Jinxed? Browns land on SI cover

Now the pressure is really on the Browns.

Browns wide receivers Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. are on the cover of the 2019 NFL preview edition of Sports Illustrated. So not only do the Browns have to live up to the hype of being one of the favorites to contend for the Super Bowl. They also have to break the infamous Sports Illustrated jinx.

How real the jinx is doesn’t matter. It’s there, as Indians fans know all too well. Cory Snyder and Joe Carter were on the 1987 preview issue of Sports Illustrated with the prediction of a World Series title and the headline “Indian Uprising.”

The Indians finished 61101 — the worst record in baseball in 1987. They were a modest 84-78 in 1986.

More recently, Indians pitcher Corey Kluber and former Tribe outfielder Michael Brantley were on the 2015 baseball issue cover with the headline, “Wait ‘til this Year.” The Indians finished 81-80 and missed the playoffs.

The headline on the 2019 football issue of Sports Illustrated says “The Browns are back.” A subhead reads: “Bold prediction! Cleveland’s first division title in 30 years.”

The Browns won the AFC

Central Division title in 1989 with a record of 9-6-1 and lost to the Denver Broncos in the AFC championship. They made the playoffs only twice since then. They beat the Patriots, 20-13, in a wild card game in 1994 before losing to the Steelers, 29-9, in a divisional playoff and in 2002 when they lost to the Steelers 36-33 in a wildcard playoff.

Since winning the AFC Central 30 years ago the Browns have had only three winning seasons – 1994, 2002 and 2007, when they finished 10-6.

The Sports Illustrated story on the 2019 Browns has only one nugget that hasn’t been written: Beckham said the New York Giants traded him to the Browns to punish him.

The Browns acquired Beckham from the Giants in March in a trade that caused a seismic shift in both franchises. Beckham is one of the most electrifying players in the NFL, famous for his one-handed catches, yet the Browns got him for the bargain price of picks 17 and 95 in the 2019 draft plus safety Jabrill Peppers.

Beckham claims in the Sports Illustrated story the Giants had better offers for him, but they took the deal from Browns general manager John Dorsey to spite Beckham. Despite his success on the field, Beckham was a magnet for attention in New York for being dissatisfied with the way the Giants used him.

“This wasn’t no business

move,” Beckham told SI. “This was personal. They thought they’d send me here to die.”

As it turns out, though, the Browns were preseason favorites to win the AFC North before being knighted by Sports Illustrated. They were 7-8-1 last season with rookie Baker Mayfield starting at quarterback the last 13 games. The Browns were 0-16 in 2017.

The acquisition of Beckham, along with signing defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson and running back Kareem Hunt in free agency plus trading for defensive end Olivier Vernon all contributed to putting the Browns in the national spotlight.

Now Sports Illustrated has made it official.

SUBMITTED