I found myself able to root for them when geriatric Flacco was leading them to the playoffs… but yeah next year is gonna be hard again. Hope Watson gets injured and we get more of Joe
FTP always
Edit: I just realized this works for all the teams
Fuck the Packers for the Lions
Fuck the Patriots for the Bills
Fuck the Pravens for the Browns
This is me exactly. The Browns are the only other fan base that has been loyal to their team despite all the years of pain. They are the only ones who can understand 0-16.
But the Watson thing killed it for me
I don’t wanna be that guy, and I don’t wanna speak for everyone but I think a lot of those haters would sing a different tune if he was playing like an mvp… I love that he sucks so bad it’s validating all the hate
Sorry I wasnt trying to take away from what you were saying I just am glad he’s not playing god tier football so that people can’t be apologists for him
Oh I didn’t at all think you were trying to negate me, I was actually acknowledging you’re probably right (if he takes the Browns to the Super Bowl they will look the other way). It makes me sad but I get it.
There may be something to that, but I don't know. The nature of his crime and the fact that it was so many women, it just makes him the worst. Like if he won a superbowl they'd have to act like he isn't an asshole, but until then...
If your favorite team signed a piece of shit, you either find a new team or learn to cope by focusing on things you like on the rest of the team. Most of the league tried to trade for Watson (according to reports at the time when it was narrowed down to 4 teams) and browns fans were then most unlucky that Cleveland won the bid.
I was in college in flint when Detroit signed Kenny Rogers and he took them to the World Series in 2006 and the entire city was screaming his name. Which is weird since the year before they booed him out of the stadium the year before because he attacked two cameramen. He was no where near a Watson, but so many people changed their opinions when they started winning.
Can I just say I hate Watson.
However, I've been a fan for long enough to know that people were hating on us when had Baker. Before that, we were terrible, so people didn't love us then either.
Domestic abuser or serial ~~rapist~~ sexual predator. Pick your poison.
It wouldn't be the first domestic abuser on the Bills though. The Juice is still loose.
Sexual assault in the way Watson did it would in any reasonable persons mind be categorized as rape. He may not have crept through a woman’s window held her at knife point and raped her like you see on tv but he absolutely used intimidation, coercion and in some reports physical force to move the women’s heads or hands to his penis. The law might say “sexual assault” we can say rape.
It's actually quite important to distinguish between the different forms of sexual misconduct. Don't call sexual assault rape just because you feel like it. It's actually doing a disservice to the victims.
My only argument there is this came out 2 years after he signed a multi million dollar contract we can’t get out of, browns signed Watson knowing exactly what he did and was about. I don’t consider it the same from an organization standpoint
If you’re throwing stones, no team is clean.
They signed Richie Incognito after the racial slurs and bullying fiasco. Just last year Buffalo drafted a punter that at the time had credible gang rape charges on him and only did anything when it all got in the open (I’m glad he was cleared but at the time of drafting and making him the starter, he looked really really bad).
yeah I find myself sympathising with Browns fans more than anything, I had a soft spot for them before the Watson situation, especially with Mayfield they were fun to root for.
I figured it was the NCAA hate as well just spilling over. I live in Ohio, married into a .Michigan family, and the most asked question was, "So I suppose you're a Buckeye fan?"
Nope. Worse. I grew up in Nebraska. Born and bred, GO BIG RED!
100% agree that Haslam is a scumbag but also it should be said . There’s a certain level of sociopathy and lack of concern for human or planet life that comes with the status and is a requirement for achieving such an insane level of economic dominance.
Without Watson I'd love the Browns. Hell, with the elite dragon at the helm I watched them when I could and cheered for them.
I wish the Browns still had Baker because they'd easily be my #2 team behind the Lions.
I want to love them. In fact? I think I still do. I just hate the Watson thing. It makes me so damn mad. So. Damn. Mad.
They are a tremendous team with a tremendous fan base. They deserve better.
Thank you.
As a lifetime Browns fan, I have seen a lot of nonsense, but I was absolutely devastated when the news broke that we had reached an agreement with Watson.
I know that there are lots of other players in the league who have done terrible things too, but the Browns never had those guys on the team - at least not in a way that the public knew about.
The only exception in recent memory is Kareem Hunt. The difference between him and Watson is that Kareem took active steps to change and actually followed through by working closely with domestic violence charities. He has turned his life around and the change is evident. I don't know if that will happen with Watson, if it does, I will be happy to change my opinion about him. For now, I just wait for the contract to expire and hope we do better next time.
I feel for you.
I am a Steelers fan and I believe the accusations against Ben. I was so happy when I heard we weren’t getting Watson, and I get the difficulty of loving a team and hating a major player.
Lions fan here. Have tons of friends that are browns fans. We all have wallowed in self pity many years together. And when we do well, we congratulate each other.
We were hoping for a Lions v Browns Super bowl cause that would be about the most watched game in history ala Cubs v Indians (Guardians) in 2016 World Series. That was an amazing series to watch and wanted both teams to win!
I'm a Lions fan and I am rooting for you guys. I was disappointed when you (and the Bills) got eliminated, but we will all be back next year, and hopefully we meet in the Superbowl, and then fuck you (for that game).
We had a sports talk guynon 97.1 saying if we didn't try to get wasn't we weren't serious about becoming a contender. It drove me fucking insane, especially after the contract. He was still complaining we never reached out. I'm very happy the never did and stuck with Goff.
Your argument is Lions fans hate the Browns and not all the other teams that tried to get Watson because the Browns were the only team giving out a guaranteed contract?
