Ranking the Most Optimistic Fanbases in the AFC North

When it comes to flat-out hatred, it's hard to top the AFC North.

This division features three of the most passionate fanbases in the league. You're not going to find three cities where football means more than it does in Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cleveland.

Ironically, the division is being ruled this year by the Cincinnati Bengals, who have rolled to an 8-0 start and are in the process of establishing themselves as one of the great teams in the league.

However, until the Bengals can win a playoff game or two, they won't be known as anything more than an also-ran, no matter what their regular-season record is.

Cincinnati is known as a baseball town, but Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cleveland are football towns. 

In this piece we rank the optimism level of the fans throughout the AFC North.

Warning: Links to Reddit contain NSFW language.

4. Cleveland Browns

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The Cleveland Browns have never seen their team play in the Super Bowl.

They have gone through some incredible pain since Jim Brown led the team to the 1964 NFL Championship, when a team quarterbacked by Dr. Frank Ryan and coached by Blanton Collier beat Don Shula, Johnny Unitas and the Baltimore Colts.

That championship is the last one that has been earned by a pro sports team from Cleveland.

Led by Bernie Kosar, the Browns nearly won the AFC Championship in both 1986 and 1987. However, Kosar and the Browns had the misfortune of competing against John Elway and the Denver Broncos, losing the conference title game both years in heartbreaking fashion. 

But whether the team has been good, bad or non-descript, the fans have always been madly in love with their team. When the Browns played at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, the cavernous arena became known as The Dawg Pound, as dog-mask-wearing fans brought dog snacks to throw onto the field at visiting players or when they were upset by an official's call.

Browns fans have always been loyal, but when former owner Art Modell could not get a commitment from public officials for a modern stadium, he packed up and moved the team to Baltimore in 1996. The departure ripped the hearts out of the fans, and the town was without football until Cleveland gained an expansion team in 1999.

The new team was allowed to maintain the old name and the team's history, but the current version of the Browns has been to the playoffs just once.

Fans are hoping for a return to glory, but the team is a long way from earning a spot in the playoffs. This Reddit thread indicates how detailed the fans' knowledge of the team is and the many moves that will likely have to be made before the Browns are contenders again.

3. Baltimore Ravens

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The Baltimore Ravens have been playing in Babe Ruth's home town since 1996, but that's just a small part of Baltimore's pro football history.

The Baltimore Colts had the city's heart from their first season in 1953 until they moved to Indianapolis prior to the 1984 season.

Owner Robert Irsay was not a patient or diplomatic man, and he grew frustrated when he couldn't get a commitment for a new stadium. So he called in the Mayflower moving trucks and moved his team out of town as the snow fell in Baltimore.

This may have been the most painful move of any pro sports franchise. Perhaps the Browns' departure from Cleveland or the Dodgers' move from Brooklyn compare, but there was genuine depression and heartbreak when the Colts left.

That cloud didn't lift for the majority of the city's football fans until the Ravens played their first game in old Memorial Stadium.

The Ravens have been quite successful since their move, winning two Super Bowls. They have struggled quite a bit this season, and it would take a near miracle for this 2-6 team to turn the 2015 season around.

Their fans are knowledgeable about all aspects of the game, and this Reddit chain shows the fans have thoughts about all aspects of the NFL, even when their team is not playing well.

2. Cincinnati Bengals

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If this was a story about the most optimistic fans and we were only considering the 2015 season, the Cincinnati Bengals would be at the top of this list.

However, when it comes to interest and devotion to their team, the Bengals don't have the long-term commitment and passion that the other three teams in the division have from their fans.

The Bengals reside in one of the top baseball cities in the country. Additionally, the Bengals went through a dry spell from 1991 through 1994 when they did not have one winning season.

They have been much better in recent years, and they have been to the playoffs six times under current head coach Marvin Lewis, but they have not won one postseason game under his leadership.

As a result, there's a wait-and-see attitude among fans, even though the team is a sensational 8-0. No Bengals team has ever started the season with that record.

Bengals fans are hopeful that Andy Dalton and Lewis can turn this team into a champion, but they won't be truly optimistic until it starts winning playoff games.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

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There are many groups of hardcore and intelligent fans throughout the NFL, but it would be hard to put the Pittsburgh Steelers in any position but No. 1 on that list.

Seattle and Kansas City fans may be louder, but when it comes to pouring their heart and soul into their team, the Steelers fans don't have any equals.

Pro football has provided the Steel City with a heartbeat ever since the Steelers started playing in 1933. It didn't matter that the Steelers were basically an awful team through 1971, because the fans loved them.

Their years of faith were rewarded in the 1970s. With Chuck Noll at the helm, Terry Bradshaw at quarterback and Joe Greene leading the defense, the Steelers became a juggernaut. They won four Super Bowls during that decade, and they have since added two more.

The love the fans have for the team is perhaps best exemplified by its former announcer, Myron Cope. The Pittsburgh legend used his Terrible Towel to show his support for the Steelers, and the fans caught on and picked up on the habit themselves.

Cope died in 2008, but his spirit lives on in the hearts and minds of Pittsburgh fans and will likely continue to for many years.