Dawgs By Nature
The Cleveland Browns were the NFL’s first dynasty as the franchise played in 10 consecutive league title games from 1946 to 1955.
Along the way, the Browns pocketed seven titles, the first four of which came in the All-America Football Conference, which competed against the NFL from 1946 to 1949.
In addition to those four titles, head coach Paul Brown and eight players – Len Ford, Frank Gatski, Otto Graham, Lou Groza, Dante Lavelli, Marion Motley, Bill Willis, and Mac Speedie – started their journey to the Pro Football Hall of Fame while playing for the Browns in the AAFC.
The success of those players, along with their contemporaries, was finally recognized earlier this year when NFL owners approved incorporating statistics from the defunct league into the NFL’s official record books.
That change validated Cleveland’s four AAFC titles, bringing the franchise’s total to eight championships; bumped Brown’s coaching record to 222 career wins; increased Graham from No. 41 in all-time scoring to No. 24; and added 3,024 rushing yards to Motley’s career totals.
The Browns highlighted all this in an article published on their website this past April. The franchise has done a commendable job, especially in recent years, of embracing its history and honoring past players through its Legends Program, which was established in 2001.
Which brings us to the present and the odd case of tight end David Njoku’s climb up the franchise’s all-time list for receiving yards.
Now in his ninth season, Njoku has 3,992 receiving yards, which has him at No. 12 on the franchise’s all-time list, just 157 yards away from surpassing wide receiver Brian Brennan, who finished with 4,148 receiving yards in eight seasons with the Browns.
As Njoku has climbed the list, the Browns have been highlighting it and, prior to Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, posted a graphic stating that Njoku is now No. 10 on the list, sandwiched between Brennan and Lavelli, which the graphic shows having 3,908 career receiving yards.
The problem with that is Lavelli, who played for the Browns from 1946 to 1956, actually has 6,488 career receiving yards when his 2,508 yards from the AAFC are included. Both Pro Football Reference and the Pro Football Hall of Fame credit Lavelli with those yards, which actually leaves him at No. 2 on the franchise’s all-time list.
It’s not clear why the Browns are discounting Lavelli’s accomplishments, especially since they made sure to acknowledge the changes for Graham and Motley. The NFL recognizes the stats from the AAFC, and the Browns are rightfully taking credit for the four championships they won, so if nothing else, they should be consistent.