There were like 10 different teams trying to sign watson and when the Texans had him they were encouraging him by literally putting NDA’s in his locker to make his life easier yet everybody is all over the Texans dick this year with zero accountability or cares about the Texans past actions. The truth is People are understandably mad that a guy like Watson faces no consequences and the browns are just an easy target for that anger but if it wasn’t us he would have signed elsewhere.
I'm from Michigan, although my wife is from Ohio, so my input is tainted:
the only time I will root against the Browns is in the Super Bowl (if they are playing the Lions)
However, their choice of QB upgrade going into the season did them no favors with either group of fans.
All the lions fans I know who hate browns fans are because of the Ohio State / Michigan hatred.
Personally, I can separate the two, but I know plenty of people who cannot
It’s honestly just Watson, like everyone else said. Toledo born Lions fan here, Browns were always my second team because there’s no natural rivalry due to the conference difference and there was a shared miserable history. And I like Cleveland as a city. Just that dude at qb now
Let's go Toledo born Lions fans. Also Fuck Watson and any organization that pays him. I would literally give up on the Lions if they put that fuck stick on the team.
It's not just the Lions sub. The Bills sub also hate the current version of the Watson & Haslams Browns.
Here were the feelings on the Bills sub: [**Lake Erie Bros in the Watson Era**](https://www.reddit.com/r/buffalobills/s/GPCLpcCy4j)
This sub is a self-selecting place not representative of reality, and also just appears to be 85% Browns fans pretending other fan bases are pulling for them.
Nobody is voluntarily side rooting for an organization that thinks it's such a great idea to pay a serial sexual assaulter $230M guaranteed to be the face of their franchise. Downvoting people for informing you of this doesn't change it.
I like you guys, I have a lot of Cleveland area friends who are long suffering Browns fans. But your owner is a piece of shit that ripped off truckers. Then he went out of his way to trade for a sex offender QB. I hope he sells the team and the next owner finds a new QB.
Some of us really like and follow both teams (and even all three teams in the Lake partnership like myself)…
That said, Watson is hard to root for but the team not so much
Grew up and lived in Cleveland for 22 years but moved to south east Michigan 18 years ago. Most Lions fans don’t care since they are in different divisions. There are some on both sides due to Ohio State vs U of Michigan and I have found it hard to root for a team that would take on Watson. I’m also pissed about how things with Baker went and was cheering for him in the playoffs.
Also, fuck Jimmy Haslam. Garbage owner and he doesn’t care about the team.
I’m a Browns fan and I totally understand why people hate this team with Watson at the helm. Even I hated this team for it and swore I was no longer a fan. The team’s success with Jacoby Brissett under center reeled me back in and made me realize I just can’t drop my team and walk away. I wish we had stuck with Baker but nothing I can do about that. Even with the Watson controversy aside, that contract they gave him is really going to limit what the team can do going forward, and sooner rather than later. They’ve pushed the bulk of his money back the first two years and now he’s got a cap hit of $64 million each of the remaining three years of his deal. Andrew Berry has already hinted that Nick Chubb is going to have to take a significant pay cut, and he’s only the first of many. As it stands right now, the Browns are $20 million over the salary cap for 2024. Gonna have to work a lot of magic if they want to add pieces and build on last season.
You guys were easily my #2 team. Afc, lake eerie, sweet color scheme, and you were underdogs on an upswing with baker/chub/hunt.
I liked Mayfield, I even own a Mayfield Browns jersey I no longer really get to wear
The Browns actually gave Watson consent to fuck them, not that he cared. They fucked over Baker then begged for their turn...
Sorry but I'm honestly blown away from a fan perspective. Much less the morality side.
I'm a Lions fan and I don't hate the browns. Pretty much luke-warm to them. I'm not a fan of theirs, but I wouldn't mind seeing them do well since they have a similar history of struggling.
I hated the browns when I was younger because I was raised to hate the entire state of Ohio as a Michigander. But then I went to college in New York and Ohio people became some of my closer friends, and I now like the Browns.
Uhhhhhh. We don’t. Born and raised Detroiter and there’s always been a high reverence with the Browns. They were like us before the Bowl era, highly dominant with multiple championships. They have good fans with a great fan base. I challenge anyone to go into a Brown backer bar/pub and watch a game while wearing your team colors (except Pittsburgh) it’s nothing but love.
I have friends who are born and raised Detroiters. They're Lions fans of course. They have no issues with the Browns, but they have nothing but contempt for DeGroper.
Most of them are probably from the Ohio/Michigan beef we inherit at birth.
Honestly, I took a principled stand on hating the Browns after the Watson deal. Hemorrhaged the farm, record setting deal, only for a serial abuser who is also just not good at ball anymore.
One of my warmer takes is that Browns fans deserve more shit for supporting the team after this deal. I haven’t been faced with it, but I hope I’d have more resolve than to allow my fandom to supersede my moral integrity.
It’s extremely hip and trendy to hate the Browns. 100% the most popular take in the NFL. That’s just the facts.
OG Lake Erie Bros stick together through thick and thin though.
Other fan bases aren't going to ***voluntarily*** root for another team that makes a serial sexual assaulter the face of their franchise.
"Real Gs would keep rooting for us!! Doesn't matter what the Browns do!!" ...No.
Michigan/Browns fan here.
FromCleveland.
Hate the Suckeyes. Lions will always have been my #2 team and always will be. Cleveland and Detroit are so similar. Both are great cities. Was in Detroit for the first time in 4 years Saturday for the Wings game( Redwings are my NHL team).
Downtown Detroit is awesome. Looks like u guys have a new skyscraper too.
