Browns Don’t Need To Tank Again

The Cleveland Browns are having a dreadful season at 2-7, and it’s probably worse because of the expectation coming into the season after a 11-6 record a year ago.

But Browns’ fans being Browns’ fans and some of the Browns’ media being people who have covered a terrible franchise over the last 20 years, the knee jerk reaction is the team should lose every game the rest of the season, because that’s the only way to win in the future. Get the highest draft position possible.

We feel differently and one of the reasons is this team isn’t that bad from a talent standpoint. Yes, they need to get younger as the Browns are one of oldest rosters in the NFL this season.

Besides, the whole “tanking” thing was done in 2015-17 when the Browns went 4-44 over three seasons. Unless we fell asleep like Rip Van Winkle, we don’t remember a Super Bowl parade after the organization did that.

Cleveland has the worst offense in the league and that was after they replaced pretty much the entire coaching staff on that side of the football. But you have to think that with competent quarterback play, the Browns would be 4-5 right now and still in the playoff hunt, rather than being among the worst teams in the league.

That said, we do believe in Bill Parcells’ adage that your record is what it says it is.

First, getting a high draft pick is no guarantee in getting a top-notch quarterback. A look at the best QBs in the sport shows that. Patrick Mahomes was the 10th overall pick. Josh Allen? 7th overall. Lamar Jackson was the 32nd pick.

Joe Burrow and Jared Goff were both selected first overall. On the other hand, another highly regarded young passer, Justin Herbert was picked sixth.

The Browns are going to have a high choice in next year’s draft, but we don’t need them to pick in the top three or five, which would mean they have to finish 3-14 or 4-13. We feel you don’t want that type of losing mentality to seep back in the locker room.

We thought the franchise was past that a year ago when they went through four quarterbacks and seemed to have the mentality that they would win anyway.

Try to get a QB next spring, but also use the rest of the picks on players who can add speed to the current roster. The Browns have 14 players currently on the team who are 30 years old or older, although two of them are specialists in K Dustin Hopkins and LS Charley Hughlett.

Of those players, the only ones who will likely be back in 2025 are Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller. There are nine more players will be reach 30 next season, including Nick Chubb, Myles Garrett, Ethan Pocic.

Deshaun Watson will also turn 30, but it’s difficult to see him on the roster a year from now.

The best solution might be to turn back time and rehire all of the coaches on the offensive side of the ball to give the team a functional offense again. Since that’s not possible, perhaps what’s needed is to get back to fundamentals, meaning being able to run the football.

That suits Kevin Stefanski’s offense, based on a play-action passing game. Cleveland has only allowed more than 21 points in four games this season. Designing an offense that can get to 21 points shouldn’t require a demolition of the current roster.

Browns Finish With A Win, Now Need To Start Improvement

So, it’s over. A Browns season filled with so many (perhaps too many) expectations at the beginning, ended with a third place finish and an 8-9 record.

It’s difficult to not think about the games against the last two teams to reach the post-season in the AFC, the Raiders and Steelers, and see how close Kevin Stefanski’s squad to making the playoff again this season.

Both games against Pittsburgh were highly contested, and the game against Las Vegas went down to the last play of the game, one in which Cleveland was missing a ton of players due to COVID.

Again, we agree with the Bill Parcells’ theory on a team’s record, but it should be noted that the Cleveland Browns aren’t that far away from playing next weekend in the Wild Card playoff round.

We are sure there will be plenty of debate on the radio waves about the head coach and the quarterback and we will only say this. Both of those positions have to do a better job in 2022, and we hope both learn from what they did wrong this season. Improvements from both spots are a key to making the post-season next year.

And bringing up Baker Mayfield, we will say this. Andrew Berry should look at improving that position, much the same as he looks at every position on this football team. If he can find someone out there better than Mayfield, he should go out and get him. That’s his job.

As for other areas of the team, there is no question the Browns need an upgrade at wide receiver and maybe tight end. Right now, there is no elite talent at those positions, although we would love to see David Njoku turned loose in the passing game.

Cleveland receivers simply don’t make any spectacular plays, and seem to drop way too many easy completions.

