Drive for 25

As Joe Cleveland celebrated and rejoiced Sunday, watching Tim Tebow shread the "vaunted" Pittspuke Squeelers defense for 316 yards (and a 31.6-yard average per completion, how odd is that), visions of the Broncos from many years ago with a young quarterback danced in my head.

Tebow and Broncos put the final nail in the Stoolers' coffin with a stunning 80-yard touchdown pass to Demariyus Thomas, ending the overtime in just 11 seconds and giving the Broncos a huge 29-23 upset in the wild-card round of the playoffs.

Almost immediately, Stooler fans had to attempt to crash Browns fans parties by reminding them about what the Broncos did to our beloved Browns 25 years ago.

Oh sure, you remember, as any tried-and-true, Brown-and-Orange-bleeding Browns fan remembers Jan. 11, 1987. You remember where you were and who you were with when you saw the Browns come, arguably, the closest they've ever come to a Super Bowl berth.

The plastic was over the Browns lockers and the AFC Lamar Hunt Trophy was in the Browns locker room when Bernie Kosar found Brian Brennan for a 48-yard touchdown pass with a little over five minutes remaining in the AFC Championship Game at the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Pandamonium Palace was at full-throttle then, and on the subsequent Mark Moseley kickoff, when a guy named Ken Bell misjudged the knuckleball kick and had to fall on it at his own 2-yard line.

98 yards and five minutes seperated the Browns from that elusive Super Bowl berth and a date with the New York Giants at the Rose Bowl in Pasedena. But, we all remember what happened next.

I had just turned 13 years old a few weeks prior to that and I was watching the game in our den with my parents, siblings and other aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. My parents hosted a party, and everyone was invited to watch history be made.

Oh we saw history, just not the history we wanted to see.

While it only took Tebow one play and 11 seconds to cover 80 yards, it took John Elway most of those five minutes and 15 plays to cover the 98 he needed to tie the game and send it into overtime. Marty Schottenheimer's "Prevent" defense, which was supposed to prevent big plays, allowed Elway to dink and dunk and scramble his way methodically down the field, and was capped by a five-yard touchdown pass to Mark Jackson on third-and-2 with 37 seconds left.

I remember being stunned, but I wasn't worried. The Browns OWNED overtime in the 1986 season. They were 3-0 in OT games during a 12-4 regular season (other than a 14-0 year in 1948, this is the most regular season wins the Browns have ever had) and had just won a thrilling 23-20 double overtime playoff game with the Jets one week ago. A game that the Browns trailed by 10 with 4 1/2 minutes remaining, and yet somehow tied up and sent into OT. A game that Moseley missed a chip shot OT field goal, but had a second-chance in the double OT and made this one count.

A game that was the Browns' first playoff victory since 1968. A game that had Browns fans believing that 1986 was the season of destiny.

So, the Browns proceeded to go 3-and-out with the first OT possession, and Elway went to work again. This time, Rich Karlis set up for a 37-yard field goal to win the game.

I maintained 25 years ago with my 13-year-old eyes and I still maintain every time I see the replay and from hearing eyewitness accounts that Karlis' kick was wide left. They should still be playing that game.

But, the refs raised their hands and called the kick good, and it was Denver that went to the Super Bowl.

Denver went to the Super Bowl three times in a four-year span -- all with AFC Championship wins over the Browns. All of them were close games in the fourth quarter, but two of them ended in truly heartbreaking fashion for Browns fans like me (the 1989 team just simply ran out of gas in the fourth quarter and lost, 37-21. They were aging and, quite frankly, lucky to be playing in the AFC title game that year. They haven't been back there since).

Stooler fans immediately brought up The Drive as a way to try to take Browns fans down a peg.

Joe Cleveland's response -- Well, at least you know how it feels, doesn't it.

Joe Cleveland's second response -- Elway took 15 plays, Tebow only took one.

Joe Cleveland's third response -- My hatred for the Broncos essentially died with Elway -- who I referred to as a "horse-toothed jackass" during the 1989 AFC title game and did not get grounded for it by my parents -- and his retirement in the late 1990s. However, I found myself rooting for them in the 1998 Super Bowl against the Atlanta Falcons -- I could not stand that stupid Dirty Bird dance.

My hatred for the Steelers will never die.

Elway and the Broncos broke my heart that day 25 years ago, and broke it two more times. And, I'm sure next year, we'll all be going through this again with the 25th anniversary of The Fumble. But, Joe Cleveland will deal with that next year.

The only thing better than watching the Stoolers lose in the Super Bowl is watching a Super Bowl that doesn't have the Stoolers in it.

Actually, I can think of one thing that would be better, but it's never happened. Joe Cleveland believes that it will happen, and will happen in the near future.

The Steelers literally limped into the playoffs and were banged up, courtesy of the two games against the Browns -- the team that's "not even a rivalry anymore" in the eyes of Steeler fans. Instead of being intimidated by them, the Browns stood up to them, took their best shot, and hit them right back square in the mouth.

They lost both games, but both games were at least close. The last one, as snow swirled in the night-time sky on New Year's Day, came down to the final play of the game, with the Browns possessing the ball on the Pittsburgh 24-yard line. Seneca Wallace's Hail Mary pass fell incomplete, and the Steelers escaped with a 13-9 victory. But, the long-term damage was done.

Mike Holmgren believes the Browns are closing the gap on the AFC North foes, despite going 0-6 for only the second time since the division took its current shape back in 2001. And, I believe him.

The Browns could have concievably won both games with the Bengals. A colossal defensive brain fart back in the season opener cost the Browns that first game, and the Browns squandered a 10-point lead in the second game, giving up a huge pass to A.J. Green on third down that set up the game-winning field goal.

The only truly lop-sided game was the Browns home game against the Thieving Bastards, and that was only 24-10. The Browns rallied by running a healthy Peyton Hillis right down Ray Lewis' throat and lost by six, thanks to another Pat Shurmur coaching blunder in a season that was rife with them.

The Steelers and Ravens aren't getting any younger and have question marks. The Bengals, while also in a good position with some young talent at QB and WR and an extra first-round pick (like the Browns) in next year's draft, also backed into the playoff by beating nine non-playoff teams and were smacked down by a Houston team that was starting a rookie third-string quarterback.

This isn't saying the Browns don't have their own work cut out for them. They certainly do. But this offseason will be a huge one, determining the fate of this franchise for the next few seasons to come.

Will Shurmur find a reliable offensive coordinator to make his job easier? Will a true offseason benefit him, and will he learn from his countless mistakes in a rough rookie year?

Will the Browns go back to Colt McCoy? Will they try to land Matt Flynn or Kevin Kolb via trade or free agency? Or, do they try to acquire Heisman winner Robert Griffin III or Andrew Luck in this year's draft?

And, the draft -- the Browns have the fourth and 22nd pick in this year's first round. Do they go offense? Defense? Best available?

Many questions to be answered with this year's Browns. Hopefully, they can answer quite a few of them correctly these next few months and get this franchise back where it belongs -- consistantly winning and in the playoffs and (dare Joe Cleveland says it) a championship.

Once upon a time, the Browns were considered the "New York Yankees of football." In a feat that never happened before and will likely never happen again, the Browns reached 10 consecutive championship games in their first 10 years as a franchise, winning seven of those. They are one of four teams in the curent NFL (although the Browns and Lions are the only two who existed prior to 1995) who have never even played in a Super Bowl, much less won one.

This franchise and these fans deserve a winner. We can bemoan things like The Drive all we want and lament how close we were then. I relish the time when we can truly celebrate a Browns championship or two, and I believe it will happen.

Oh, and Pittsburgh still sucks!

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!