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Home > Blogs > Dawging the Browns > Archives > 2011 > December > 21 > Entry
Oh brother! Cleveland teams always get the wrong one
Word of the Browns signing tight end Dan Gronkowski to replace the injured Alex Smith got me thinking about brothers and how Cleveland teams have had an uncanny knack for getting the wrong one over the years.
Gronkowski is the older brother of New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who might be the best in the business at his position. The Browns could have had Rob in the 2010 draft but passed him over for safety T.J. Ward, which looked good at the time and might still work out if Ward ever gets back on the field.
Dan, alas, is just another guy off the scrap heap, no doubt with a dim future as he’s already been cut by three teams, including the Patriots.
Because that’s the way it usually works with Cleveland teams.
In the 1970s, Walter Payton was on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a running back with the Chicago Bears, a truly great player.
The Browns got his brother, Eddie, who returned kicks for a few years, then became a golf coach at his alma mater, Jackson State.
In the 1980s, Trey Junkin began a 19-year, many-team career as a linebacker, tight end and long snapper. Sure, it all ended badly with an errant snap that cost the New York Giants a playoff game against the 49ers in 2002, but how many NFL players last two decades?
The Browns, of course, drafted his brother, Mike Junkin, a linebacker from Duke (of all places), with the No. 5 overall pick in 1987. Mike played three seasons, two with the Browns, one with the Chiefs, with never so much as a hint of making an impact.
In baseball, the Cleveland Indians also ended up with the wrong brother at least twice.
Remember Carney Lansford? You probably don’t remember his brother, Phil, who was drafted 10th overall in 1978 but never made it out of the minors.
There was also the Bando family. Sal starred on World Series champions with the Oakland A’s in the early 1970s. The Indians had Chris Bando, who batted .227 with 27 home runs in his nondescript 1980s career.
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By Mike
December 22, 2011 12:24 AM | Link to this
Thanks for the article. I remember Dan being with the Lions and then saw Rob with New England. I thought Rob was a different guy with a similar name. I had no idea there were brothers. I also remember Eddy Payton killing the Lions with a kickoff return on Thanksgiving 1980 in overtime. Talk about your 15 minutes of fame!
By Mike
December 22, 2011 12:44 AM | Link to this
Whoops! It wasn’t Eddie Payton, it was David Williams. I’ve been blaming Eddie for all these years. Heck, he was a Lion in 1977. Sorry Eddie!
By Chocheese
December 22, 2011 7:55 AM | Link to this
What about the LeBrons? The young one bolts and the Cavs are stuck with the old crusty one.
By GrooveMaster
December 22, 2011 8:04 AM | Link to this
Missed out on bringing Shalamar to The Richfield Coliseum and then signed the Alomars. I think this may have Cleveland’s greatest miss.
By Tmb
December 22, 2011 10:42 AM | Link to this
Wow, way to welcome a new player to your city. A bad year every once in awhile is normal for any team but a perpetual losing team makes me think something else is going on other than bad players.