As for Jarvis Landry, we are sure the Browns would like him back at a reduced salary, but think about this, if you were making what he’s making, and the team asks you to take a major pay cut, would you be happy?

Landry is a tough guy and has been a great person in the organization since he arrived. The best thing for all parties might be to just move on elsewhere.

We think there will be changes on the offensive line, although the only difference in the starters is J.C. Tretter may not be back with Nick Harris taking over there.

They need more depth at tackle, and we say that knowing Chris Hubbard missed most of the season. Rookie James Hudson could be that guy, but make no mistake, the offense took a drastic dive when Jack Conklin was lost while Jedrick Wills was already battling through an ankle problem.

Defensively, the Browns need to stop the run better, and if they can, they may turn into a dominant unit. The secondary could be deep, and the emergence of A.J. Green and M.J. Stewart just adds to it.

Special teams isn’t being forgotten either. The Browns need a kicker, punter, and kick returners. We know the draft isn’t used for those positions, but if you are a playoff contender, you simply must have a reliable field goal kicker. He simply has to be automatic from 50 yards and in.

As for the famous winds at First Energy Stadium? Phil Dawson mastered them, so it is possible.

In the return game, it could be worse. For years, the Browns best player was probably Josh Cribbs, primarily a return guy, and an elite one at that. Those were by and large bad football teams.

Now the Browns have talent, but can’t find a decent return man.

We have faith in the current organization to repair the things that need fixing, and bringing in more talent to get this team back to the playoffs. It’s not a giant leap folks, it’s more like a hop.

Browns Playing Close Games, Mistakes Show Up Greater In Those.

It was a heartbreaking loss for sure on Monday night. The Browns missing more than half their starters because of the latest COVID-19 breakout, took the lead in the fourth quarter, but then lost at the gun to the Raiders, 16-14.

The loss means the Browns likely have to win their three remaining games on the slate, starting with the tough task of going to Lambeau Field on Christmas Day to play Green Bay, who has already clinched the NFC North, but is playing for a first round bye.

On paper, it says Kevin Stefanski’s crew doesn’t have much of a chance to win the next game, but did anyone have the Lions beating the Cardinals last weekend?

Look, the results have been disappointing this season, because we all thought the Browns 2021 season was going to look much like the ’20 campaign, and the team would go 11-6 or better and cruise into the playoffs for a second straight year.

However, things don’t always work out as planned, right?

We can think of only one game all season long where both sides of the football played well, and that’s the 41-16 triumph at Cincinnati. Cleveland had both the running and passing game going offensively, and the defense held the Bengals to under 100 yards rushing and forced three turnovers.

You can make a case for the win over the Bears as well, when the Browns had their third highest yardage total for the year (behind Kansas City and the LA Chargers’ games) and the defense allowed one yard passing because of all the sacks on Justin Fields.

Most of the league is in the same boat as Cleveland though.

Even within games, the performance of the team fluctuates. For example, Donovan Peoples-Jones made two real good catches in the drive which gave the Browns the lead against the Raiders. But he dropped (or allowed the defender to knock the ball out of his hands) a key pass in the first quarter.

It’s the nature of the NFL that many games are decided on one play or one series. A mistake or failure to execute in those situations costs you a game. We also believe in the Bill Parcells adage of you are what your record says you are.

Let’s say the defense closes out the KC and LA games. Let’s say the offense doesn’t turn it over against Pittsburgh in the 4th quarter. If just one of those things happens, Stefanski’s bunch are in first place in the AFC North at 8-6.

And yes, we can play the same game the other way too.

Cleveland has been smoked twice this season, against Arizona and New England. Conversely, they have only three wins by more than 10 points (Houston, Chicago, and Cincinnati), meaning they’ve been on the edge the entire season.

When you play this many close games, one play where the execution isn’t perfect, or a dropped pass, or a mix up in coverage, comes back to haunt you.

It doesn’t mean the Browns are poorly coached or do not have talent. It does mean they need to eliminate mistakes, and some of those occur because they are human.

We understand people want others to say they have to get “tougher” or “smarter” and mistakes won’t be tolerated. No one plays a perfect game.

