Cleveland, OH
Three Reasons Why the Cleveland Browns Have Never Made It to a Super Bowl
As the NFL gears up for their biggest party of the year, the Cleveland Browns are, once again, invited.
Along with the Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans, the Browns are one of four teams to never appear in a Super Bowl, as we approach the 60th edition of the biggest game in pro football. Of course, Jags and Texans get somewhat of a pass, as they’ve played far fewer seasons.
But Cleveland, a powerhouse franchise in the 1950s and ‘60s, began to decline just as the league ushered a new era with the AFL-NFL merger, common draft and Super Bowls.
So, why have the Browns never made it to a Super Bowl? Let’s see:
Awful Ownership
Everything starts at the top.
Art Modell acquired the team in 1961. Loving the active general manager type role, he irritated legendary coach Paul Brown. A bitter rift among them involving a trade for Ernie Davis, his then-record contract and a debate over whether to play him or not after being diagnosed with leukemia led directly to Brown’s firing in 1963. Cleveland did manage to conquer its last NFL title in ‘64, the next-to-last season before The First AFL-NFL World Championship Game, now known retroactively as Super Bowl I, but so began the fall of the franchise.
Then came Modell’s stubborn stance on all-time great Jim Brown’s movie career, when he refused to let the all-world fullback miss training camp in 1966, moving him towards retirement while still in the peak of his career.
In the 1980’s, Marty Schottenheimer coached the team to three divisional titles, four postseason berths and two AFC Championship appearances in four years, before being fired by Modell because of clashes regarding the team’s staff. Schottenheimer’s successor, Bud Carson, lost a third AFC Championship Game to the Denver Broncos in four years, but was let go midway in his second season after a poor start. The team hasn’t won a division title since.
In 1994, Bill Belichick coached the team to a 11-5 record and the Browns last postseason win under Modell, but announcing midseason in ’95 that the club was leaving Cleveland for Baltimore destroyed everything.
The Browns reappeared in 1999 under new owner Al Lerner, who actually helped Modell move the previous iteration of the team out of Cleveland. After his death in 2002, his son Randy Lerner took over. Under the Lerners, the Browns made the playoffs once (2002) and recorded double-digit wins once (2007). The younger Lerner was frequently accused of disengagement, devoting most of his attention to Aston Villa, the Premier League club he also owned.
Jimmy Haslam bought the team in 2012. He carries the dubious distinction of being the owner of the 0-16 team of 2017. But perhaps, the biggest black-eye of Haslam’s tenure has been the ill-fated 2022 deal for Deshaun Watson, arguably the worst trade in the history of the league.
The Quarterback Conundrum
The team that once fielded Hall of Famer Otto Graham and NFL MVP Brian Sipe can’t catch a break. Over the last three decades, the Browns have wasted first-round draft picks on Brady Quinn, Brandon Weeden and Johnny Manziel, and whiffed on free agents like Jeff Garcia, Trent Dilfer, Jake Delhomme, Jason Campbell and Jacoby Brissett, just to name a few.
And the Watson trade? He owns a 9-10 record in four years with the franchise and the team still owes him $46 million for the upcoming season, one where he isn’t slated to start.
First-Round Follies
Don’t let the Class of 2025 fool you: the Browns have made an art of missing on draft picks, especially at the very top.
To recall names like Mike Junkin, Tommy Vardell, William Green, Trent Richardson, Barkevious Mingo, Justin Gilbert, Danny Shelton, Cam Erving and Corey Coleman is an exercise of self-inflicted pain.
Nobody expects every first-rounder to become a Joe Thomas or Myles Garrett, but these are supposed to be foundational pieces, and a second contract is the very least you expect for such a heavy investment.
When the Browns are not throwing away picks like those three 22nd overall passers listed above or the three first rounders paid for Watson, the team has been more likely than not wasting valuable draft capital on players shipped out before their rookie contracts expire instead of helping for the long-term.
There’s no cheaper way to build a contender than through the draft, but failing constantly becomes quite expensive. And the misses have multiplied exponentially in the last 30 years.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A woman was found dead in the backyard of a home on the city’s West side Friday morning.
Officers responded to the 3400 block of Bosworth Rd. around 9 a.m. for a welfare check.
This is in the city’s West Boulevard neighborhood.
When officers arrived at the home, they found the victim.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Officer will now determine the victim’s name and cause of death.
A child connected to the woman has been located and confirmed safe, said Cleveland police.
Police added the circumstances regarding the death remain under investigation.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
This forecast is outdated and inaccurate. Get the latest forecast here.
CLEVELAND (WJW) — (WJW) — The National Weather Service has extended its EXTREME HEAT WARNING for all of Northeast Ohio.
It will remain in effect until 8 p.m. on Friday, July 3, in Ashland, Ashtabula, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Holmes, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning Medina, Ottawa, Portage, Richland, Sandusky, Stark, Summit, Trumbull and Wayne counties; and until 10 p.m. Friday, July 3, in Carroll, Coshocton and Tuscarawas counties.
