[Cleveland Browns News]

This week marks the latest installment of the Browns vs Steelers rivalry.

Recordpub.com
By Tom Hardesty

It is a given that the Browns-Steelers rivalry has always been, and will always be, one of the most intense in the NFL. The short distance between the blue-collar towns is a huge factor. Division rivals. Great games. Colorful characters, too.

There are a number of observers who contend the turnpike rivalry is not so grand any longer due to the indisputable fact that, for the most part, the new Browns have been an embarrassment, while the Steelers have enjoyed tremendous success, including the franchise's fifth Super Bowl title a year ago. These people argue that a rivalry cannot be considered great if one team is continually beating the other. They say that since the Browns have lost 18 of the last 21 meetings heading into Sunday's game against Pittsburgh at Cleveland Browns Stadium -- including a pair of postseason defeats -- it is no longer a top-flight rivalry.

Admittedly, the Cleveland-Pittsburgh rivalry is not nearly as captivating as it once was. The reason, though, is that professional sports in general are not as spellbinding as they once were. Free agency, generic stadiums, soaring ticket prices and corporate sponsorship are just some of the reasons.

One-sidedness has nothing to do with the decline of the Cleveland-Pittsburgh rivalry's appeal. Just take a look at the history of the series. In the 1950s and '60s, the Browns dominated the Steelers. In the 1970s, the Steelers punished the Browns. In the late 1980s, the Browns squashed the Steelers. Since the mid-1990s, the Steelers have ruled the Browns. Yet the Browns-Steelers series has always been considered one of the greatest rivalries.

Where would you guys rank this Cleveland - Pittsburgh series among the best rivalries in football?