Some of this will happen because of experience.

Maybe, the coaches and team will unlock this the rest of the season. Three wins will get them into the post-season. More likely, this is a blip on the radar, and the Cleveland Browns will be better next season.

Browns Season At Crossroads?

What figured to be a promising season for the Cleveland Browns is now at a crossroads. They certainly are not out of the playoff race at 4-4, but any margin for error has gone out the window with Sunday’s 15-10 loss to the Steelers at First Energy Stadium.

The margin for error has grown very slim though. If you figure 11-6 is the record needed to make the post-season, then Kevin Stefanski’s guys have to go 7-2 the rest of the campaign, which includes two games with both the Ravens and Bengals, and contests against the Raiders, Packers, and a return date with the Steelers.

We still believe the talent on the roster means they have a chance to win any of the games they have remaining. Yes, three of their four losses have come by five points or less, but as Bill Parcells famously said, you are what your record says you are.

Former Plain Dealer sports editor Hal Lebovitz used to talk about “zero defects”, eliminating mistakes that can keep you from winning games against better teams. This team is not adhering to that motto. They have simply made too many errors, usually not egregious ones, that have kept them from winning games.

Last Sunday, it was dropped passes. Look, not all of any quarterback’s passes are going to be perfect, sometimes the receivers have to make plays. TE Austin Hooper dropped a pass on the game’s first drive. Maybe the Browns get a touchdown if he catches it. As it was, Cleveland settled for a field goal.

Then the usually reliable Jarvis Landry dropped two passes (one easy, one not so much) and fumbled after getting a first down in Pittsburgh territory (20 yard line) in the fourth quarter.

Opposing teams are loading the box because either Baker Mayfield doesn’t want to throw deep or the team doesn’t have anyone who can get open deep. Quite frankly, we think it is more of the latter.

We doubt it will happen today, but can we agree to start the countdown on the amount of time Odell Beckham Jr. has with the Browns? It simply hasn’t worked out, and we don’t know why. We do know Beckham hasn’t really been an elite wide receiver since 2017, so maybe expectations are simply too high.

He has flashes, but doesn’t seem to be able to play at a high level on the weekly basis.

And what remains true is Mayfield is a more efficient passer without Beckham on the field. Again, we aren’t sure how that works, but it is true.

This isn’t just on the offense either. We didn’t think it was possible to think an NFL team didn’t play well defensively in a game they allowed just 15 points, but the loss this past week made us think otherwise.

The defense has forced just five turnovers on the season, which ranks second to last in the league. They also seem to allow one very long drive (time wise) per game, and it seems it occurs after the Browns score. The offense seizes a little momentum, and the defense allows it to go to waste.

They seem passive as well. Ben Roethlisberger is basically a statue right now in terms of mobility, yet, there were very few blitzes to put pressure on and perhaps force a mistake. We understand Denzel Ward is out right now, but why not dial up some extra pressure from time to time.

And when you get a penalty to put the opponent in 1st and 20, it is best to not let a receiver be wide open down the middle for a first down on the next play.

We continue to say it, this football team has talent, lots of it. But they have to stop the silly pre-snap penalties, drop passes, etc. And one more thing, in the absence of the wide outs doing anything, why not let David Njoku loose?

Why Is Daddy Still Sad, Even Though The Browns Won?

Several years ago, there was a coloring book made up to be funny (we think) called Why Is Daddy Sad On Sundays? It was meant to make light of the lack of success the Cleveland Browns have had since returning to the NFL in 1999.

For the first time since they came back, the Browns are sitting at 8-3 on the season and right now have the top wild card spot in the AFC. The eight victories clinch the first non-losing season since 2007, when Romeo Crennel’s squad went 10-6 and just missed a playoff spot.

However, despite this record, which was preceded by several years of not mediocre football, it was downright putrid. Since ’99, Cleveland has had 16 seasons of 10 losses or more.

Even worse, 10 of those years have resulted in 12 or more losses, including a three year span (2015-17) in which the Browns went 4-44. You would think everyone would be celebrating the success this team has had.

