Detroit Lions or Cleveland Browns: Who Gets to the Super Bowl First?

And then there were four...

With the 31-28 thrilling victory over the Minnesota Vikings, the New Orleans Saints have removed themselves from the list of teams never to have played in a Super Bowl.

The current teams to have never reached the promised land are the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and of course, the Cleveland Browns and the Detroit Lions.

Both Houston and Jacksonville appear to be in a better position to get to the Super Bowl before the Browns or Lions. Which brings us to the question: Between the Browns and Lions, who will get there first?

Both the Browns and Lions enjoyed great success in their respective early years in the NFL. Though I would say the original version of the Browns, from 1950 to 1995 before that idiot Art Modell tucked tail and moved the team to Baltimore, were a pretty consistent playoff contender.

From 1950 to 1969, considered to be the Early Era of the NFL, the Browns played in 10 NFL Championship games, winning four of them.  Ironically, in three of the six losses they suffered in those championship games, it was at the hands of the Detroit Lions.

In the Modern Era, from 1970 to present, the Browns made the playoffs in 11 seasons, with a 3-12 record, which is marginally better than the Lions pathetic 1-10 playoff record in the same time frame.

But what of the future? Between these two teams, which will be better poised to make that quantum leap back to where they were early in there respective histories?

The Browns, since joining the NFL in 1950, have had five different owners. Current owner, Randy Lerner, inherited the team from his father, Al Lerner, when the elder Lerner passed away in 2002. Al Lerner was awarded ownership of the Browns when the NFL gave the city a franchise that inherited all of the Browns history, records, and uniforms. Modell agreed to these terms in exchange for an expansion team in Baltimore.

After the Browns' 5-11 season under Eric Mangini, Browns owner Randy Lerner wanted to bring in a "serious, credible" leader after unceremoniously having then-GM George Kokinis escorted out of the Browns practice facility by team security on November 2, 2009.

After much speculation and a bit of a waltz with the Seattle Seahawks, the Browns hired Mike Holmgren as team president, and he was given authority over the team's football operations. Eric Mangini was retained amid speculation that he and Holmgren could not co-exist. Holmgren hired former Philadelphia Eagles general manager as the Browns GM.

The Lions had their own metamorphosis one season earlier but, in a way, in reverse. While the Browns went after a big name in Holmgren, Holmgren at least has a history of success with the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks, taking both teams to the Super Bowl.

Mat Millen was also a big name. He was hired by William Clay Ford, Sr., in 2000 with absolutely no history of experience in running an NFL football team. And yet, he was hired as president and CEO of the Detroit Lions. While during his tenure, he also took on the role of GM and systematically deconstructed a team on the rise to the laughing stock they became in successive seasons, culminating in the 0-16 2008 season.

Mercifully, in the course of 2008, Millen was ultimately fired and replaced by two men, current GM Martin Mayhew and current president Tom Lewand. Lewand has little to do with player personnel. He is mostly responsible for the team's business, organizational, and NFL league matters.

Additionally, Rod Marinelli was fired after the 2008 season and was replaced by Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz. He, in turn, hired two name coordinators, Scott Linehan for the offense and Gunther Cunningham for the defense.

The Lions' 2009 draft was mildly successful with the emergence of quarterback Matthew Stafford and tight end Brandon Pettigrew on offense and safety Louis Delmas on defense. 

Stafford may finally be the franchise quarterback the Lions have been seeking since Bobby Layne. He has shown flashes of brilliance and toughness, especially in the game against the Cleveland Browns, throwing a touchdown to Pettigrew with no time on the clock and fighting a separated left shoulder injury.

So between the Browns and the Lions, which team will get to the Super Bowl first? Both teams will be operating under a guise of urgency, which would be escalated even more if the Texans and Jaguars make it before them. Neither the Browns nor the Lions want the distinction of being the last team ever to make it to the big dance.

Both teams also have large gaps to fill but in different areas.

The Browns were anemic on offense last year.  Neither Derek Anderson nor Brady Quinn were the answer at quarterback. Despite the trouble in that area, the Browns managed to finish the season 5-11, winning their last four games of the season.

The Lions have serious gaps on defense, most notably the defensive line and the secondary. The offense is almost there. They need to find a competent second wide receiver to go along with Calvin Johnson as well as either a very fast scat-back type of running back or a huge bruising one to complement Kevin Smith, Stafford will be better protected and can use play-action plays more effectively.

In breaking all this down, I believe the Lions are in a better position to make the Super Bowl before the Browns. I know that Mike Holmgren won't rest on his laurels but offensively, the Lions are ahead of the Browns.

Defense can be developed quicker than offense. Holmgren may be an offensive genius, but he isn't going to be the head coach calling the plays, nor will he be the one developing the players. They need to find a quarterback or place all their bets with either Anderson or Quinn. Holmgren is savvy enough to use one of them as trade bait for more draft picks. I suspect that one of them will not be a Cleveland Brown come the 2010 season.

The Lions' focus for this year's draft should be defense, and they should use the free agent market to tweak the offense. Despite the Browns having a better record, I feel the Lions are a better team, at least offensively.

Wouldn't it be ironic if, in three to five years, both teams make it to the Super Bowl and face each other?

I think I'll start saving my money for tickets to that game.