On The Clowney Addition & Other Stuff On The Browns

With two weeks to go before the NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns made probably their last splash in the free agent market, signing perhaps the best remaining player available in DE Jadeveon Clowney, who was with Tennessee last season.

Clowney is a former first overall pick in the draft and a three time Pro Bowl selection, but really, at this point in his career, he’s best suited to being a second banana in the pass rushing game, which he will be in Cleveland because of the presence of Myles Garrett.

And he’s coming off an injury, playing only eight games a year ago.

The real interest will come in how GM Andrew Berry creates cap space for this signing, because according to reports, the team now has just a little under $4 million remaining, which won’t cover the amount needed to sign the players they will draft in two weeks.

There have been rumors that DT Sheldon Richardson could be released or at least have his contract restructured to make room for Clowney. Richardson is a solid player, but he is 30 years old, and that seems to be a magic number to the front office.

Berry has targeted Clowney since he became the Browns’ GM before last season, so it is no surprise he finally got his man. If you trust his talent evaluations, and there is no reason to doubt it so far, then you have to feel good about the signing.

Kevin Stefanski described him as a “disruptive force” on the defensive line, and if he is, then the Browns should be improved up front.

They also added Takk McKinley and Malik Jackson since the end of last season. Being able to restructure Richardson and keep him would be icing on the cake. And don’t forget Andrew Billings, signed last year, but opted out of the season due to COVID-19.

Other stuff on the Browns–

***One thing about picking 26th in the first round, no one has any idea who will be available when your choice will be made. However, if one of the top cornerbacks start to drop in the first round, it wouldn’t be a shock to us if Berry traded up to get one.

Remember, the Browns have nine picks, and to us, it would be tough for all nine to make the final roster. So why not package some extra choices to get someone who can make an impact on the 2021 Browns?

In today’s NFL, you can never have enough corners, especially with the injury histories of Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams.

We also wouldn’t be surprised if Berry targeted a wide receiver early in the draft, either first or second round. There is a lot of cap space tied up in that position.

***There are still some fans with reservations about Baker Mayfield, but we recently heard one of the football talking heads (sorry, don’t remember which one) who said when you think about it, the 2019 season with Freddie Kitchens as head coach is the outlier in Mayfield’s career.

He was outstanding in his last two years at Oklahoma, did very well as a rookie and led the Browns to the playoffs in 2020. That’s four out of five years of high achievement, albeit just two of those in the NFL.

We are a big believer in disposing of the odd occurrence, which that season very well might be.

***We stated earlier it would not be a shock to us if the Browns took a wide receiver early later this month. Part of that is our reservation that Odell Beckham Jr. is still a game changer, even before he had major knee surgery last season.

When the 2021 season begins, we will be five years removed since Beckham was a top flite receiver in the NFL, grabbing 101 passes for 1367 yards and ten touchdowns.

He’s missed time in three of the last four years, and barely exceeded 1000 yards in receiving in two of those four seasons.

While Mayfield probably needs an explosive target to stretch the defense, can Beckham be that guy once again? And does the front office think the same thing?

Go Away, Hue. No One Wants To Hear From 3 Win You.

Fans of the Cleveland Browns have had a fun ride over the last 12 months. After wandering around in the desert that is losing, new head coach Kevin Stefanski came aboard and took the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

The team finished 11-5, the most victories for the franchise since 1994, when Bill Belichick was guiding the brown and orange.

With the NFL Draft coming to the city later this month, and the prospects of another winning season dancing in their collective heads, all is good if you are a pro football fan in northeastern Ohio. Heck, the Browns are even mentioned as, wait for it, Super Bowl contenders.

So, with all of those things being positive, something had to poop on the good feelings.

Hue Jackson reared his ugly head.

Why? We guess to remind everyone what a terrible dysfunctional organization the Browns, still owned by Jimmy Haslam used to be, even as recently as four years ago.

Jackson came aboard when Sashi Brown was put in charge of the organization, and his strategy was to stop putting bandages on things and strip the roster down to an expansion team level. Basically starting over.

Brown traded a lot of veterans and accumulated draft picks. We have to imagine Jackson was told what was going to happen when he took the gig, so he shouldn’t have been surprised.