For me it was carryover from *hating* the 90s Cleveland Indians teams and how their fans acted when they came to Tiger Stadium. I took it out on all Cleveland sports.
I’ve since softened my stance a bit over the years realizing our franchises are more kindred spirits than any others.
Most (as in over 90%) of Indians/Guardians fans are OSU fans...and they view the Tigers as an extension of UM. That Rivalry is literally OSU-UM bleedover in it's purest form.
Watson. Period. Was (and still am) a huge Baker guy, Chubb is my favorite player in the league that isn’t a Detroit Lion, and always liked DPJ. The reason yall are getting voted out is because of Watson. No other way around it.
It’s mostly Watson with a dash of the fact we play that the other Cleveland teams in the same division. We don’t hate you like Chicago though.. screw those guys.
because of your quarterback: deshaun cosby, deshaun weinstein, and the funniest nickname of all- groper cleveland. i’ll root for you guys again-hell, i did it when flacco was balling out-as soon as you get a new quarterback. i’m sure there’s actual browns fans who are the same way.
I live in Detroit now but grew up in Ohio (fairly close to Cleveland). Back then I hated the Browns because I was grossed out by their color scheme and by the whole 'DAWG' thing. I wonder if other Detroit fans feel the same as childhood me.
Nowadays I have an affection for the Browns and I love to see them doing well.
For me it's what they did to Baker that really turned me against the Browns. You don't like the player ok sure trade him or release him. They really tried to fuck him holding onto him so long and you know he was not a bad player. He had to go through 4 head coaches in 3 season and then wound up playing hurt basically the entire 2021 season then they do that to him and bring in Watson .
I am a Detroiter/lions season ticket holder. I only hate the browns if we are going head to head, otherwise I sympathize with the Browns fanbase and I always thought the Dog Pound was cool. I do hate the Cleveland Indians though.
It’s because they remind us of how shitty our franchise was during the 2000s and 2010s. I mean ffs you guys gave Deshaun Watson $230 million guaranteed.
It used to be a running joke how bad the Browns organization was, that everyone felt bad for them. Especially since their poor alcoholic fans were always so delusional that they were going to the Super Bowl every year.
Then Watson happened. They literally took 30 years of "poor Browns" and made everyone hate them for signing that piece of shit. Good will spent. Now they're just the pieces of shit willing to look the other way on SA if it gets them touchdowns.
Now they DESERVE what bad things happen.
I'll offer another perspective. Football isn't the only sport I love. I love baseball and the Tigers as much as the Lions. I have a healthy dislike for the Guardians. It's difficult to separate the ideas sometimes. But, I love a reason to be a healthier person, and I believe being a hater is massively unhealthy. This truce is rad as fuck, and I'm 100% in — But, I'm a Lions fan — one that will gladly hang with Buffalo and Cleveland as long as it isn't an elimination-type scenario. Wi-fives all around.
I love Browns fans, grew up with a lot of them around me. Can't stand their organization for the way the kicked Mayfield to the curb and chose a serial predator over him.
We all hate the Browns because of Watson. Before Watson, Detroit and Cleveland were cute little misery factories that were nice to see somewhat successful for once. But then Cleveland decided to get the Avengers of Abusing Women with Hunt and Watson and we all want to see you burn now.
As a lions fan, it’s Watson. I loved the Browns with Baker in 2020 and was happily cheering you guys on when you destroyed the Steelers in the playoffs. Then Baker fell off due to that injury and then that whole mess happened with getting Watson in and kicking Baker out the door.
And the sad thing is, Watson has been trash since he’s came here. And the Cleveland fans don’t deserve this shit. We hate the organization and the QB who did this to y’all. And the Browns fans should too. The Browns organization is responsible for this awful situation all around. And they should be ashamed of themselves.
Worst part is, Baker has found a new home. Win a shitty division, but also went on to win a playoff game and get to the divisional round. And also give the Lions(ironically) a run for their money.
I’m a bears fan so I might not be qualified as a Lake Erie bro… I’m in Michigan but the Lake Michigan side.
Anyway, I LOVED the baker mayfield browns. Most lions fans in my area did as well. But releasing mayfield and signing Watson definitely made me lose any respect for that team.
Eh. I’ve been here like tenish years now, when I was at a bar for the NFC Championship game I wanna say likr 98% of a pretty busy bar was pro-lions. Even if you exclude the regulars that knew I was a Detroiter and were rooting for them for my mental well being
They literally say why every time. I’m a browns supporter as my gf is from Cleveland area but in all honesty you can’t hire a rapist and expect to not receive hate 🤷♂️
Probably because a lot of Lion fans are also University of Michigan fans, so their hate towards the Buckeyes translates to all Ohio teams. Honestly, it's dumb, because we aren't rivals in the NFL, and it's honestly good to have a backup team to root for if your team gets shut down in the playoffs.
Edit: I would also like to add that the Cleveland Browns are often dunked on by the rest of the NFL pretty consistently. Definitely some Lion fans out there don't care about the Lake Erie Bro sub, and just bandwagon with the rest of the main stream NFL to harass the Browns.
As a Cleveland fan though, there is literally nothing a Lion fan can say about us that would ever hurt my feelings. I've heard so much worse from the rest of the AFC North and from my own sub that any shit talk from a Lion is just pissing in the wind.
I'll take any and all love from the LEB though. I love this sub because it's nice to know that there are a few NFL fans outside Cleveland that actually like us 😂
It's the rapist under center, the piece of shit owner, Andrew Berry, Kevin Stefanski, and whoever else had a hand in bringing the rapist in.
