The Browns And Their QBs. Is This Group Capable Of Getting It Right?

It is hard to imagine a professional sports team screwing up something as badly as the Cleveland Browns have their quarterback situation.

It all started with the “tanking” of 2016-17, when the team famously went 1-31 over a two-year span, and they selected Myles Garrett with the first overall pick in 2016 draft.

The following season, after finishing 0-16, the Browns picked Baker Mayfield with the first pick in ’18 and the improvement started. Cleveland went 7-8-1 when Mayfield took over as a starter (6-7 with him starting) and he set a rookie record for touchdown passes in a season with 27.

Cleveland made a coaching change during the season shifting from Hue Jackson (2-5-1) to Gregg Williams (5-3) but decided to move on from Williams after the season. Mayfield had a good chemistry with Freddie Kitchens, who became offensive coordinator when Williams was elevated to head coach.

So, the front office made the ill-advised decision to make Kitchens the head coach, thus giving a second-year player a lot of power within the organization. That was a mistake.

Mayfield regressed in his second year, and so did the Browns, as they dropped to 6-10 and Kitchens was replaced by Kevin Stefanski, and the pairing got Cleveland to the playoffs and an 11-5 record.

The former first overall pick had his best year yet, with 26 TDs and just 8 interceptions. But the following season, one filled with Super Bowl hopes, he was injured during the second game of the year and tried to play through it. The result was a drop to 8-9 and reported clashing with Stefanski and others in the locker room, notably Garrett.

Was Mayfield brash and arrogant? Yes, but he was that when he was drafted. Were those traits exacerbated because you gave someone a head coaching job because he had a solid relationship with him? Probably. Could he have been guided by having some veteran leaders in the locker room? Who knows.

At this point, the Browns’ front office was distracted by the jingling of shiny keys. Deshaun Watson was available, and the Browns did everything in their power to bring him to town.

Remember that Watson ruled out coming to Cleveland, so the franchise guaranteed his contract (the other owners hated that), and traded a boatload of draft picks, including three first rounders, to bring him to town, knowing he would likely miss a bunch of games immediately for violating the league’s discipline rules.

Did we mention Watson also sat out the previous season?

With Watson healthy in ’23, the offense still sputtered, and Watson suffered a shoulder injury and missed the rest of the season. So, eventually the Browns signed Joe Flacco who got hot at the end of the year, got the team back to the post-season.

Certainly, getting Watson back with Flacco as his back up would be a great combination heading into ’24. Except the Browns didn’t do that. And not only did they not bring back the passer who took them to the playoffs, they also fired most of the primary offensive coaches, hiring some to put in a scheme better suited to Watson’s talents.

Now, after starting the 2025 season with four QBs, a mix of two veterans and two rookies (who thought drafting two quarterbacks was smart), you have just the two first year players at the helm in a season where the division has taken a downturn.

And it seems like the franchise is hell bent on taking a quarterback in the first round of next year’s draft. They are convinced themselves they have to have the first overall pick to get one, even though there is plenty of evidence you don’t have to take one there.

The point is this group has completely mangled the quarterback position. All of them. Jimmy Haslam, Paul DePodesta, Andrew Berry, and Stefanski.

Do you trust them to ever get it right?

Can’t Defend Stefanski Anymore

If you are a regular reader of this site, you would know we have been a supporter of Browns’ coach Kevin Stefanski. We felt he has had some success, making two playoff appearances during his tenure, but also because the franchise had to end the madness of changing head coaches after two seasons.

And generally, the coach has done a solid job managing the quarterback mess the front office put on him, and in that we are talking about the Deshaun Watson situation.

However, Sunday’s 21-17 loss to Minnesota has made us change our mind. That was a winnable game, and we think Stefanski managed it into a loss.

After the previous game, Cleveland made a quarterback change, going to rookie Dillon Gabriel. The move was made to revive a moribund offense and also because Joe Flacco was turning the ball over. Some of those turnovers were not his fault, but still, he was the guy under center.

Gabriel did not turn the ball over. In fact, the Browns had no turnovers and had Quinshon Judkins run for 110 yards on 23 carries.

They still only scored 17 points. That’s 10 straight games for Cleveland at 17 points or fewer. In fact, in 2024, the only three games in which the Browns scored more than 20 points were with Jameis Winston at the helm.

Stefanski came to the Browns because of the work he did as the offensive coordinator of the Vikings. That’s right, he was the offensive coordinator. And that’s the area of weakness for this football team.

Still, the biggest problem for the Browns in London was that their coach played not to lose. And you know the old adage that says if you are playing not to lose, what generally happens? You lose.

The Browns had a 17-14 lead and got the ball back with just under four minutes to go and called two running plays into the line on first and second downs that combined to gain a yard and then threw an incomplete pass.

We understand Stefanski is taking heat for the clock management, but that’s not our beef. It’s the play choices. They were unbelievably conservative. We didn’t want Gabriel to be firing long passes down the field, but where were some short tosses to gain five or six yards on first down and put the offense in better position to keep the ball and run more time off the clock?

Stefanski made it easy on the Vikings defense. Think about what Minnesota did, look at all the misdirection and motion. That’s not a part of the Cleveland offense.

We understand the talent level isn’t the same, but…

Much like baseball, you have to score points to win in today’s NFL and usually the teams that score the most points like the playoffs. The Browns can’t put points on the board. They average just 14.6 per game, tied for the worst in the league with Tennessee, who by the way, scored 22 in their first win of the season on Sunday.

