Cleveland Browns: A Dawg with no name

Since the days of Hanford ‘Top Dawg’ Dixon and Bob ‘Big Dawg’ Golic, a rich tradition has fallen dormant for the Cleveland Browns.

Nomenclature has always been a part of Cleveland Browns history. Perhaps being named after founding-father and head coach, Paul Brown, fueled a struggle for identity. That identity has taken many shapes over the years, but it has been a vital part of football in Cleveland since the very beginning.

Many moons have past since the “Kardiac Kids” gave way to the birth of the “Dawg Pound”. Some terms like “Crush and Rush” and “Quiet Storm” fade with the season, while others take root and grow strong.

In 1985, at six years old, my toys held names of my favorite players, my blood ran brown-and-orange, and I had no idea what horrors the future would bring. My childhood was filled with memories of the “Dawgs of Defense”, the “Wizard of Oz” and the ever-ringing chants of “Bernie-Bernie”. “Brownie the Elf” was somewhere playing with footballs and “Browns Backers” shared joy and pain all around the world.

The formation of terms like “The Drive” and “The Fumble” offered me my first broken-heart. As my parents told stories of a guy named Sype and of the heart-attack, after heart-attack, of the “Kardiac Kids”, a new breed of animal was moving in. The “Dawgs of Defense” era had already begun.

The Dawg Pound finds its origins in the 1985 Cleveland Browns training camp, a brainchild of cornerbacks, Hanford “Top Dawg” Dixon and Frank Minnifield. As the story goes, they determined the opposing quarterback was the cat and the defensive line were the dawgs chasing after it. Upon any sack or qb pressure, linebackers would bark and snarl.

The fans soon took notice and rubber-masked strays let out howls of their own. Chewy bones and dog biscuits took flight and Cleveland has been home to the Dawgs ever since.

In all honesty, I still wonder how flying batteries became commonplace at Municipal Stadium, but hey, that’s Cleveland football for you. One would think flying bones would suffice.

Although the origins focused on the defense, the name has evolved to resemble the team as a whole, as well as the fan base supporting them. The end-zone designated as the “Dawg Pound” may be the foundation, or cornerstone, but the term has a reach that extends well beyond seats within a stadium. If you root for the Cleveland Browns, consider yourself a proud member of the Dawg Pound.

Since returning to the NFL in 1999, the name has withstood decades of agonizing struggles and something has been amiss. Our dawgs have run wild, seemingly without direction and stability. Our collection of young pups have shown promise, but they must bind together and become united, as a pack. We need a new “Top Dawg”, and we need a hierarchy established within the pack.

It is not as simple as placing titles and calling it complete. For a pack to acknowledge an alpha, it must be earned and accepted within. Rest assured, the players in the locker room will learn their roles and battle amongst themselves to establish their internal pecking order.

As the nomenclature goes, a nickname is earned, not chosen, and this is where we find our role as fans. Let’s give our Dawgs a name to build upon and re-establish what makes the Dawg Pound so very special. A rich tradition has been dormant long enough.

Some players have pre-established handles, or monikers, such as Jarvis “Juice” Landry, Josh “Flash” Gordon, and David “Chief” Njoku, while others have yet to be christened with a title.

In order to get the ball rolling, I offer a few considerations of my own:

Baker “Mojo” Mayfield – Mojo the Underdawg!

Denzel “The Warden” Ward – perhaps the top dawg has a new name.

Jabrill “Hot Dawg” Peppers – stings like the heat of a jalapeno.

Myles “Jazzy” Garrett – although “Cujo” seems suitable as well.

Jamie “Pounce” Meder – a pounce, a blocked field goal, and a sole victory.

Duke Johnson Jr – Duke is a fine name, indeed.

Carlos “Raw” Hyde – A.K.A “Chewy” – chewing up yard after yard.

Joe “Show Dawg” Schobert – a fine specimen of form and technique.

Carl “Nasty” Nassib – a little nasty is just what we need.

Every dawg deserves a name and the time has come to formally adopt our Dawgs. A name brings a recognition of a special place, set aside in our hearts, for our favorites to bond with us, united, as a pack.

I invite you to spread the concept and offer up some possibilities of your own. Whether simple fun, or a secret to success, it is a piece of the soul of our franchise that has faded in time. Let us move forward from the embarrassment of years gone by and rebuild a tradition steeped in love, that younger generations can build upon, much as we have.