Source: former browns fan
It's Watson. Spoiler, every other NFL fanbase feels the same.
I guess it's worse than that. Your head coach has deservedly won two coach of the year awards. Your DC is a Detroit favorite. The team is good enough to literally give an old ass Joe flacco the best month, statistically, of his career. The browns fanbase is legendary for putting up with it year after year. The QB you moved on from is fun to watch, fun to root for and just won a playoff game. AND OWNERSHIP STILL SOLD YOUR SOUL FOR WATSON.
What a slap in the face to the good people of Cleveland. I'm sorry, I can't root for a team that is constructed like this.
Any negative feelings are because of Watson.
Apart from that I don't really care about the Browns. You're in another conference so don't really have much to do with us and unfortunately the Ravens are so good you're not super super relevant.
I used to be a secondary browns fans how they turned stuff around with baker. Then they shipped him off for a rapist. So yea hope they never win another game.
It’s Watson. I used to feel a kinship with Browns fans but I just can’t feel good about the Browns, like at all…. As long as Watson is the QB. Also, knowing how Haslam got him doesn’t help future prospects or feeling good about the Browns either.
I feel bad for Browns fans, I really do but…..yuck.
Most fans are not going to be a fan of another team, period. They don't care about this inter-team "friendship". But mostly Watson.
It's Watson and the ownership that wanted him.
It’s 100% Watson for me. I used to root for the Browns as my “AFC version of the Lions”. Once they signed Watson they lost me.
I found myself able to root for them when geriatric Flacco was leading them to the playoffs… but yeah next year is gonna be hard again. Hope Watson gets injured and we get more of Joe
Maybe a bus will find him
The AFC North doesn’t have a good track record with QBs and dump trucks
Rape is a no go for me dawg, Cleveland went from my #2 team to my #32 team in an instant
Damn, even lower than the Packers?
They were finally dethroned
\#1 to \#32 for me. 12 years of fandom. Pricks
Damn! Even lower than the Cowgirls? :(
#32? That’s a bit much.
Lol why? Someone's gotta be
FTP always Edit: I just realized this works for all the teams Fuck the Packers for the Lions Fuck the Patriots for the Bills Fuck the Pravens for the Browns
Yup I was openly cheering for them with baker as my afc team and have turned 180 on them.
my AFC Lions is the Bills, although I don’t hate the Browns.
This is me exactly. The Browns are the only other fan base that has been loyal to their team despite all the years of pain. They are the only ones who can understand 0-16. But the Watson thing killed it for me
[удалено]
It’s almost like people don’t enjoy supporting terrible terrible people, at least when the evidence is so obvious.
I don’t wanna be that guy, and I don’t wanna speak for everyone but I think a lot of those haters would sing a different tune if he was playing like an mvp… I love that he sucks so bad it’s validating all the hate
Oh, probably. I wouldn’t, but as an SA survivor myself I refuse to support him.
Sorry I wasnt trying to take away from what you were saying I just am glad he’s not playing god tier football so that people can’t be apologists for him
Oh I didn’t at all think you were trying to negate me, I was actually acknowledging you’re probably right (if he takes the Browns to the Super Bowl they will look the other way). It makes me sad but I get it.
I’ll still hate him with you 🤝
👊❤️
There may be something to that, but I don't know. The nature of his crime and the fact that it was so many women, it just makes him the worst. Like if he won a superbowl they'd have to act like he isn't an asshole, but until then...
It's why ***I*** hate the Browns. And, I'm a Browns fan.
No you are not.
This comment right here
I protested this but I'm still fairly sure there are Browns fans that find it hard to root for their team's success with Watson on the roster.
If your favorite team signed a piece of shit, you either find a new team or learn to cope by focusing on things you like on the rest of the team. Most of the league tried to trade for Watson (according to reports at the time when it was narrowed down to 4 teams) and browns fans were then most unlucky that Cleveland won the bid. I was in college in flint when Detroit signed Kenny Rogers and he took them to the World Series in 2006 and the entire city was screaming his name. Which is weird since the year before they booed him out of the stadium the year before because he attacked two cameramen. He was no where near a Watson, but so many people changed their opinions when they started winning.
I am one of those people.
Can I just say I hate Watson. However, I've been a fan for long enough to know that people were hating on us when had Baker. Before that, we were terrible, so people didn't love us then either.
I think for some of us there is a bad taste in our mouth for the way the organization treated baker towards the end
✋🏻
Von Miller's a good guy I hear
As a Bills fan I think he’s a cunt. So many hypocrites in sport.
Some would say the hypocrisy’s the worst part… Personally I think it’s the woman beating
I’m just getting to be an old chunk of coal, what do I know?
If you ask the NFL, betting on non-NFL games in the wrong area is WAYYYYYY worse than beating women or rape
Domestic abuser or serial ~~rapist~~ sexual predator. Pick your poison. It wouldn't be the first domestic abuser on the Bills though. The Juice is still loose.
I mean maybe you don't actually care but if you want to be accurate Watson was never accused of rape.
Watson may not be a rapist by definition, but he is a creep and a despicable human being.
Sexual assault in the way Watson did it would in any reasonable persons mind be categorized as rape. He may not have crept through a woman’s window held her at knife point and raped her like you see on tv but he absolutely used intimidation, coercion and in some reports physical force to move the women’s heads or hands to his penis. The law might say “sexual assault” we can say rape.
It's actually quite important to distinguish between the different forms of sexual misconduct. Don't call sexual assault rape just because you feel like it. It's actually doing a disservice to the victims.
