Walking Around Chicago Watching Bears Fans Celebrate Today Like They Won The Super Bowl Is The Ultimate Deja Vu For A Browns Fan
This blog is not to be meant as a shot at Bears fans. In fact, I'm rocking with the mantra that aside from the Cleveland teams, I hope the Chicago teams are the next best in each of their respective leagues moving forward. I went to Wrigley for the first time on Monday night, and while I didn't throw on a Cubbies hat, there's no doubt that the 7th inning stretch and flying the W flag makes the experience much more enjoyable. So yeah, I hope Caleb Williams and his painted finger nails pans out for the Bears fans and we see a Deshaun vs. Caleb Super Bowl for the next decade.......but my God, walking around Chicago and coming into the office this morning was eerily similar to how I felt in 1999, 2007, 2012, 2014, 2018, and even 2022.
Browns 1st Round QBs since coming back to Cleveland:
1999 - Tim Couch (#1 overall)
2007 - Brady Quinn (#22 overall)
2012 - Brandon Weeden (#22 overall)
2014 - Johnny Manziel (#22 overall)
2018- Baker Mayfield (#1 overall)
2022 - Deshaun Watson (Traded 3 straight first rounders to get him)
Every single one of those QBs was guaranteed to take us to the Promised Land. No doubt in my mind, and there was no doubt in any Clevelanders mind. Even Brandon Weeden, who was damn near 40 at the time of the draft, had the EXPERIENCE we needed. And we stole Johnny at 22!!!!! In fact, it hasn't just been QBs that have gotten me dreaming of Lombardis. I'm even tossing Trent Richardson (#3 overall) pick into that category, too. Draft Day has been our Super Bowl for nearly 3 decades, and while it feels good to be going Best Player Available now with our Top 5 roster in the NFL, it's been quite the deja vu moment this morning seeing not only the entire city walking around with a little pep in their step....and seeing all my coworkers go through the same process I've done no less than a handful of times.
Welp, this is going to go one of two ways. Caleb Williams is either going to be exactly who they think (or have convinced themselves) he is going to be, or he is going to crash and burn and be one of the biggest busts in NFL history. And that doesn't mean he's going to be the next Jamarcus Russell...that can't happen right? People are saying he's Bust Proof. But what does he need to do to NOT be classified as a failure for the Bears? If this dude never wins to a Super Bowl, I'd say he's a bust. That's how highly everyone is speaking of him.
* Big Cat just walked into the Gambling Cave and said if he doesn't win TWO Super Bowls, he'll be disappointed. Then again, Caleb did say he wants to win 8...
Happy Holidays, Bears fans. I hope you fare better with your savior of a QB better than we did 5x in the last 20 years.