Other teams have followed the same strategy in recent years, notably the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins. WIth Todd Bowles leading the Jets, they still won four games in their worst season (we aren’t counting the 2020 season, when they supposed had their quarterback), and Miami went 5-11 in Brian Flores’ first season at the helm, after the team gutted their roster.

Jackson went 1-31 over a two year span. We bring up those other teams to show it is difficult to be that bad in the NFL. Usually, the worst teams win at least three games.

Not the Browns though. They won one stinking game over a two year period.

What’s worse is Jackson used his position, reporting directly to ownership (part of the dysfunction) to complain about Brown and the plan he appears to have signed up for. That led to Brown being fired and John Dorsey coming to Cleveland as the GM.

Dorsey famously brought in Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward, and Nick Chubb in the draft and of course, traded for Odell Beckham Jr. The rest of the draft picks both in 2018 and 2019 have not really been franchise changers, the best of the lot might be LB Sione Takitaki.

Anyway, the complaining about Brown which brought forth Dorsey, basically cost Jackson his job, because the new GM didn’t like the coaching the next year (2018) and fired Jackson after a 33-18 loss to the Steelers. Remember, Dorsey also traded Carlos Hyde during the year because Jackson was playing him instead of Chubb, who went on to gain 996 yards this season.

That’s how we see Jackson’s legacy as a head coach in Cleveland. Among coaches who have coaches at least a full season with the Browns, including men who coached just one season here, Jackson has the least victories with three.

Rob Chudzinski won four. Gregg Williams, the interim coach who took over for Jackson, won five. Even the much maligned Freddie Kitchens won six.

Go away Hue. Things are looking up for the franchise and its fans as the 2021 draft approaches. You have your place in the history of the Cleveland Browns, and it’s not good.

Don’t Be Disappointed In Browns’ Lack Of Activity

At times, we think fans of the Cleveland Browns are so used to losing, they don’t know how to react now that the organization has a sense of order to it.

We were reminded of it against this week when the legal tampering phase of NFL free agency started and GM Andrew Berry signed only two players: S John Johnson III, formerly of the Los Angeles Rams, and DE Takk McKinley, a former first round pick of the Atlanta Falcons, who forced his way out last season.

Johnson is a stud, just 25 years old, ranked among the top 20 free agents by several publications who rank these things. He has eight career interceptions and has two seasons where he had over 100 tackles. His defensive pass rating was 71.9 for the 2020 season.

Defensive coordinator Joe Woods likes to run a 4-2-5 alignment, and having three safeties in Ronnie Harrison, Johnson, and hopefully a healthy Grant Delpit will allow him to have the correct personnel to do it. Remember, the way to combat the Chiefs’ offense, and a Lamar Jackson offense, is with speed.

Berry continued his pattern of signing free agents coming off their rookie deal, meaning he is interested in getting players just entering their primes, which seems logical, but many teams chase the big names, getting players who may have one good year left. In Browns’ history, those would be guys like Donte Whitner or Karlos Dansby.

McKinley is a wild card, and we doubt the front office considers him the sole solution to getting help for Myles Garrett in getting to the quarterback. He did have at least 10 QB hits in his first three seasons with the Falcons, and added seven more in the four games he played in 2020.

Because Berry made a splash early in the process a year ago, inking Jack Conklin and Austin Hooper, the anticipation was he was going to do it again, and when the Browns didn’t get Carl Lawson, Romeo Okwara, Bud Dupree, or Trey Hendrickson, fans were questioning the organization.

First of all, we are sure that among the people who think the Browns need another pass rusher is Andrew Berry. We also know training camp doesn’t start until late July or early August, so he has plenty of time to upgrade the position.

Remember, Cleveland also has nine draft picks in next month’s NFL Draft (to be held right here in Cleveland). He could be working on a deal for a edge rusher, or he could wait to see who becomes available if and when other teams release players due to salary cap considerations.

Or he may go off script and do a one year deal for a player he thinks might have one good year left, especially if used on passing downs.

We understand Berry has really been a GM for one season, but under his watch the Browns did make their first playoff appearance since 2004 and won their first playoff game since 1994. So, while he apparently hasn’t earned the benefit of the doubt from everyone, he has from us.

We also trust ownership to spend money when the time is right, and with Baker Mayfield still under his rookie contract, that time might be now. We don’t think Cleveland will enter the 2021 campaign with a ton of cap space.

