Our very own Gregg Rosenthal turned heads when he predicted the Carolina Panthers would be the next NFL team to win its first Super Bowl title in franchise history.
Pockets of you (almost exclusively in Charlotte) agreed; many of you did not.
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NFL Network analyst Warren Sapp has taken it a step further, predicting the Cleveland Browns will be the next Super Bowl-phobic team to win it all.
"They have a quarterback now, they have a running back -- in (Trent) Richardson and (they have Brandon) Weeden -- this is what you need to jump-start your franchise," Sapp said on Wednesday's episode of NFL Network's "NFL Total Access". "There's no more fumbling on the 1-yard line, there's no more 'Drive' for you to cry over. ... It's the Cleveland Browns. They'll be next."
Soon after Sapp filed this prediction, The Plain Dealer jumped all over it and Twitter caught on fire. We spoke briefly with Sapp here in the newsroom and he believes Cleveland has as solid a chance as any of the 14 teams missing a Super Bowl title. (After all, he did speak affectionately about roaming the Dawg Pound early in his career, chowing down on dog biscuits at the old Municipal Stadium. The man has seen things.)
Largely because of Cam Newton, we feel safe with our Panthers pick, but all of this is a crapshoot. The fine people of Cleveland are hoping Sapp has never been more right.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @marcsesslernfl.
