The Browns have a chance to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2002, when much maligned QB Tim Couch took the team to a 9-7 record, and abruptly had his season ended by something he had endured his whole career, punishing hits by pass rushers. Couch's career abruptly ended then and there, as he never had a chance to prove himself in post season competition, and then the hits finally had caught up with him. It was just a matter of time, before a player that was fondly nicknamed "mule," would be sent packing to the glue factory, and the knife of a surgeon, never to be heard from again.

That was then, this is now though. We have a chance to put the ghosts of the past behind us. The Browns and their offensive line are much different now, than they were a short five years ago. The Browns that "protected" the likes of Tim Couch, Kelly Holcomb, Jeff Garcia and Trent Dilfer routinely gave up 50 to 60 sacks a year. Saying that those offensive lines were "Graveyards" for our QB's, or that our pass protection resembled "Swiss Cheese" is an understatement. If you comb carefully enough through the grass at CBS, you might be able to find some itsy bitsy teensy weensy non weight bearing remnants of the past. I'll pay you a dollar for every bone fragment you find out there. You might get rich.

My how half a decade can change things though. The Browns have gone from laying on a stretcher, to stretching out for first downs; from putrid to punishing. This line, which once was the butt of most jokes in the NFL, has now become a formidable force. This line, that once was a sieve, is now a bulwark of pass protection only giving up 17 sacks so far this year. And they aren't all that bad at run blocking. They are ranked 4th in the league at that task. The line Cleveland has is probably the best their fans have ever seen in recent memory, and in this humble blogger's opinion, they are probably the sole reason that this team has a shot at the playoffs after so many years of futility and disappointment. We can argue the details, and it's true many other players are responsible for the Browns' success, but the truth is, if you want to build a great house, you have to have a solid foundation. The details and gingerbread come later.

The league recently has recognized the accomplishments of Cleveland's "foundation" by naming Steinbach and Thomas as alternates. While I am sure many are thrilled that some Browns players got a little recognition, some are disappointed that they weren't named "first teamer's." The Pro Bowl though is a bit like a Country Club. Oh, your company might have it's Christmas party there, and you are welcome to eat and drink at such a fine establishment, but you aren't a member, and you won't be welcomed back without an invitation. To quote Derek Anderson, "It takes a couple of years to earn respect." So it is with this team. The Browns are working on that "respect factor" right now, this season. They want to be "full members." If they continue on this path, their players will get their just rewards. They can't afford to dwell on some imagined slights though. There is no time for that. They have work to do, and no one will respect the Browns team fully, till they finish the job.

That work begins next Sunday in Cincinnati. Never mind that analysts think we have a soft schedule playing opponents with a combined .321 winning percentage in these next two games. Cleveland can't take the Bengals, for granted, for to do so, would mean that the doubters, were right. The Browns can't expect to throw their helmets on the field and waltz into the post season. They don't have an invitation yet, and I am afraid they are going to have to earn rather than expect it. The Browns have to earn that begrudging respect, and earn the right to be there, otherwise they are just a one night guest at a place that otherwise should be out of their league.

The Bengals, like the other teams in the AFC North don't think the Browns belong. Cincinnati has fallen on hard times, but they still maintain their membership, even though the rest of the members have cast some evil eyes their way this year, they are still part of the club, and they'd like nothing more than to bar our entrance into the post season. We are going to have to push them aside to get in, and even then it won't be enough to just get our foot in the door. The Browns, have got some unfinished business to take care of. The Steelers. They don't think we belong either. They've shown the Browns the door twice this season, but to get to them, Cleveland will have to go through the Cincinnati, and then San Francisco.

To validate the Browns' current season, they'll have to bury their past. Tim Couch, sad to say, is the only QB ever to beat the Steelers. If they want to earn the respect they and their fans think they so justly deserve; if they want to join the club, they will have to bury the memory of that long ago last victory over the Steelers, and replace it with a new one. The only way to do that this year is to get to the post season, and that road heads South through the heart of Ohio.

The Browns will have to beat a team that has had their number for years on end. It's almost a given at least in the minds of the Steelers, that they'll beat the Browns if they face them a third time. If the Browns want to bury the ghost of Tim Couch, and put behind them the miserable failures of the past, and then finally lay to rest the multitudes of stiffs who've shamefully worn the burnt orange and seal brown, then they must start their march towards redemption this Sunday. If they want to prove the Steelers wrong, they must beat the Bengals, and beat them soundly. If they want to redeem themselves, they must first start with this first step. They must bring a crushing blow down upon their last remaining AFC North opponent in the regular season if they are to get a shot at the team that so rudely tossed them out of the front door to the Country Club in the first game of the year.

So forget all those thoughts about palm trees, sunny beaches, and grass skirted maidens. These are nothing but illusions, nothing but an invitation to the company Christmas party. That's not good enough though, if you are a long suffering Cleveland fan, or a member of the Cleveland Browns. The Browns and their fans want respect, not a door prize. They want to sit at the table every day, not just once a year. They want to be "full members" of an exclusive club that for so many years has barred the door against them. To prove they belong, they'll have to prove everyone else wrong, by marching South down I-71, and then back North again with winged victory in tow. To bury the ghosts of Browns' seasons past, they'll have to first beat the Bengals.

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