It’s sexy to make a big splash early in the free agency process, particularly in northeast Ohio, where the Indians don’t spend, and the city isn’t a destination point for NBA free agents since LeBron James no longer wears the wine and gold.

This front office will get it done. Don’t lose faith.

What Will Browns Do In Free Agency?

In less than two weeks, the NFL league season starts anew and with it becomes the beginning for free agency. Cleveland Browns’ fans were all excited when J.J. Watt was released, and visions of him lining next to Myles Garrett danced in their heads.

Well, Watt signed with the Arizona Cardinals, so the Browns will have to look elsewhere to bolster a roster that advanced to the playoffs and won a game in the post-season tournament. Based on history, if GM Andrew Berry is going to ink a long term deal with a free agent, it will be one coming off their rookie contract.

Make no mistake, the Browns need help on the defensive side of the football. Cleveland could have an many as eight new starters on that side of the ball, and depending on if Sheldon Richardson is retained, it could be nine, with Garrett and Denzel Ward as the only holdovers.

Some of the new starters could come as players returning from injury and/or guys who opted out of last season due to COVID 19. For example, if Greedy Williams and Grant Delpit have recovered from injuries that sidelined them the entire 2020 season, they could be starters.

So, based on the model from the past, even though Tampa Bay LB Lavonte David was incredible in the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl win, at 31 years old, he’s not the type of guy Berry has gone after in the past.

Could the Browns look at a wide receiver in free agency? There’s always a possibility, but with both Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. both on the roster, it is doubtful. Besides, the offense looks like a completed work right now, so any additions there, both in free agency and the draft, are likely going to be more like depth pieces.

However, there are some safeties on the market, notably Justin Simmons from Denver (age 27), Anthony Harris from Minnesota (29), and Marcus Williams of the Saints (24). Either of this trio would be an upgrade to the Cleveland back seven. Remember, coordinator Joe Woods likes to play a 4-2-5 alignment, so secondary players are very important.

If the Browns let Richardson go, they will likely be looking for three new starters, because it is doubtful DT Larry Ogunjobi. One of those spots will likely be filled by Andrew Billings, who was signed last off-season, but opted out of the 2020 campaign. He figures to be at tackle.

Maybe Leonard Williams of the Giants (26) fits in at the other tackle spot. Still, Woods’ defense needs another pass rusher to go with Garrett. The problem is other teams value players at this position too, so if you have one, you don’t want to let him go.

Cincinnati’s Carl Lawson and Tampa’s Shaq Barrett are both free agents, but figure to be signed or franchised by their current teams. Do the Browns go after Yannick Ngakoue (26), who has been with three teams in the past calendar year? Another name linked to the Browns is New Orleans’ edge rusher Trey Hendrickson (26), who had the best season of his career last year.

Of course, Berry could also swing a big trade using from draft capital, the Browns have two third round picks, giving them four in the first three rounds. Could they use, say two of those picks to bring in a veteran from a team looking to get younger through the draft? That would not be a surprise either.

We have no doubt the Browns will be aggressive this off-season, starting with free agency in two weeks. They may not make a bunch of signings, but we would bet on one big move, especially to improve the defense.

Making the playoffs is one thing, staying there is a another challenge for the Browns front office and coaching staff.

Remembering Marty

It was sad to hear of the death of former Browns’ coach Marty Schottenheimer. A man who won 200 regular season games in the NFL, but unfortunately never got to the Super Bowl despite all that success.

Schottenheimer’s first two attempts to get to the title game ended in heartbreaking fashion, the first known as “The Drive”, the second known as “The Fumble”.

We wanted to share our impressions of him from a fan’s point of view, our point of view. We didn’t know the man, although we met him once, sitting next to him at a Cavs’ game in the late 80’s. He had his son with him, and we remember Marty reminding a young Brian Schottenheimer that he lived in Cleveland and should root for the Cavaliers.

Our thought was wow, he really is as intense as he was portrayed.

Schottenheimer ranks fourth in Browns’ history in wins as head coach, behind Paul Brown, Blanton Collier, and the man he replaced in Sam Rutigliano, but overall, you would have to rank him as the third best coach in Cleveland history, behind Brown and Collier, both of whom won NFL titles.

By the way, Kevin Stefanski is tied for 10th in wins after one season at the helm.

Schottenheimer took over a 1-7 team in 1984 and guided them to a 4-4 record, one of the losses was in overtime, the rest of the season.