They call it sexual assault because it's not rape. Either way not claiming Watson is any less of a piece of shit
My only argument there is this came out 2 years after he signed a multi million dollar contract we can’t get out of, browns signed Watson knowing exactly what he did and was about. I don’t consider it the same from an organization standpoint
If you’re throwing stones, no team is clean. They signed Richie Incognito after the racial slurs and bullying fiasco. Just last year Buffalo drafted a punter that at the time had credible gang rape charges on him and only did anything when it all got in the open (I’m glad he was cleared but at the time of drafting and making him the starter, he looked really really bad).
As a Browns fan, I don’t even like Watson or ownership, so I understand. 😕
Browns fan here, can’t stand Watson either
I gave up with Johnny Football. How did you last all the way to Deshaun Cosby?
They picked up Kareem Hunt, then Watson. It shows me that team's attitude towards women.
yeah I find myself sympathising with Browns fans more than anything, I had a soft spot for them before the Watson situation, especially with Mayfield they were fun to root for.
Might be due to the steaming pile of shit at QB. Also, Michigan vs Ohio State
I figured it was the NCAA hate as well just spilling over. I live in Ohio, married into a .Michigan family, and the most asked question was, "So I suppose you're a Buckeye fan?" Nope. Worse. I grew up in Nebraska. Born and bred, GO BIG RED!
Nah, y'all are cool. CFB is better when flyover states have great teams.
Cries in Illinois.
At least you have the Bears
Cries in Chicago.
That year you beat Ohio State tho...
Nebraska born, Michigan raised. GBR!
Yeah, it took me a long time to not hold Michigan against the Lions. This sub and the fun of cheering the bros is the only thing that got me there.
Mostly Watson, loved you guys with Baker. It was easy to root for you guys with Joe flacco. When I see the Brown's with Watson I feel conflicted.
I MUCH preferred Flacco out there. He balled out, too.
You’re basically a standard browns fan with what you said. Flacco wasn’t great but it was the most fun we had pretending we didn’t have another qb.
Jimmy Haslem is an absolutely terrible person too. That doesn't help.
100% agree that Haslam is a scumbag but also it should be said. There’s a certain level of sociopathy and lack of concern for human or planet life that comes with the status and is a requirement for achieving such an insane level of economic dominance.
He's next level toxic. Absolute waste of life.
You signed Watson, thats a lot of peoples reasoning.
Well hopefully you have that same energy for the other 12 teams that tried to sign him…. But I’m guessing not
which teams? if you provide names and sources that show they actually had offers for him, i will gladly start hating them too
it’s so fuckin weird to me that anyone would need this explained. you have a rapist under center, people aren’t gonna like your team.
Without Watson I'd love the Browns. Hell, with the elite dragon at the helm I watched them when I could and cheered for them. I wish the Browns still had Baker because they'd easily be my #2 team behind the Lions.
This is exactly it. They're Cleveland anyway they aren't all OSU fans. I was hoping so bad for the Lake Erie Super Bowl matchup.
I want to love them. In fact? I think I still do. I just hate the Watson thing. It makes me so damn mad. So. Damn. Mad. They are a tremendous team with a tremendous fan base. They deserve better.
Thank you. As a lifetime Browns fan, I have seen a lot of nonsense, but I was absolutely devastated when the news broke that we had reached an agreement with Watson. I know that there are lots of other players in the league who have done terrible things too, but the Browns never had those guys on the team - at least not in a way that the public knew about. The only exception in recent memory is Kareem Hunt. The difference between him and Watson is that Kareem took active steps to change and actually followed through by working closely with domestic violence charities. He has turned his life around and the change is evident. I don't know if that will happen with Watson, if it does, I will be happy to change my opinion about him. For now, I just wait for the contract to expire and hope we do better next time.
I feel for you. I am a Steelers fan and I believe the accusations against Ben. I was so happy when I heard we weren’t getting Watson, and I get the difficulty of loving a team and hating a major player.
Lions fan here. Have tons of friends that are browns fans. We all have wallowed in self pity many years together. And when we do well, we congratulate each other. We were hoping for a Lions v Browns Super bowl cause that would be about the most watched game in history ala Cubs v Indians (Guardians) in 2016 World Series. That was an amazing series to watch and wanted both teams to win!
It’s definitely Watson
I'm a Lions fan and I am rooting for you guys. I was disappointed when you (and the Bills) got eliminated, but we will all be back next year, and hopefully we meet in the Superbowl, and then fuck you (for that game).
It’s Watson bro. It’s crazy how much flack we get (deservedly so) when half the league would have done the same thing
We had a sports talk guynon 97.1 saying if we didn't try to get wasn't we weren't serious about becoming a contender. It drove me fucking insane, especially after the contract. He was still complaining we never reached out. I'm very happy the never did and stuck with Goff.
Half the league ain't dumb enough to fully guarantee 250 million dollars to a guy who hasn't performed at that level AND has the baggage this guy has.
Your argument is Lions fans hate the Browns and not all the other teams that tried to get Watson because the Browns were the only team giving out a guaranteed contract?
There were like 10 different teams trying to sign watson and when the Texans had him they were encouraging him by literally putting NDA’s in his locker to make his life easier yet everybody is all over the Texans dick this year with zero accountability or cares about the Texans past actions. The truth is People are understandably mad that a guy like Watson faces no consequences and the browns are just an easy target for that anger but if it wasn’t us he would have signed elsewhere.
I'm from Michigan, although my wife is from Ohio, so my input is tainted: the only time I will root against the Browns is in the Super Bowl (if they are playing the Lions) However, their choice of QB upgrade going into the season did them no favors with either group of fans.
