Those Dawg-Gone Broncos Have Cleveland’s Number

Oh, well. Think of it this way:

At least when the Rams got beat, they got to stay in California.

The poor Browns, they had to go back to Cleveland. That was the kind of day they had Sunday. They left Denver with nothing, not even a doggy bag. No Super Bowl. Just another empty dish.

Another day, another collar.

So, once again they grieve in the land of Cleve. The “Dawgs” were going to do it this season, but they still can’t catch these Broncos. Final score of the AFC championship game was 37-21, leaving no argument which team was better. The only doubt left was how much it meant.

Just another loss?

Yes, said sixth-year cornerback Frank Minnifield: “If one loss makes you feel worse than another, then something’s wrong with you as a professional. Ain’t no difference if it’s an exhibition in London or the AFC championship. If this was the first game of the season, I wouldn’t feel no different.”

OK, just another loss.

No, said 12th-year defensive end Al (Bubba) Baker: “Now we got to deal with another off-season of that same old (stuff). I might retire, take the easy way out. Super Bowl means nothin’ to me now. I hope they (the Broncos) get their . . . beat.”

Well, the loss must affect Art Modell more than most. He has owned the Browns for 28 years. He must hurt bad.

“Ha, talk to my cardiologist,” Modell said. “Yes, I feel bad not only for the players and coaches and myself, but for the millions of Browns’ fans out there. We’ve been waiting a long time. On the other hand, I’m sure I’m no more disappointed than Bud Carson is.”

Ah, Bud Carson. First year as an NFL head coach. He can’t know what the average Clevelander feels at times such as these.

“No, I know,” Carson said. “The team that wins goes on to fame and glory. The team that loses is the team forgotten.”

Nice. Poetic. The team that loses is the team forgotten. Ah, that’s Cleveland, all right. Gone, but also forgotten. Thanks for coming, fellas. See you again after next year’s near miss.

And don’t worry, they’re saying the same . . . in Orange County this morning.

Cleveland gave it the old college try. Unfortunately, Denver gave it the old professional try.

While Bernie Kosar, the Brown bomber, attempted to throw passes while wearing a rubber splint on the index finger of his passing hand, from knuckle to wrist, John Elway threw 385 yards worth of passes and never looked healthier. Elway even went out for a pass at one point. Got sacked once. Got intercepted never. Threw standing, scrambling, sprinting, springing.

“Damn the man anyway,” Bubba Baker said, with respect. “He’s got both feet in the air and he finds his man. Neither of his feet are planted and he still hits Vance Johnson on the hands. He threw one screen, went right through my hands, right to his man. I swear he did it on purpose.”

Kosar, meantime, couldn’t aim, couldn’t fire. He had a bad finger, bad elbow, bad day.

“It’s just something you’ve got to deal with, the injuries, and I’ve been dealing with them all year,” Kosar said. “You’ve got to overcompensate. I’ve been experimenting with different ways of throwing over the last six weeks, and it took me most of the first half today just to get comfortable.”

Modell knew the feeling: “In the early going, I think his adrenaline was flowing and his finger was a factor, and he was overthrowing,” the owner said. “Then, when he finally zeroed in, we started dropping his passes. It made for an uncomfortable afternoon.”

Kosar could have done the Browns a favor and benched himself, let Mike Pagel take a whack at it. And yet, splint and all, he did put up 21 points in the third period.

“It’s hard to take a guy like that out,” Carson said.

What the Browns needed was a big game. What they need now is hope.

How do you keep telling yourselves that such opportunities will come around again and again? Denver won’t go away. Other AFC cities are Super Bowl-starved. How many times can you keep saying next year, next year, next year . . . ?

“You only get so many chances,” fullback Tim Manoa said.

These guys are not getting any younger. Minnifield is 30. So is Felix Wright. Hanford Dixon is 31 and Cody Risien 32. Baker is 33. So is Ozzie Newsome, Clay Matthews and Matt Bahr. Carl Hairston is 37. The Browns are turning gray.

And “millions of Browns’ fans” are feeling older by the hour.

Oh, well. Think of it this way.

At least nobody beat Cleveland by anything like 30-3.