BEREA, Ohio - There have been helmet throws, answered Hail Marys, blocked field goals, dropped passes, spectacular catches, controversial replays and a mix of both bitter and sweet overtimes.
They've had three euphoric plane rides home after victories over New Orleans, Tennessee and Jacksonville. And they've heard home fans boo intensely after losses to Carolina, the Ravens and Indianapolis.
The franchise player - quarterback Tim Couch - cursed out the faithful to the media after the loss to the Ravens.
One day the team president stood in the middle of the locker room and called the season a failure. On another the entire team has stood in the middle of a church at the funeral of owner Al Lerner.
Over the past four months, nothing has been even-keeled for the Browns except the record, which stands at 7-7 as they head toward a crucial AFC North matchup with the 7-7 Ravens tomorrow.
The Browns are a team that has been both snake-bit and blessed in a series of wild and often inexplicable array of late-game finishes. Of the 14 games this season, 10 have come down to the final two minutes, a carry-over from last season when seven games weren't decided before the two-minute warning.
Everything from linebacker Dwayne Rudd's bizarre and illegal helmet throw in an opening-game loss to Kansas City to rookie wide receiver Andre Davis' incorrect route and dropped pass on fourth-and-goal in last week's loss to Indianapolis has weighed heavily on the team.
The Browns are 4-6 in those tight finishes, which has caused a building frustration inside and outside an organization that expected nothing less than a playoff berth this season. Despite a cluster of chances, without wins against the Ravens and the Falcons in the next two weeks and lots of help elsewhere, that won't happen.
"I think this team, this coaching staff with this talent should've made the playoffs this year; if they don't, we should all feel a sense of disappointment," team president Carmen Policy said after Sunday's loss to the Colts. "We haven't learned how to grasp control of the moment when you're on center stage."
After the Browns won just five games in the first two years after expansion in 1999, Butch Davis led the team to a 7-9 record and respectability last year in his first season as coach.
Davis was rewarded with nearly full control of personnel after director of football operations Dwight Clark was forced out over the summer. As a result, Davis had the freedom to make a series of moves.
In an attempt to remedy the Browns' woes against the run - ranking 30th in the NFL last season - Davis spent millions on defensive lineman Kenard Lang, linebacker Earl Holmes and safety Robert Griffith. He also gave an extension to Pro Bowl linebacker Jamir Miller, yet the investment hasn't paid off.
Miller tore his Achilles' tendon in the preseason, and Griffith has missed four games with injury. Defensive end and former No. 1 overall pick Courtney Brown has battled injury and inconsistent play, and defensive tackle and former No. 3 overall pick Gerard Warren has seen his production plummet in his second season.
Holmes and Lang have played well, but the result is a defense that is just 28th in the NFL against the run and has given up 100-yard games to seven different running backs this season, including 187 yards to Jamal Lewis in the first meeting with the Ravens.
After intercepting 33 passes in 2001, the Browns have just 15 in 14 games this season. After picking up 43 sacks last year, the Browns have just 24 this season. It all adds up to a team that hasn't been able to get over the hump in close games.
"We've had a lot of games that kick you in the gut," Davis said. "We have a chance to fight back and win these next two games and see what 9-7 gets us. It will surprise me if we don't come back and play well."
One move that has worked out for Davis has been first-round draft pick William Green. After being vilified by fans and the media after rushing for just 161 yards in his first eight games, Green has 492 yards in his past five. Yet the overall offensive output has leveled off, and without a dominant defense, all that's left is a desperate playoff situation.
"There's a fine line between good and great," guard Barry Stokes said. "And we haven't passed it yet."