Kirk Morrison built this Top 5 out of a single morning in New York. A long-planned family trip happened to land in a city that had just won an NBA championship, and Morrison, born and raised in Oakland and a lifelong Warriors fan, found himself drawn to a parade that was not his.
He had missed the Warriors' parade in 2015. So when the Knicks won and the streets filled, he hopped the subway down to the World Trade Center stop and stood among the crowd, dressed not in Knicks gear but in his silver and black.
"For 1 day, I was a New Yorker," Morrison said. A fan beside him said he wished his father could have been there after waiting 53 years for the title. That feeling, the decades of suffering finally paying off, is what shaped the list. Here is Kirk's top five NFL teams that need a championship, presented by Hyundai.
Number five: the Minnesota Vikings. A great what-if team, Morrison said, haunted by close calls. He brought up Gary Anderson's missed field goal, the only kick Anderson missed all season, and Brett Favre's interception across his body against the Saints.
Number four: the Buffalo Bills. "It's time for the Buffalo Bills, everybody," Morrison said. He has standing here, having spent his last two playing years there, donning number 58 in 2011 and 2012. He noted the Bills went 0-4 in Super Bowls, and promised that if they win, he is going to that parade in Western New York. He stopped short of asking for a spot on the float.
Number three: the Dallas Cowboys. This pick is about nostalgia. Morrison admitted he cannot vividly remember a Cowboys parade, even the 1995 one, the way he remembers iconic Lakers parades with Kobe and Shaq dancing. He said he is not pulling for them, but he wants to see the faces of Cowboy fans, and imagine what a parade for Jerry Jones would look like, another beyond the five they have already had.
Number two: the Las Vegas Raiders. Morrison was born in 1982, and the Raiders won in 1984 as the Los Angeles Raiders, but he was two years old and remembers nothing. His one demand if it ever happens: the parade has to be on a Saturday, so Raider Nation from Oakland, Los Angeles, and around the world can descend on Las Vegas. "This is not just a championship for Las Vegas," he said.
Number one: the Cleveland Browns. "Especially after trading away Myles Garrett, because now you feel like you're further away from that goal," Morrison said. He referenced the 10-year anniversary of the Cavaliers' championship team, Cleveland's first title in over 40 years, but insisted that does nothing compared to what a Browns Super Bowl would mean. And he wants the real thing, not the pre-merger championships some Browns fans claim. "They need a championship with the football that has the commissioner on it," he said. "Roger Goodell, that's the championship that you want."
Then he painted the scene: Shedeur Sanders holding up the trophy downtown. "Can you imagine?"
Watch the full interview with Kirk Morrison on The Rich Eisen Show, streaming live on Disney+ weekdays Noon-3PM ET.
Adapted from the original segment on The Rich Eisen Show. How we cover the show.