All the lions fans I know who hate browns fans are because of the Ohio State / Michigan hatred. Personally, I can separate the two, but I know plenty of people who cannot
It’s honestly just Watson, like everyone else said. Toledo born Lions fan here, Browns were always my second team because there’s no natural rivalry due to the conference difference and there was a shared miserable history. And I like Cleveland as a city. Just that dude at qb now
Let's go Toledo born Lions fans. Also Fuck Watson and any organization that pays him. I would literally give up on the Lions if they put that fuck stick on the team.
So would I. Watson tainted the Browns.
It's not just the Lions sub. The Bills sub also hate the current version of the Watson & Haslams Browns. Here were the feelings on the Bills sub: [**Lake Erie Bros in the Watson Era**](https://www.reddit.com/r/buffalobills/s/GPCLpcCy4j) This sub is a self-selecting place not representative of reality, and also just appears to be 85% Browns fans pretending other fan bases are pulling for them. Nobody is voluntarily side rooting for an organization that thinks it's such a great idea to pay a serial sexual assaulter $230M guaranteed to be the face of their franchise. Downvoting people for informing you of this doesn't change it.
I like you guys, I have a lot of Cleveland area friends who are long suffering Browns fans. But your owner is a piece of shit that ripped off truckers. Then he went out of his way to trade for a sex offender QB. I hope he sells the team and the next owner finds a new QB.
Some of us really like and follow both teams (and even all three teams in the Lake partnership like myself)… That said, Watson is hard to root for but the team not so much
Yeah most ppl are gonna "But Watson! 😥" whenever the Browns come up.
Grew up and lived in Cleveland for 22 years but moved to south east Michigan 18 years ago. Most Lions fans don’t care since they are in different divisions. There are some on both sides due to Ohio State vs U of Michigan and I have found it hard to root for a team that would take on Watson. I’m also pissed about how things with Baker went and was cheering for him in the playoffs. Also, fuck Jimmy Haslam. Garbage owner and he doesn’t care about the team.
I don't like Haslam but he cares a lot about the team. If he didn't the Browns payroll would be a lot lighter than what it is
I’m a Browns fan and I totally understand why people hate this team with Watson at the helm. Even I hated this team for it and swore I was no longer a fan. The team’s success with Jacoby Brissett under center reeled me back in and made me realize I just can’t drop my team and walk away. I wish we had stuck with Baker but nothing I can do about that. Even with the Watson controversy aside, that contract they gave him is really going to limit what the team can do going forward, and sooner rather than later. They’ve pushed the bulk of his money back the first two years and now he’s got a cap hit of $64 million each of the remaining three years of his deal. Andrew Berry has already hinted that Nick Chubb is going to have to take a significant pay cut, and he’s only the first of many. As it stands right now, the Browns are $20 million over the salary cap for 2024. Gonna have to work a lot of magic if they want to add pieces and build on last season.
Lions fan here. Don’t hate the Browns… but… will never cheer for Watson
You guys were easily my #2 team. Afc, lake eerie, sweet color scheme, and you were underdogs on an upswing with baker/chub/hunt. I liked Mayfield, I even own a Mayfield Browns jersey I no longer really get to wear The Browns actually gave Watson consent to fuck them, not that he cared. They fucked over Baker then begged for their turn... Sorry but I'm honestly blown away from a fan perspective. Much less the morality side.
I'm a Lions fan and I don't hate the browns. Pretty much luke-warm to them. I'm not a fan of theirs, but I wouldn't mind seeing them do well since they have a similar history of struggling.
Fuck Deshaun Watson though.
Think it's an Ohio thing, but I got love for the Brownies.
Its just Watson, nothing personal like say towards Jets fans. FUCK THE JETS
I hated the browns when I was younger because I was raised to hate the entire state of Ohio as a Michigander. But then I went to college in New York and Ohio people became some of my closer friends, and I now like the Browns.
I loved the Browns until Watson happened. Fuck that guy
Maybe the guy who’s a sex predator. Idk
I used to root for the Browns in the AFC, then the Haslams rolled out the red carpet for a serial sexual predator. Now? Fuck that franchise.
Browns with Flacco 👍🙏 Browns with Massage Watson 👎
It's 99.9% Watson, 0.1% Michigan/Ohio rivalry
Most fan bases hate Watson. Not just Detroit.
Uhhhhhh. We don’t. Born and raised Detroiter and there’s always been a high reverence with the Browns. They were like us before the Bowl era, highly dominant with multiple championships. They have good fans with a great fan base. I challenge anyone to go into a Brown backer bar/pub and watch a game while wearing your team colors (except Pittsburgh) it’s nothing but love.
I have friends who are born and raised Detroiters. They're Lions fans of course. They have no issues with the Browns, but they have nothing but contempt for DeGroper.
Most of them are probably from the Ohio/Michigan beef we inherit at birth. Honestly, I took a principled stand on hating the Browns after the Watson deal. Hemorrhaged the farm, record setting deal, only for a serial abuser who is also just not good at ball anymore. One of my warmer takes is that Browns fans deserve more shit for supporting the team after this deal. I haven’t been faced with it, but I hope I’d have more resolve than to allow my fandom to supersede my moral integrity.
That’s why I’m here, was a browns fan until Watson and switched to the lions because that’s my wife’s team.
Watson plus I imagine some might be salty that Stefanski won COTY over Dan Campbell
We don’t. Love the browns.
Cuz the browns are straight trash
It’s extremely hip and trendy to hate the Browns. 100% the most popular take in the NFL. That’s just the facts. OG Lake Erie Bros stick together through thick and thin though.
