irsay not to bolt for.

Exactly.

The "what if" that has to do with the Colts actually has to do with the NBA Pacers.

In 1977, Slick Leonard (coach of the Pacers at the time) and his wife Nancy were in Hawaii for a pre-draft combine (or something like that) when Nancy received a call saying that the Pacers were going bankrupt (this was a year after the NBA-ABA merger).

So, both of them rushed back to Indianapolis, and decided to have a telethon to raise the money.

If that wouldn't have been successful, and they lose the Pacers, I don't see the city building the Hoosier Dome a few years later. As a result, with no beautiful building to head to in the middle of the night, the Colts get seized by eminent domain, more than likely.

[Brian wolf]

Hard to argue for a new stadium with a crappy Colts team. Had Jones not gotten injured, I believe Marchibroda continues to challenge for the division with the team and maybe they can finally convince the city politicians to build a new one. Its a tough call. That city, like many others around America, was going through hard times.

[sheajets]

I STILL don't think of them as having any true link and connection to the real Browns...which to this day continue to be the Ravens. That entire franchise was moved...players, front office. The new Browns were conjured up and started play in 1999. They can celebrate the old Browns which is all well and good. It's an entirely different franchise