The Cleveland Browns haven’t reached the playoffs since 2002 and have been awful in the interim with the exception of the 2007 season when they went 10-6.

Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert have made modest gains in remaking the roster and may not survive the transfer of ownership to Jimmy Haslam.

RealGM has been using a statistic called the Trench Counter to rank NFL teams since the 2007 season.

The Trench Counter accounts for average yards per pass, yards per carry, penalty yards, first downs and turnovers to determine how well teams control the game in the most meaningful ways.

The Browns rank 30th in Trench Counter from the 2007 season through 2011.

Below are Cleveland's season-by-season rankings, Trench Counter totals and actual record in parentheses.

2007: 19th, -1.5 (10-6)
2008: 29th, -7.1 (4-12)
2009: 30th, -10.8 (5-11)
2010: 26th, -3.2 (5-11)
2011: 29th, -4.6 (4-12)