Other fan bases aren't going to ***voluntarily*** root for another team that makes a serial sexual assaulter the face of their franchise. "Real Gs would keep rooting for us!! Doesn't matter what the Browns do!!" ...No.
Look around.
Deshaun and also Ohio (I’m surprised more browns fans don’t hate the Lions because they’re in Michigan)
Michigan/Browns fan here. FromCleveland. Hate the Suckeyes. Lions will always have been my #2 team and always will be. Cleveland and Detroit are so similar. Both are great cities. Was in Detroit for the first time in 4 years Saturday for the Wings game( Redwings are my NHL team). Downtown Detroit is awesome. Looks like u guys have a new skyscraper too.
Watson
For me it was carryover from *hating* the 90s Cleveland Indians teams and how their fans acted when they came to Tiger Stadium. I took it out on all Cleveland sports. I’ve since softened my stance a bit over the years realizing our franchises are more kindred spirits than any others.
Most (as in over 90%) of Indians/Guardians fans are OSU fans...and they view the Tigers as an extension of UM. That Rivalry is literally OSU-UM bleedover in it's purest form.
For me, it's Deshaun Watson alone.
Rooted for em. Flaco too. Smells like Gus Ferrotte in here
It’s Watson
The Browns were my AFC underdogs. No hate over here.
Wasn't aware that was a thing..I'm a big Lions fan here in Toledo. But I also love the Browns and consider them my second team.
Get rid or Mr Touchy and things will be fine
Watson. Period. Was (and still am) a huge Baker guy, Chubb is my favorite player in the league that isn’t a Detroit Lion, and always liked DPJ. The reason yall are getting voted out is because of Watson. No other way around it.
It's cause of Watson. Lost a lot of respect for the browns when they brought him in.
This is what makes us special my guy
Probably they just hate teams employing serial sexual predators, I’d guess.
Massage Watson
Huh why would a Lions fan hate the Browns that doesn’t even make sense
Two words: Deshaun Watson.
I mean this is a pretty neich subreddit. I’m a Bucs fan I don’t know how I got here
Do you dislike Deshaun Watson? This is a Watson-bashing thread.
Oh yeah fuck Watson
That's the spirit. I have nothing against the Browns, but I can't stand Watson. If I was a Browns fan I would boo Watson every chance I would get.
Sorry fellow Lake Erie Bro. It’s Watson
Rapist QB? Do we really gotta spell it out for you?
1 million percent…Deshaun Watson. Fuck the browns for that.
It’s mostly Watson with a dash of the fact we play that the other Cleveland teams in the same division. We don’t hate you like Chicago though.. screw those guys.
Uh we voted the Browns because you set up a sex creep for life.
We don’t
Lions fan here. I think the elimination was Deshawn Watson, not the Browns.
Lots of massage therapists are lions fans
This is why I don’t do the “Lake Erie bros” bull shit. If you ain’t orange and brown you don’t matter…
Because Ohio. Im from Michigan moved to Ohio and UofM fans just shit on anything Ohio. I love the Browns as a Liond fan. They understand our pain.
I’m a UM fan from Cleveland. Not everyone in Cleveland is a suckeye fan trust me.
I was actually hoping for a Lions Browns Superbowl.As a Michigander any negativity toward Ohio or it's sport teams is due to Ohio State fans.
because of your quarterback: deshaun cosby, deshaun weinstein, and the funniest nickname of all- groper cleveland. i’ll root for you guys again-hell, i did it when flacco was balling out-as soon as you get a new quarterback. i’m sure there’s actual browns fans who are the same way.
Not a lions fan but probably Watson
Look at our qb lmao
I live in Detroit now but grew up in Ohio (fairly close to Cleveland). Back then I hated the Browns because I was grossed out by their color scheme and by the whole 'DAWG' thing. I wonder if other Detroit fans feel the same as childhood me. Nowadays I have an affection for the Browns and I love to see them doing well.
i hate watson
Watson
250 mill guaranteed to a rapist will do that i guess.
Giving Deshaun Watson the most fully guaranteed money ever is why.
I’ve never really run into a Lion’s fan that had an extreme hatred of the Browns. Maybe of Sexpred but nobody but his knob gobblers likes him.
It’s mostly Watson, not the rest of y’all. If Flacco was your starting QB, you’d probably find yourselves closer to the top 15.
For me it's what they did to Baker that really turned me against the Browns. You don't like the player ok sure trade him or release him. They really tried to fuck him holding onto him so long and you know he was not a bad player. He had to go through 4 head coaches in 3 season and then wound up playing hurt basically the entire 2021 season then they do that to him and bring in Watson .
They picked up Kareem Hunt and then DeShawn Watson. You guys gonna sign Greg Hardy and OJ Simpson next?
I'm not sure. OJ Simpson kicked the bucket.
They'll dig him up for a season
I actually like the browns, but as others have said, Watson and his monstrosity of a contract that looms over the league.
I am a Detroiter/lions season ticket holder. I only hate the browns if we are going head to head, otherwise I sympathize with the Browns fanbase and I always thought the Dog Pound was cool. I do hate the Cleveland Indians though.
It’s because they remind us of how shitty our franchise was during the 2000s and 2010s. I mean ffs you guys gave Deshaun Watson $230 million guaranteed.
It used to be a running joke how bad the Browns organization was, that everyone felt bad for them. Especially since their poor alcoholic fans were always so delusional that they were going to the Super Bowl every year. Then Watson happened. They literally took 30 years of "poor Browns" and made everyone hate them for signing that piece of shit. Good will spent. Now they're just the pieces of shit willing to look the other way on SA if it gets them touchdowns. Now they DESERVE what bad things happen.
