It is about trust

In any relationship, trust is key. But when you have been burned so many times -- trust can be very hard. The past encroaches onto your present and you can't help having doubts whether they are justified or not.

For most sports fans in this town, the Cleveland Browns were our first true love. And there are many varied reasons for that. But all of that was changed when they left town. It was abrupt, it was violent and it was heart-breaking. Sure the Indians were there to pick up the pieces but they never quite got over the hump and won the World Series. So when NFL granted us another team three years later, there was still hope and an outpouring of support.

Now for the sake of this article, the front office is the part of the relationship we as fans have to trust. And it has been a series of turkeys over the last decade. First the flashy mob lawyer and his expensive suits. He showed off his Super Bowl rings, he had little to do with and installed his hand picked lackey to make our picks. It was all sizzle and no steak. And we stayed an expansion team.

Next was the supposed miracle worker. He had rebuilt a college power and had success in just in second year. But he built a house of cards. His draft picks were even worse. He walked like Napoleon but it was all an act. He quit in tears and whimpered back to college.

The next guy wasn't handsome but he was all about huge public gestures. He was bold and aggressive and after all we went through he seemed like a nice stable guy. But it turned out he had low self-esteem. He didn't feel like be belonged. He was petty and small. We heard the rumors but we as fans saved him from getting fired. We wanted to believe that he was finally the right guy for us. We were wrong. He destroyed us from within. And we are a bigger mess than we have ever been.

And now we have the estranged son of the man who was in charge when the Browns left town. The man who after the break-up went on to the toast of the leauge. He wasn't the reason the Browns left town but we hate him for being there and for ignoring our proud history while he was there. He grew from his mistakes here and became a champion without us. We can't help but see his estranged son as leftovers. Sure we want some of the magic we lost out on but we have our doubts he can do it.

And today many of us are going crazy on the Browns actions this off season and especially yesterday. Trading down and down and down and getting unflashy center. Not taking a big name defender that had not one but two teammates taken before him. This defender many of us said we had to have at 17 went to the one of the few teams people think have worse leadership then we do at 38 . Not taking a hometown running back with injury issues. Picking up receivers when we have none.

You have to trust. What choice do you have? Take away the history and on the surface the choices seem like solid football moves. Trust isn't easy. But if you want to profess anger. If you want to hate and moan and bitch and scream. Well it is time to end the relationship. Move on. You won't be missed. If you can't trust and who can blame you --- get out of the relationship. If you stay you are only hurting yourself and you are annoying the rest of us. I don't get hate for the sake of hate. Yes, the odds seem stacked against us but you have to give the new guy a chance.