The next season was the beginning of the last halcyon period in the history of the franchise.

Paul McDonald was replaced at QB with veteran Gary Danielson, and they drafted Bernie Kosar in the supplemental draft in the first round. GM Ernie Accorsi took advantage of the USFL folding to bring in RB Kevin Mack, and CB Frank Minnifield and the Browns improved to 8-8 and won the AFC Central Division.

After building a 21-3 lead over Miami in the first half of the playoff game, the Browns played very conservatively behind the rookie, Kosar, in the second half, and Dan Marino led the Dolphins to a comeback 24-21 victory.

That was kind of the beginning of what came to be called “Martyball”.

What followed was three more playoff appearances in a row, two of them coming as a result of AFC Central Division titles.

In 1986, as the story goes, Kosar pleaded with the coach to be aggressive in a divisional showdown vs. Cincinnati in the second last game of the year. Kosar won the argument, hitting Reggie Langhorne with a long pass on the game’s first play, and the Browns wound up winning 34-3 to take the division title.

We won’t forget our feeling in the AFC Championship Game at old Municipal Stadium when Kosar connected with Brian Brennan for a 48 yard TD pass to give the Browns a 20-13 lead with just over two minutes to go. Surely, Cleveland was going to make their first Super Bowl appearance.

John Elway and the Broncos felt differently.

At the time, many fans and media wondered about switching to a prevent defense after bottling up Elway for 58 minutes. But Schottenheimer’s background was on defense. He played linebacker in the old AFL and was a defensive coach and then coordinator. He wanted to put the game in the hands of the unit he felt most comfortable with.

The following year had the Browns with a 10-5 record, and they once again advanced to the AFC title game, this time in Denver. The Broncos got off to a 21-3 halftime lead, and after the Browns scored first in the second half, the defense allowed an 80 touchdown pass to make it 28-10 Denver.

Kosar rallied the Browns back and had them on the doorstep of tying the game when Earnest Byner fumbled, another crushing defeat.

It was the last time the Browns were that close to playing in a Super Bowl.

Schottenheimer and Art Modell had some disagreements about the makeup of the coaching staff after the ’88 season (10-6 and a wild card berth despite injuries to Kosar and his backup, Mike Pagel) and resigned.

He went on to the Chiefs for 10 seasons, winning 101 games, before coaching Washington for one year, and the Chargers for five seasons, has last year there producing a 14-2 record.

Although the Browns got to the conference title game in 1990, Marty got there once more as well, with the Chiefs in 1993, losing to Buffalo, 30-13.

However, 200 NFL wins is an incredible career. It places him 8th all time, 6th among men who coached after the merger. The names ahead of him read like a who’s who of NFL history: Don Shula, George Halas, Bill Belichick, Tom Landry, Curly Lambeau, Andy Reid, Paul Brown.

RIP Marty. And thank you for leading the Browns the last time they were a yearly power in the NFL.

Trading For Watson Is A Waste Of Browns’ Resources.

There is no question that there are fans and people who cover the Cleveland Browns that are a different breed. The media, in particular, have a different view of the city’s professional football team.

While the Indians can trade Francisco Lindor and people seem to think that’s okay, when it comes to the Browns they speculate about replacing the quarterback who led the team to its first playoff appearance since 2002.

It started with Houston QB Deshaun Watson’s pronouncement that he wants to be traded away from his current team. Immediately, there were folks in northeastern Ohio thinking the Browns should make a deal for the former Clemson quarterback, who by the way, Cleveland could have drafted.

Watson is a talent, that’s for sure. We believe he is one of the top four QBs in the NFL. We don’t include rookie in making this evaluation, but we feel the other three are Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, and Russell Wilson.

Yes, the Texans were a terrible team this season, but in Watson’s first full year as a starter, when Houston finished at 11-5, he was sacked the most times in the NFL. There are people who believe Watson sacks himself at times.

All of those other guys we listed have won one Super Bowl each, although Mahomes has a chance to win another next Sunday. Now, we understand the passers who have dominated the sport over the past two decades (Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger) are a little long in the tooth.

Besides that pair, no other active QB has won more than one Lombardi Trophy.

We aren’t saying you don’t need a great quarterback to win the championship, you certainly do, but we are saying having a great quarterback doesn’t guarantee a berth in the Super Bowl.