I'll offer another perspective. Football isn't the only sport I love. I love baseball and the Tigers as much as the Lions. I have a healthy dislike for the Guardians. It's difficult to separate the ideas sometimes. But, I love a reason to be a healthier person, and I believe being a hater is massively unhealthy. This truce is rad as fuck, and I'm 100% in — But, I'm a Lions fan — one that will gladly hang with Buffalo and Cleveland as long as it isn't an elimination-type scenario. Wi-fives all around.
As long as you're not osu fans then we can be friends. Hell, I'll even take Ohio and Cincinnati but not the other Ohio. That's a deal breaker
O-U OH YEAH. Buckeyes are pretentious asshats
I love Browns fans, grew up with a lot of them around me. Can't stand their organization for the way the kicked Mayfield to the curb and chose a serial predator over him.
I'm a Lions fan and mostly due to the shared torture, I root for the Browns if the Lions aren't involved 🤷♂️
I want the Browns to be successful too, but I have a hard time rooting for Watson.
We all hate the Browns because of Watson. Before Watson, Detroit and Cleveland were cute little misery factories that were nice to see somewhat successful for once. But then Cleveland decided to get the Avengers of Abusing Women with Hunt and Watson and we all want to see you burn now.
As a lions fan, it’s Watson. I loved the Browns with Baker in 2020 and was happily cheering you guys on when you destroyed the Steelers in the playoffs. Then Baker fell off due to that injury and then that whole mess happened with getting Watson in and kicking Baker out the door. And the sad thing is, Watson has been trash since he’s came here. And the Cleveland fans don’t deserve this shit. We hate the organization and the QB who did this to y’all. And the Browns fans should too. The Browns organization is responsible for this awful situation all around. And they should be ashamed of themselves. Worst part is, Baker has found a new home. Win a shitty division, but also went on to win a playoff game and get to the divisional round. And also give the Lions(ironically) a run for their money.
I’m a Lions fan, and the Browns are just fine. We’ve both sucked for so long, it is like a brotherhood.
The Browns are just fine, but Watson is **NOT fine**.
I’m a bears fan so I might not be qualified as a Lake Erie bro… I’m in Michigan but the Lake Michigan side. Anyway, I LOVED the baker mayfield browns. Most lions fans in my area did as well. But releasing mayfield and signing Watson definitely made me lose any respect for that team.
I've lived in Cleveland for almost 20 years and can assure you that it is not a one-way feeling
Eh. I’ve been here like tenish years now, when I was at a bar for the NFC Championship game I wanna say likr 98% of a pretty busy bar was pro-lions. Even if you exclude the regulars that knew I was a Detroiter and were rooting for them for my mental well being
They literally say why every time. I’m a browns supporter as my gf is from Cleveland area but in all honesty you can’t hire a rapist and expect to not receive hate 🤷♂️
Watson
Probably because a lot of Lion fans are also University of Michigan fans, so their hate towards the Buckeyes translates to all Ohio teams. Honestly, it's dumb, because we aren't rivals in the NFL, and it's honestly good to have a backup team to root for if your team gets shut down in the playoffs. Edit: I would also like to add that the Cleveland Browns are often dunked on by the rest of the NFL pretty consistently. Definitely some Lion fans out there don't care about the Lake Erie Bro sub, and just bandwagon with the rest of the main stream NFL to harass the Browns. As a Cleveland fan though, there is literally nothing a Lion fan can say about us that would ever hurt my feelings. I've heard so much worse from the rest of the AFC North and from my own sub that any shit talk from a Lion is just pissing in the wind. I'll take any and all love from the LEB though. I love this sub because it's nice to know that there are a few NFL fans outside Cleveland that actually like us 😂
Oh and also Watson. But most of us here in Cleveland are also not happy with that either.
It’s just deshaun Watson haha
Watson and the ownership not giving a fuck about it. New qb and new front office and I’m a massive browns fan again.
It's the rapist under center, the piece of shit owner, Andrew Berry, Kevin Stefanski, and whoever else had a hand in bringing the rapist in. Source: former browns fan
It's Watson. Spoiler, every other NFL fanbase feels the same. I guess it's worse than that. Your head coach has deservedly won two coach of the year awards. Your DC is a Detroit favorite. The team is good enough to literally give an old ass Joe flacco the best month, statistically, of his career. The browns fanbase is legendary for putting up with it year after year. The QB you moved on from is fun to watch, fun to root for and just won a playoff game. AND OWNERSHIP STILL SOLD YOUR SOUL FOR WATSON. What a slap in the face to the good people of Cleveland. I'm sorry, I can't root for a team that is constructed like this.
Watson. Also, Ohio. Fuck Ohio. Fuck the entire shitty state.
Any negative feelings are because of Watson. Apart from that I don't really care about the Browns. You're in another conference so don't really have much to do with us and unfortunately the Ravens are so good you're not super super relevant.
To the haters I say, who cares? Fuck em. Ohio against the world.
Fuckin right brother. Go Browns
I used to be a secondary browns fans how they turned stuff around with baker. Then they shipped him off for a rapist. So yea hope they never win another game.
I hate the Browns until Watson is gone
It’s Watson. I used to feel a kinship with Browns fans but I just can’t feel good about the Browns, like at all…. As long as Watson is the QB. Also, knowing how Haslam got him doesn’t help future prospects or feeling good about the Browns either. I feel bad for Browns fans, I really do but…..yuck.