people should remember the 50's and to a lesser extent the 60's The Browns were the product of playing in a league with NO DRAFT... they could sign whomever they wanted to whatever contract they wanted as long as they could afford to, and they could... they had the biggest purse strings in that league... its why the NFL cannabilized them... they were outbidding them for a ton of 1st round talents, and for the first decade in the league they were dominant... as thos players retired and the process slowly equalized them, they fell back to mediocrity where they settled at until the 90s, when they relocated. since returning they have been in flux nonstop... they have never had a chance to settle out and build anything