The heat waves continues! An EXTREME HEAT WARNING will remain in effect through 8 p.m. Friday. Heat indices could top 105 degrees during the hottest time of day on Friday.
Once again, there will not be much relief from the heat and humidity overnight. Tonight lows will be in the mid to upper 70s again. Feeling warmer with the higher humidity. Mostly clear skies.
Friday will be the last sweltering summer day before the heat starts to back off for the Fourth of July holiday weekend. There is the chance of rain and storms Friday evening, around 7pm that could go through the late evening. This may impact some 4th of July celebrations on Friday. Any storm that pops up we’ll have to watch for the potential of gusty winds, heavy downpours and large hail.
This is what the radar could look like by the time some Fireworks celebrations are expected Friday evening. We have a level 2 out of 5 chance of any storm turning severe, meaning that 1 or 2 have the chance.
The upper-level ridge, or heat dome, will start to breakdown on Friday. This means two things. The first is it will go from being very hot and humid to being very warm and humid. The second thing is the chance of rain and threat of storms will return.
The Fourth of July holiday weekend will be far from a washout! There will be more dry time than time with downpours and storms. However, clusters of downpours and storms will move through Northeast Ohio at times. This means some Fourth of July events, backyard BBQs, pool parties, and firework shows could be impacted by rain and storms.
With all the heat and humidity around, any downpours or storms that develop could be strong and produce gusty winds, small hail, torrential rain, and lightning. Here’s the latest 8 Day Forecast:
Keep up with FOX 8 News for the latest weather updates.
Abdullah Mason and Albert Bell previewed their championship bout and came face to face at the press conference. The two fighters square off this Saturday, July 4, at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center.
- Cleveland-based 22-year-old southpaw Mason (20-0, 17 KOs) of Bedford, Ohio, defends his WBO lightweight title after claiming the vacant belt last November by decision against Sam Noakes.
- Toledo’s 33-year-old Bell (28-0, 9 KOs), who makes his first bid to become a champion, took the fight on short notice, replacing Joe Cordina of Wales.
See below what Mason and Bell had to say at the press conference on Thursday, following the open workout.
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Mason: I’m prepared to come out on top
“I’m excited. I’m super excited,” Mason said. “This is something me and my brothers have been looking forward to doing since we were amateurs. We fought on the same card a few times as amateurs, and all of us did it together on the last show my father threw here in Cleveland. It was huge.”
“At that time, we were like, ‘Yo, when we do this on a professional level, it’s going to be big for Cleveland.’ And now, it’s big for not only Cleveland, but it’s on TNT, so this is a national stage, a world stage with DAZN. I’m just excited to be able to put this show on with two of my brothers on the card.”
“I feel like it [fight vs Sam Noakes] was definitely a much-needed experience. That’s not the type of fight you have all the time in your career. It was something I felt like I had to do that night. Every fight is different, and it definitely gave me some insight into how I’ll approach the rest of my career. So, it was a much-needed experience and a great fight.”
“It [opponent change] was definitely unexpected. Albert Bell – that’s our guy from Toledo. But it’s boxing. You’ve got to be prepared for anything, and I’m prepared to come out on top. Everything happens for a reason.”
“One thing I do want to say is, I’m the youngest world champion in boxing for a reason, and I’m prepared to show that when I step into the ring.”
“Boxing is offense, defense and IQ, and you’ve got to put it together and tailor it to the person you’re stepping in the ring with. So, with the opponent switch, I just have to tailor it to the person across the ring from me, and that’s Albert Bell.”
Bell: We’re here now, and that’s all that matters
“I mean, it caught me by surprise,” Bell said on stepping in to face Mason on short notice. “It was an ideal opponent for me. I wasn’t really thinking about fighting Abdullah, especially not this soon. But everything made sense. I talked to my pops about it, and it made sense, so I stepped in to save the card, get my world title opportunity and put on a show for all of Ohio.”
“I mean, I get turned down by a lot of guys. I’m not saying that in a cocky way or trying to act like I’m the boogeyman or anything like that, but a lot of guys say no when my name comes across their table. I would’ve had the name I was supposed to have by now if it weren’t for that, but what’s delayed is not denied. We’re here now, and that’s all that matters.”
“I just need to be the best version of myself. I know he’s coming to be the best version of himself. He’s prepared, I’m prepared. We’re ready. We’re two top fighters, and we’re professionals. We’re both Ohioans. We’ve got history with each other, and it’s gonna be a show for sure.”
Mason vs Bell undercard
In the co-feature, Bruce Carrington (17-0, 10 KOs) of Brooklyn makes the first defense of his WBC featherweight title against Rene Palacios (19-0-1, 10 KOs) of Mexico.
On the undercard, Cleveland’s Delante “Tiger” Johnson (17-0, 8 KOs) takes on Canada-based Mexican Christopher Guerrero (16-0, 9 KOs) at welterweight.
Plus, Deric Davis (11-0, 10 KOs) of Fort Washington, Maryland, and Carlos Ramos (18-4-1, 10 KOs) of Spain by way of Ecuador, square off at lightweight.
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