What started as a good feeling is becoming a unstoppable wave.

There actually is optimism about the Cleveland Browns in the NFL.

The latest comes form someone who’s been through the Browns meat grinder. Former General Manager Phil Savage, now the guy in charge of the Senior Bowl, had some posts on Twitter recently that should make Browns fans happy.

When someone who knows the game as well as Savage says it, it matters. What he says matters about 1,760,429 times more than any Johnny Manziel statement about winning over the Dawg Pound.

On Feb. 13 Savage tweeted in response to a question that the Browns are “on (the) verge of (a) breakthrough to respectability now.”

Go back to the day Ray Farmer was promoted to General Manager, Savage offered these Twitter thoughts as to why Farmer could succeed (without Twitter shortcuts on wording):

In my opinion, here are three advantages new Browns’ GM Ray Farmer will have over his six predecessors beginning today. Farmers has 1) Been working with the organization for a year and know the roster; 2) Does not have to deal with non-football CEO-type, 3) has three picks in the top 35. And, with Ray Farmer’s reputation as a good person, more teams/agents/players are going to be willing to deal with the Browns.

He concluded with the hashtag: Road to respect.

What a road that has been.