The current Browns QB, Baker Mayfield got his team to the playoffs in his third season, and won a playoff game, giving him the same number of playoffs wins as Watson.

To us, if you don’t think about replacing your quarterback if you are a playoff team unless he is the reason you cannot advance in the post-season. At this point, that does not describe Baker Mayfield.

His critics, which we feel have a dissenting opinion because they wanted the Browns to draft either Sam Darnold or Josh Allen in the 2018 draft, blame him for not driving the team down the field after the Karl Joseph interception in the fourth quarter of the 22-17 loss to Kansas City.

In reality, the reason the Browns lost that game was their defense couldn’t get off the field when they had the Chiefs in a 3rd and 14 situation. The defense was the weakest point of the team all year, because of injuries, and it couldn’t come through when it was needed.

And that defense will get better in the draft, where the Browns have nine picks. They would almost certainly have to give up some of those choices if they were to go after Watson, that doesn’t make any sense.

Those critics feel having Watson at the helm gives the Browns a better chance to win the AFC title and get to the Super Bowl, but how do we know Mayfield can’t do the same thing? How do we know Mayfield won’t be even better next season in his second year under the tutelage of Kevin Stefanski and Alex Van Pelt, and he can be on the same level as Watson.

He should get that opportunity.

If you could trade Mayfield for Watson, straight up, we would think about it. If you said trading for Watson would guarantee a Super Bowl for Cleveland, we would do it.

But there are no guarantees. Baker Mayfield is the Browns quarterback and he played well in the playoffs and won one game.

That should be the end of the argument. Period.

Even With Sunday’s Loss, It’s A New Normal For Browns

The Cleveland Browns said all the right things about Sunday’s divisional playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. That is to say, no one talked about what a great season they had.

To our knowledge, from coach Kevin Stefanski on down, everyone talked about being angry and/or disappointed in the loss. And that’s exactly what you want to hear from a team. They won’t be happy until they are hoisting the Lombardi Trophy above their collective heads.

We aren’t saying the organization shouldn’t feel good about the strides made in the 2020 season. They won 11 games in the regular season, the most since 1994. They made the playoffs for the first time since 2002, and won a post-season game for the first time since that ’94 season.

All of those things are great, and they should be a step in the right direction. However, this organization and the players should feel like this is just foot forward in a process that will result in the franchise’s first Super Bowl berth.

Still, the game came down to the Browns having their weaker unit on the field at the end of the game and the defense couldn’t come through. Kansas City had a 3rd and 14 in their own territory with their All Pro quarterback in the locker room, and they were still able to convert a first down to run out the clock.

That is not meant as a disparaging comment against defensive coordinator Joe Woods. The Cleveland defense has two great players in Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward, a solid player in Sheldon Richardson, and perhaps a potential difference maker in Ronnie Harrison.

Injuries happen to every NFL team, but you can’t forget half of the projected secondary for the brown and orange, CB Greedy Williams and S Grant Delpit, missed the entire season.

The defense forced turnovers, yes, but if they weren’t doing that, they didn’t really have an answer for the real good offenses in the league.

As for criticism of Stefanski for punting in the fourth quarter, he had to be thinking with Chad Henne in at QB for Kansas City instead of Patrick Mahomes, his defense could get a stop and the Browns would have a chance for a game winning drive.

He got a sack from Myles Garrett on second down, but the unit has to get off the field on the 3rd and 14. They couldn’t.

The good news for Cleveland football fans is this is young football team. On offense, the oldest starters are WR Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr., both 28 years old.

Even on defense, the oldest starters are Richardson (30), DE Olivier Vernon (30), and S Andrew Sendejo (33), and he only started because Delpit was out this season.

And even better news is GM Andrew Berry has nine draft picks and a lot of cap space available to make improvements. Expect a defensive heavy draft, but you could see a wide receiver picked in the early rounds as well.

Also, here’s what we won’t be talking about until the draft comes to Cleveland this spring. No search for a head coach, no looking for a quarterback, no need for a new left tackle.

That’s the new normal for this football team and their fans.

We realize every season is different and injuries always raise their ugly head in the NFL. But it seems like the Browns have the right leadership and a foundation of some very good players.

And as he probably likes it, we didn’t even mention perhaps the best running back in the league in Nick Chubb.

