Kyle Shanahan's time in Cleveland was brief and tumultuous. (SI.com)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Super Bowl 54 makes it 54 Super Bowls in a row without the Browns.
They’re holding firm as one of four current NFL franchises never to participate in the league’s post-AFL/NFL merger championship game. The others are the Lions, Jaguars and Texans.
But the cities of Detroit, Jacksonville and Houston each has played host to Super Bowls, making Cleveland the only NFL city without any form of participation in a Super Bowl.
As usual, though, the big game – pitting the AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs against the NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers – features numerous ties to the Browns and Cleveland.
This is our list of this year’s Cleveland angles – direct or indirect – and we rank them according to relevance.
1. Kyle Shanahan
The 49ers head coach was Browns offensive coordinator in 2014 under rookie head coach Mike Pettine.
His zone-blocking, run-oriented offensive scheme was largely responsible for the team shockingly taking over sole possession of first place in the AFC North with a 6-3 record following a 24-3 rout of the Bengals on Thursday Night Football.
Alas, the miracle balm that Shanahan’s offense applied to home-town quarterback Brian Hoyer gradually wore off.
The return of receiver Josh Gordon after a 10-game suspension and the internal pressure to play rookie hotshot Johnny Manziel broke down Hoyer, and Manziel’s long-anticipated debut -- along with two other starts -- was disastrous.
At the end of the 7-9 season, Shanahan used a 32-point Power Point presentation to beg out of his three-year contract. A key point was GM Ray Farmer’s improper texting during games imploring coaches to insert Manziel ahead of Hoyer.
2. Joe Woods
The 49ers defensive secondary coach and pass game coordinator is considered the No. 1 defensive coordinator candidate of new Browns coach Kevin Stefanski.
Woods was Vikings defensive secondary coach for eight years while Stefanski filled various roles on the team’s offensive coaching staff.
The 49ers ranked first this year in passing yards allowed per game, passing first downs allowed and completions of 20+ yards allowed. They were second in total yards per game allowed, and seventh in average defensive completion percentage and average defensive passer rating.
3. Jimmy Garoppolo
When it became obvious in 2017 that the Patriots understudy to Tom Brady could not be re-signed by New England, the Browns feverishly tried to trade for him.
At one point, the Browns had three No. 1 picks and three No. 2s stockpiled to outbid any team.
But after repeatedly being told by the Patriots that Garoppolo would not be traded, the Browns watched Patriots coach Bill Belichick gift him to the 49ers on Oct. 31, 2017, essentially for the discount price of a No. 2 draft pick.
Garoppolo is 19-5 in 24 starts for the 49ers.
4. Raheem Mostert
The 49ers running back was an unlikely hero in the team’s 37-20 win over the Packers in the NFC Championship Game.
Mostert rushed for 220 yards and four touchdowns. During the season, he led a running back trio that powered the second-ranked NFL rushing offense with 772 yards and eight touchdowns.
Mostert’s NFL odyssey included being cut by six teams before Shanahan’s offense made him a star. One was the Browns. He was active as a kickoff returner for three games in 2015 and then was cut the following September by the Analytics 1.0 regime.
5. Mitchell Schwartz, Austin Reiter, Cam Erving
Two-fifths of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ starting offensive line and its top backup are former Browns.
Schwartz (right tackle) was one of former GM Tom Heckert’s best draft picks (No. 37 overall in 2012). He was allowed to leave in free agency in 2016 by the aforementioned Analytics 1.0 regime.
Reiter (center) was an under-rated find by the same regime in 2016. He was poached off the Redskins practice squad, received good reviews in an emergency start against the Redskins, but tore an ACL in the game. He played mostly on special teams in 2017 and then was cut in 2018.
Erving (backup left tackle) was the 19th overall pick in 2015 by Farmer. After making 17 starts at four different offensive line positions, he was traded in 2017 to the Chiefs by the Analytics 1.0 regime for a future fifth-round pick.
6. K’Waun Williams
The 49ers’ top nickel back was second on the team with two interceptions.
One came against the Browns, his former team, on the key play in San Francisco’s 31-3 win on Oct. 7. Williams intercepted Baker Mayfield at the goal line after Antonio Callaway bobbled the ball to him and his 49-yard return led to a 49ers’ touchdowns, turning a possible 14-10 Browns deficit to 21-3 at halftime.
Williams was a Browns undrafted success story in 2014 and appeared in 26 games in two seasons. He was waived in the 2016 training camp by the Analytics 1.0 regime.
7. Travis Kelce
The Chiefs Pro Bowl tight end, a native of Cleveland Heights, was a third-round pick of former Browns and Chiefs GM John Dorsey in 2013.
8. Nick Bosa
The 49ers’ defensive end and defensive rookie-of-the-year candidate contributed to Mayfield’s worst game as Browns quarterback with two sacks, five quarterback hits, a forced fumble and fumble recovery.
The former Ohio State star added insult by trolling Mayfield’s infamous flag-planting from a 2017 Oklahoma victory in Ohio Stadium after inducing a grounding penalty at the end of the first half.
“He's been thinking about that, obviously, for two years now. That's a long time to think about that loss,” Mayfield said three days later.
9. Richard Sherman
The 49ers bombastic cornerback created a controversy when he lambasted Mayfield for “disrespecting the game” by snubbing his handshake prior to the pre-game coin toss. Sherman made his outlandish comments in a post-game interview with NFL Media’s Michael Silver.
After video clearly refuted the charge, Sherman essentially admitted he fabricated the story and apologized to Mayfield.
10. Emmanuel Ogbah, Devaroe Lawrence
Ogbah, the 32nd overall pick of the 2016 draft by the Analytics 1.0 regime, was traded to the Chiefs by Dorsey in 2019 for safety Eric Murray. Ogbah had 5.5 sacks before landing on injured reserve with a torn pectoral muscle in Week 10.
Lawrence had an interception and fumble recovery in 11 games as a Browns reserve defensive tackle before being released on Nov. 26. He was signed to the Chiefs practice squad.