You’d be wrong. Most of the criticism each week is pointed at quarterback Baker Mayfield, who with Sunday’s win raised his record as a starter to 20-20. He’s at .500, and we just showed you how dismal the recent history of the franchise has been.

If the Browns were coming off a Super Bowl season or several consecutive playoff appearances then we could understand a concern about “style points”, which the team didn’t achieve against the 1-10 Jaguars, winning by just 27-25.

We subscribe to the Bill Parcells’ theory of “you are what your record says you are”. We understand that two of the Cleveland losses were blowouts against division rivals, and that apparently stirs up some dissatisfaction among some people, but both losses were on the road, and Kevin Stefanski’s group gets another shot against each at First Energy Stadium.

It is very rare that any good professional football team goes through a season without a close call. And despite the final margin against Jacksonville, didn’t it feel like the Browns were in control of the game all day?

The Steelers are currently sitting at 10-0, but defeated the Giants on opening day by just a 26-16 score and just recently beat Dallas on the road with former Brown Garrett Gilbert at QB, 24-19. Not exactly impressive wins, but the Pittsburgh players and coaches don’t care. It’s a win.

The defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs won a week two match up against the Chargers in overtime, and just a few weeks ago beat another non-playoff team in Carolina by just two points, the same margin as the Browns win on Sunday.

We checked in on the 2007 New England Patriots, who finished 16-0 in the regular season and found a three point win over an 8-8 Eagles squad, and another three point win over the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens finished 5-11 that season.

The 1972 Dolphins, which finished without a loss and won the Super Bowl, had a two point win over a 7-7 Minnesota Vikings squad and a one point victory over a 4-9-1 Buffalo team.

We certainly aren’t comparing the Browns to any of those teams, Stefanski’s crew certainly has room to improve and hasn’t proven themselves yet in either the playoffs or a game against one of the league’s elite teams.

However, we are saying there are a lot of close games every year that don’t make sense considering the records of the teams in question. The NFL has used the “Any Given Sunday” slogan for years, signifying that any team in the league can beat anyone else.

In the meantime, be happy the Browns are 8-3. They have a chance to show they are good against the Tennessee Titans, who went to the AFC title game a year ago. And even if they lose, it’s not the end of the world.

This is a team that will likely be playing in January. It’s been a long time since a Browns fan could celebrate that.

Haslam’s Opinion Seeking Leaves Us Feeling Hopeless.

It just keeps getting better if you are a fan of the Cleveland Browns.

If it isn’t enough to be watching a team that hasn’t won a game this season, a feat accomplished just once before in a 16 game season, and compounding that with just one measly win in the past two seasons, you get the information that came out yesterday.

It has been reported that owner Jimmy Haslam has consulted with national football writers such as Peter King, Chris Mortensen, and Adam Schefter, to ask their opinions on the Browns.

This seems harmless on face value, but when you think about it, it points out many of the problems with the Haslam ownership, and when you add it all up, it seems hopeless for Browns’ fans.

First, those writers mentioned are certainly great writers, and no doubt love the sport of football. No one in their right mind would question their passion.

However, if those guys were so good at judging personnel, both on and off the field, they would be employed by an NFL team. They are information gatherers and reporters.

This isn’t to say media people cannot have a working knowledge of the sport. But can they tell what would make a good defensive end in the pros, or who would make a dynamite head coach without asking around to their many sources around the league?

Second, it seems Haslam likes to talk. And then talk some more.

There are sayings, such as “talk is cheap”, and “actions speak louder than words”. Haslam seems to be a guy who likes to keep talking, but he can’t discern who are the correct people to listen to.

If you talk to “football guys” like Bill Parcells, Bill Polian, and Jon Gruden, you will get three different opinions on what makes a winning team, and quite frankly all of them would be correct.

However, if you put bits and pieces of each plan together, it likely does not work. Here’s another expression…”too many cooks spoil the broth”. The point is the Browns’ owner has too many voices in his head.

And listening to the national media is probably the biggest reason it appears Haslam may bring Hue Jackson back in 2018, despite a probable 1-31 record in two seasons.