Browns Rewrite History With Sunday’s Win

Boy, did the Cleveland Browns take care of a lot of history Sunday night in their wild card victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

They took care of the last playoff appearance since 2002 with the win in week 17 over the Steelers at First Energy Stadium, getting into the post-season tournament. Check.

Last playoff win was 1994 when the Bill Belichick led Browns beat New England in the wild card round to advance to the divisional round against guess who? The Steelers. Check.

The last time they won a road playoff game was in 1969, when they routed the Dallas Cowboys and Blanton Collier, the last Browns coach to win the NFL Championship, was still at the helm. Consider that taken care of as well.

This edition of the Browns should bring pride to the city because they let nothing stand in their way and they make no excuses. That comes from Kevin Stefanski, who downplayed his absence due to COVID-19 in media calls all week.

That instills confidence in everyone throughout the organization that they can get things done. This team doesn’t talk about who isn’t there, simply that they can succeed with the folks who are there.

We have said this before. Leaders don’t have to tell people they are leaders. But it’s obvious that the players view Stefanski as their guy. It is telling that Jarvis Landry facetimed the coach as soon as the game was over. He wanted to share it with him.

Cleveland was missing All Pro LG Joel Bitonio, but Michael Dunn stepped in and the offensive line didn’t miss a beat. Another All Pro, RT Jack Conklin, left the game with a hamstring injury in the second quarter, and after Kendall Lamm, who replaced him, was hit with a holding penalty on his first play, did a solid job.

Dunn left in the second half, and the Browns finished the game with Blake Hance, who Baker Mayfield introduced himself to before the game, and Stefanski still hasn’t met in person, at guard.

Talk about the “next man up” philosophy. The one constant need for success is Wyatt Teller. Cleveland is now 11-2 this season when he is on the field.

On offense, the Browns stars stepped up. Nick Chubb had 145 yards rushing and receiving, and his touchdown off a screen pass basically clinched the contest for the visitors. Kareem Hunt rushed for 48 yards and two touchdowns, and Landry caught five passes for 92 yards including a TD on his first reception.

And are there still people who don’t think Baker Mayfield can play? In his first playoff game, the former first overall pick completed 21 of 34 throws for 263 yards and three touchdowns. And no interceptions, in contrast to his opponent at QB, Ben Roethlisberger, who threw four to Cleveland players.

The defense is still a work in progress to be sure, and missing probably their second best defensive player in CB Denzel Ward, didn’t help their performance. But they forced five turnovers, and ultimately, that was the difference in the game. The Cleveland defense took the ball away, the Pittsburgh defense could not.

Ward was missing, but defensive coordinator got big plays out of guys like Sheldrick Redwine, Vincent Taylor, Porter Gustin, and M. J. Stewart.

You need players to step up when other guys are out, and the Browns certainly have that culture. It also helps when GM Andrew Berry and the scouting department bring in men who can contribute.

So, now it’s on to another daunting task in the divisional round against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. The odds are against them again, the Chiefs being installed as a ten point favorite.

However, this Browns team believes in their coach, his staff, and each other. We doubt that no matter the result next Sunday, that will not change.

It’s The Steelers Again This Sunday.

It dawned on us last night that the Browns’ last two playoff games have come against the Pittsburgh Steelers. So, this will be Cleveland’s third straight post-season contest against our neighbors just a couple of hours away.

After beating New England in 1994, Bill Belichick’s squad was bounced by the Steelers for the third time that season, 29-9 at Three Rivers Stadium. The most memorable thing to us in that game was QB Vinny Testaverde getting called for intentional grounding…on a fourth down play.

In 2002, the brown and orange’s most recent playoff appearance, Cleveland was again beaten twice in the regular season, and then lost at Heinz Field, 36-33, in a contest where the Browns had a 24-7 lead early in the third quarter.

This year, the two AFC North rivals split their two meetings, and have to play in consecutive weeks. That same scenario occurred in 1988, when the Browns had to beat the Houston Oilers (now Tennessee Titans) 28-23 at old Municipal Stadium with Don Strock at quarterback to get in the playoffs.

The following week, Mike Pagel was at the helm on the lakefront, as Bernie Kosar was hurt, but the Browns dropped a 24-23 decision. That was also Marty Schottenheimer’s last game as head coach of the team.

While some may be disappointed in Sunday’s 24-22 victory which put Kevin Stefanski’s squad into the playoffs because the Steelers sat several regulars, including QB Ben Roethlisberger, it still was a win, and it was the 11th of the season.

