bleeding orange and brown

80 minutes into the life of a Browns fan in 2004. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

The film starts at the 2004 NFL draft with fans clamoring for the Browns to draft Robert Gallery, to the first game where we beat the Ravens, and then weaves its way through the season until the last game of the year.

My personal favorite part was watching those guys getting ready to tailgate the first game of the year. Nothing better than the first home game when there’s still hope and you’re headed to the Muni Lot early in the morning. Your heart is full of excitement while you pour that 30 pack of Natty into your cooler at 6 am when the sun is barely out.

Obviously if you’re reading this at work you’re not going to block off 80 minutes of your workday to watch this. My suggestion is when you get home to grab a few Christmas Ales, maybe make some pizza rolls, light a candle or 2, and block off 80 minutes of your day to hop in a time machine to 2004 and revisit the Cleveland Browns season. That’s exactly what I did last night and it was great.

As some of you may know I’ve been in contact with one of the creators of this video, Jeff Haynes. He sent a DVD over my way once he saw that I’d posted about his film a few weeks ago. This is the main 80 minute version. I haven’t even sat down to watch the second disc which contains the deleted scenes, extra interviews, and road trip footage but I’m sure it’s great.

One day it’ll get turned around, I think… but seeing these people 11 years ago saying the exact same things we’re saying today makes me a little worried that the Browns may never get it right.

Let me take you back. Back to a time when Kellen Winslow was your first round draft pick; Back to a time when you beat the Baltimore Ravens 20-3 in your season opener; Back to a time when Butch Davis resigned during the season & Terry Robiskie took over as head coach; Jeff Garcia, Luke McCown, and Kelly Holcomb were your quarterbacks; Lee Suggs was your leading rusher and Dennis Northcutt was your leading receiver….

The year is 2004 and the Cleveland Browns are navigating their way through another losing season.

Thankfully for us, someone (GIBI Productions) documented Cleveland fans as they trudged through the Fall on the way to a 4-12 record.

Before you watch this video, just know that this was filmed more than TEN YEARS AGO. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Introducing Bleeding Orange & Brown; A Cleveland Tradition

The highlights:

“I don’t want a winner, I just wanna be fuckin competitive”

Welp, buddy, a decade later and we’re neither a winner nor competitive.

This guy is literally every one of us as we watch the Browns on TV every Sunday in the fall.

Don’t tell him that in the year 2015 he’ll still be watching a McCown under center.

“YOU GOTTA BE FUCKING KIDDING ME”

“Let me ask any human being that’s out there, have you ever had 4 or 5 years when things didn’t go your way?

-TRY 15 YEARS WORTH, PAL

“You get up in the morning and you’re like ‘they could win today’ and you start, ya know, thinking about it and you’re like ‘ya know, they could win’ …and then the game starts and you’re just like ‘we can’t win this game”

This happens Every. Single. Sunday.

“I’m a Browns fan, we’re not going to the Super Bowl anytime soon.”

LOOK AT HIS FACE! LOOK AT IT! That’s the face of a broken man. Don’t worry buddy, it only gets worse! I have to think that by now this guy has either renounced his Browns fanhood, developed a massive drinking problem, or the Browns literally drove him insane.

“It’s just something you deal with when you’re from Cleveland.”

“Please save my soul.”

I truly genuinely hope this guy is still alive and that the Browns didn’t kill him.

“They’ll be down by 17 with 4 minutes left and you’re like ‘theoretically we have the ball right now, we can score on one play, get an onside kick, score again, get an onside kick, and kick a field goal”

The thoughts of every person when they’re watching a game that they bet on and the team they picked isn’t covering.

“It doesn’t take much to get a Browns fan excited. Get a first down and we’re ready to go”

I can gladly say that a full decade later, the bar is still set at this same standard.

“I wanna see a consistent, winning team”

Me too.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

PS- I know that we’re prisoners of the moment and think this current 2015 team is the worst Browns team ever… but just look at our fucking starters from the 2004 season. (At least the D-line got sacks though)