Friday, Oct. 11, 2002 | 2:02 a.m.
Sal DeFilippo's pro football picks column appears Friday. Reach him at [email protected] or (702) 259-4076.
The instinctive reaction is to feel bad for Cleveland fans after watching another tough loss by the Brownies on Sunday.
Not me. In fact, I think they have come to expect such failure. It probably didn't faze any of them.
Imagine your life as a Browns fan. Your defining moment in team history is a fumble on the 2-yard line in the playoffs. Your hero is Bernie Kosar. In 1995, your team left town.
You've never even been to the Super Bowl, but after your team left, they did and won it for another city.
You waited four years before your team returned. Since coming back, your record is 14-39. And still no logo on the helmet.
Your in-state rival is the Cincinnati Bengals. What's worse: That sad franchise has two more Super Bowl appearances than you.
It's enough to make you throw bottles on the field in your final home ... whoops, maybe I shouldn't relive moments from last season. Generally, the Dawg Pound is a fairly well-behaved football shelter.
But this year has been even more painful then usual. You lose a game when a player takes his helmet off in premature celebration. You lose a game when you block a field goal, but you block it too well, so the opponent gets to kick it again.
And Sunday, in a nationally televised game against your former selves, i.e., the Baltimore Ravens, you fall behind 23-0 and your quarterback gets hurt.
Your team rallies, moves within 15 yards of victory in the closing seconds, but can't get the job done. In the process, your backup quarterback breaks his leg. This is your life.
To make matters worse, this week Browns fans may lose their last claim of dominance over one team. Excluding expansion Houston, the Browns have lost at least one game to every NFL team -- except Tampa Bay, where Cleveland plays on Sunday. The Buccaneers are 0-5 in their history against the Browns, but that mark is in jeopardy.
Don't get me wrong -- coach Butch Davis has done a nice job and has this team headed in the right direction, which is more than I can say about the Bengals, or even the Rams (hey, aren't they originally from Cleveland, too?). A little more talent in a few key positions and a little more time to develop continuity could be all the Browns need to become a playoff-caliber club.
But if it all falls apart, at least the fans won't be disappointed. They're used to that by now.
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