We understand the special feeling we have in northeast Ohio for Pittsburgh backup QB Mason Rudolph, but he did play very well Sunday (22 of 39, 315 yards and two touchdowns), and the starting wide receivers for Mike Tomlin played as well.

Don’t forget. The AFC was stacked this season with eight teams getting 10 or more wins, including Miami, which didn’t make the post-season tournament.

The Browns didn’t back their way in to the playoffs. They won 11 games, the franchise’s most since that 1994 squad.

And while the Steelers are the Steelers, which means they are always tough, and they have a great head coach and a future Hall of Fame quarterback, remember they started 11-0, and finished 12-4, so they haven’t played their best football since Thanksgiving Day.

The biggest question for the Browns is since the game will be played Sunday night, what will be Denzel Ward’s status? Ward is on the COVID-19 list, and depending on several things in the protocol, could be ready to go for the playoff game.

His presence would be much needed since DE Olivier Vernon, who played tremendously in the second half of the season, tore his Achilles tendon in the last game of the season, and obviously will not play.

That means most of the burden to get to Roethlisberger falls on Myles Garrett, who no doubt will be double and triple teamed by the black and gold.

We expect next Sunday’s game to really have no resemblance to the season finale. We are sure both coaches will have some wrinkles to use. Stefanski was pretty vanilla with his offense on Sunday, so could we see Jarvis Landry limbering up his throwing arm again?

And on the Pittsburgh side, can Roethlisberger make the downfield throws Rudolph made? Remember, the Steelers had three completions over 40 yards downfield.

It’s nice to talk about playoff football once again, and we have a hunch, this isn’t a one year deal for the Browns. The organization is set up for sustained success, and the defense is far from what anyone would call a finished product.

It’s a fun time to be a Browns fan. Finally.

Browns’ Playoffs Starts Today!

For fans of the Cleveland Browns who wanted the team to get in the playoffs, they kind of got their wish. Because the playoffs start this afternoon for Kevin Stefanski’s crew at First Energy Stadium against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Win, and the Browns advance to the post-season. Lose, and it would take a lot of circumstances for Cleveland to play next weekend in a post-season game.

And make no mistake, it would be a disappointment if the team doesn’t make the playoffs. If you look in a prism before the season started, no question fans and the organization would have been pleased with a 10-6 season, their first winning season since 2007.

That would have been a huge step forward, and after treading water for many years, people would be happy with the improvement.

However, after starting the season at 10-4 following a workmanlike performance against the Giants, the Browns were the top wild card and had a shot at the AFC North title. To not qualify after that should be a disappointment to everyone.

And to go through a season not being able to claim a win against the top dogs in the division, the Steelers and Ravens, would be equally demoralizing.

Stefanski didn’t make excuses for last week’s loss to the Jets even though his offensive line was riddled with injuries and his wide receiver room was basically eliminated by the coronavirus, and we love that about him.

Notice that none of the Browns players used that as a reason for the loss either. That is another example of how they have bought in to the coach’s guidance.

He isn’t using the latest cases to have cropped up in the organization to alter his focus for today’s game. He will expect the players who will participate to do their job and bring home the win and a spot in the playoffs.

Stefanski has been battling with missing key players all season long, and really hasn’t missed a beat. Nick Chubb, one of the NFL’s best running backs missed almost five games with a knee injury, the team went 3-2 in those games.

Myles Garrett, a candidate for defensive player of the year missed two games with COVID-19. Cleveland won both games.

Denzel Ward, who will miss today’s contest with COVID-19, and missed three games with a calf injury and the Browns went 2-1 in those games.

Wyatt Teller, who many feel has been the best guard in the NFL this season (despite not making the Pro Bowl), may have been the most important piece to the offense this season. Cleveland is just 1-3 in the four games he has not played.

Fortunately, he is supposed to be back in the lineup this afternoon.

Yes, the Browns have players out for this game, but their opponents will be sitting out some key players because they have clinched a playoff spot and because of the schedule changes the league had to make because of the virus, really haven’t had a week off all season.

But reserves want to make a mark in the league, so the Browns cannot take anything for granted. They have to go out and play, and they have to go out and win. There cannot be another result.

For most of the teams who have won ten or more games, the NFL playoffs start next week. That’s not the case for the Cleveland Browns.