The national guys love them some Hue Jackson.

Jackson has two major advocates in Mike Silver and Amy Trask, who speak in glowing terms about the Browns’ head coach pretty much on a weekly basis.

This is not to denigrate either one, they have long relationships with Jackson, and naturally people who like other people talk well about them.

However, because they respect Jackson, they are not objective about him either.

Could it be that in conversations between media people, they share their glowing views of Hue Jackson, and that also colors the opinions of King, Mortensen, and Schefter?

Haslam may have made a good move in hire John Dorsey as his GM. Time will certainly tell, but Dorsey has a solid resume.

But now, Haslam has to trust Dorsey and allow him to build the organization is the way he feels is the best. And if Dorsey wants to bring in a head coach he respects and feels he can work with, then that’s what should happen.

Someone has to be the ultimate decision maker. Whether you like him or not, Haslam needs to let Dorsey be that guy.

Browns Can’t “Catch” a Win

There are no moral victories in the NFL, and as Bill Parcells once said, you are what your record says you are.

The Cleveland Browns are 0-4 on the season, and need a win in the worst way because they have to be frustrated with having a chance to win a football game and not being able to do so.

Last night in Baltimore, the Browns made one huge mistake, an interception by Brandon Weeden that Cary Williams returned 63 yards for a touchdown, and it cost them in a 23-16 loss.

That makes 10 consecutive losses for Pat Shurmur’s crew, accumulated over two seasons.

However, the area that stood out in the contest was the play of the Ravens’ wide receivers, particularly Anquan Boldin, who hauled in 9 passes for 131 yards, many of them contorting his body in different shapes to catch the ball.

Browns’ receivers? Not so much.

The same problem that haunted Colt McCoy last season, is plaguing Weeden as well. He isn’t able to throw the football and catch it downfield as well.

Trailing 23-13 in the fourth quarter, Weeden fired a pass down the middle to Greg Little in the end zone, a play that would have cut the Baltimore advantage to just three points with more than 12 minutes to play. Little had it go through his hands.

It wasn’t a routine play, but it was one that Ravens’ passer Joe Flacco’s receivers were making all night long. But, Little couldn’t come up with it.

It wasn’t the only ball dropped by Cleveland receivers during the game, simply the biggest.

Jordan Norwood, inactive for the first three games, saw his first action last night and dropped at least two passes. Not a good way to make sure you’ll get more playing time.

Despite all the drops, Weeden wound up 25 of 52 for 320 yards (his second 300 yard passing game in four weeks, Colt McCoy has one). He stood in the pocket and made strong throws most of the night. Even though he’s becoming a lightning rod like all Cleveland quarterbacks, he’s developing nicely.

Trent Richardson was impressive too, even though he had just 14 carries for 47 yards. He caught four more balls for 57 more yards.

Richardson is definitely a player defensive coordinators are planning for. Baltimore made its first priority to account for the rookie. When was the last time the Browns had a player like that.

The difference in the game was the Ravens’ wide receivers. They caught the ball and made plays, while the Browns’ pass catchers didn’t.

Defensively, Dick Jauron’s crew played valiantly. LB Craig Robertson, an undrafted free agent, continues to impress, intercepting a Flacco throw in the end zone, and making open field tackles on Ray Rice a couple of times.

The defense also put a lot of pressure on Flacco, sacking him four times. The line play was thought to be a question mark coming into the year, but they are getting to the quarterback frequently, and most of the time with four rushers.

And what can you say about Phil Dawson, who kicked three field goals of over 50 yards. If the Browns were contending for the playoffs, Dawson would most certainly get the Pro Bowl nod he richly deserves.

It hasn’t showed up in the standings yet, but this is definitely a better football team than last year’s squad.

Still, Shurmur and offensive coordinator Brad Childress need to put more points on the board. They’ve only scored more than 20 points once this season, and that doesn’t get it done in today’s NFL.

In fact, in the 52 games Shurmur has been the offensive coordinator (with the Rams) or head coach, his teams have scored more than 20 points just six times. It’s a disturbing trend.

Perhaps they could score more with receivers that hold on to the ball.