The Curse of Berea, OH

Maybe it started the day that Earnest Byner coughed up the ball on the 2-yard line against the Denver Broncos.

Maybe it started the day that Red Right 88 was called in the huddle against the Raiders.

Maybe it started the day that Art Modell secretly sat on a plane and decided to move the beloved Cleveland Browns franchise to Baltimore.

It had to start somewhere. Luck like this just doesn't come out of nowhere.

Even with a fresh start in 1999 as an expansion team, the luck continued to head south. Injuries, losses, infighting, and more doomed many a Cleveland team to an embarrassing record.

And that is where I think most of the problem lies — the fact that as soon as any new Browns player steps on a field that is remotely close to downtown Cleveland, he gets injured.

Tim Couch. Courtney Brown. Kellen Winslow. Braylon Edwards.

And now, LeCharles Bentley, who injured his left knee on the first day of training camp and will most likely miss the rest of the season.

Wait, that's not all folks. Just announced ... Ryan Tucker and Daylon McCutcheon will both have scopes done on their knees and will each miss three to four weeks, but will probably be ready for the start of the season.

What's next? That has to be the question on the mind of Browns executives and coaches. What could possibly go wrong next to put a wrench in the plans for this season? An injury to starting quarterback Charlie Frye, perhaps?

The thing about the Browns is that the fans love them, despite the fact that they are losers. They are very much like Woody Allen in that we see all of the team's flaws, but root for them nevertheless. We know they have little or no shot at getting to the Super Bowl, but we're going to cheer them anyway. They are Cleveland's lovable losers, just as long as they don't lose too much. That's where the problems start.

And with the exception of one playoff appearance since 1999, losing is just about all that the Cleveland Browns have been good at. Some of it you can blame on the talent (Tim Couch), some of it you can blame on the coaching (Butch Davis), but the rest of it, I like to blame on the Curse of Berea, OH — the Bermuda Triangle of football injuries that takes a star impact Browns player to the sideline every training camp and preseason.

And so it began this season with LeCharles Bentley being carted off the field after only the first day in training camp. As a fan, depression immediately set in as I prepared for another season of mishaps, mayhem, and more from the Browns.

Just when I thought there was nothing that could get me pumped up about the Browns this season, I pull into the parking lot of the local Berea, OH library this morning to write an article about the NFL, an article that I planned to describe how depressing it is to be a cursed Cleveland fan rooting for a cursed Browns team.

There in the parking lot is a van that I thought must have been carrying fans of the Grateful Dead. It was at least 20-years-old, greenish in a way, and there was writing all over the windows...

"Toast the Browns Backers - Port St. Lucie Florida - GO BROWNS."

And as I looked at the van knowing that someone drove from Florida to Berea, OH to watch the Browns practice in training camp, I knew that the team, nor the city, were actually cursed.

In fact, we're all actually quite lucky.