New Orleans scored 26 this week. In fact, only six teams (out of 26 because of byes) scored fewer than 21 last weekend. So, Stefanski’s plan was to hold the Vikings to 14?

That’s not a real good plan.

It just seems no matter what, the Browns can’t score points. We get the organization has 101 excuses why they can’t win, and they are consistently pushing things ahead to the following year (FREE BEER TOMORROW!), but it’s time for answers.

We said last week the division is really up for grabs with the injury to Joe Burrow in Cincinnati and the Ravens having a down year. But the Browns refuse to win games they should win, like Sunday and the season opener.

Our guess is next week they will go to Pittsburgh and they will do the same tired things on offense. And they won’t get to 20 points.

Browns Are On To Gabriel

We have said since before training camp started for the Cleveland Browns that the logical guy to start at quarterback was Joe Flacco. He would give the team a “professional” at the position, meaning guys would be lined up correctly and there isn’t anything a defense could do that he hasn’t seen.

However, we also recognize that coach Kevin Stefanski started the veteran to take care of the football and that hasn’t happened. He’s had seven turnovers in the first four games, and although several were not totally his fault, a team like the Browns can’t turn it over and hope to win.

We heard this earlier this week. The Browns haven’t scored more than 17 points in a game not started by Jameis Winston since the Thursday night game against the Jets in 2023 where Cleveland clinched a playoff spot. Wow!

It also makes us wonder as we did last off-season why the Browns didn’t bring Winston back for the 2025 season.

So, now we get to see one of the rookie quarterbacks the team drafted this Sunday when Dillon Gabriel starts for the Browns. Gabriel will give the offense a little more mobility at the position, but if the offensive line play doesn’t improve and the receivers don’t start catching the football, it’s difficult to see what will be different for the offense.

But as we all saw with Deshaun Watson last year, sometimes mobility leads to running yourself into sacks. And even though Gabriel has played a lot of college football, the things he did to escape in college may not translate to the NFL because of the speed.

Here’s another issue with starting the rookie, in our opinion the gap between playing QB in college and in the pros has never been more different.

On the other hand, we subscribe to the “can’t do any worse” theory, and it is hard to see that the rookie can be worse, at least in terms of turnovers.

As we wrote earlier this week, the Browns simply have to score more points, and if they can, and we know this sounds crazy, this division seems to be up for grabs, particularly if the defense keeps playing at this level.

Joe Burrow is out for Cincinnati. The Ravens are all banged up. And yes, the Steelers are 3-1, but their wins are against the Jets (0-4), Patriots (2-2) and Vikings (2-2) who also happen to be this week’s opponent for the Browns.

If you win in London, Cleveland will go into Pittsburgh at 2-3, and most experts feel the Browns’ schedule gets much easier after that contest.

But you have to be able to move the football and put points on the board, and until we see that, there most certainly are doubts. And Stefanski should bear the blame. The only team that has scored less than the Browns are the 0-4 Tennessee Titans.

The proof will be what happens this Sunday across the pond. If the moribund Cleveland offense shows some life, then maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel. If not, it will confirm the Browns have more issues on that side of the ball than the quarterback.

The Weird Ways Of The Cleveland Browns

From time to time, we have discussed the management philosophy of the Cleveland Browns and have found fault with it. The head coach and general manager, and the owner when he is available talk about the “collaborative effort” the team uses.

We don’t believe a committee is ever a good way to run anything and feel the Browns need to make someone, preferably with a football background, the ultimate hammer.

This comes up again because of the quarterback situation. There was a lot of conversation about the four QBs all during camp, and as we have pointed out before, that whole situation was created by the brass.

Coming off a 3-14 season and drafting a quarterback in the third round, someone should have said “no” when the subject of Shedeur Sanders came up in round five. That’s not a rap at Sanders, who we think has potential as an NFL QB. It’s more of why you want to create a situation where you bring four passers to training camp.

If Kenny Pickett didn’t get hurt, it is difficult to see how you could have picked up a read on either of the two rookies.

Then, the Browns traded Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders last week, leaving a rookie that they picked in the third round, Dillon Gabriel, as the primary back up.

Did they not learn a lesson just three years ago when they traded Josh Dobbs at the end of camp, leaving rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson as the back up? And when Deshaun Watson was injured prior to a game against the Baltimore Ravens, they had to put him on the field, pretty much sacrificing that contest?

Listen, we understood taking a chance on Pickett, a former first round pick, why not see if you can salvage something there, but they decided on Joe Flacco, presumably because he gives them the best chance to win.

But what if Flacco gets hurt early in the season?

Obviously, the Browns have to see what they have in Gabriel and Sanders at some point this season, but is it wise to put either on the field prior to say, the 11th game of this season? Why not give both the time to settle into the NFL and watch and learn before playing them?

That plan is out the window. So, the mode for the Browns changes instantly from trying to win games early with a veteran QB to a rebuilding mode with two rookies at the controls?

Why not get another veteran on the roster, unless that’s the plan with Bailey Zappe.

This is an organization that doesn’t seem to value character and/or leadership. They brought in Dionte Johnson, a player who has quit on teams because he once produced. It was a waste of time and other reps for other wide receivers because Johnson was cut.

How many players have been signed to one-year deals and were made captain? Maybe Carson Schwesinger is the answer there, but haven’t we all wondered who is the team leader?

Remember, just last season, the spokesperson for the offense seemed to be the BACKUP quarterback.

A Big Night For Browns And The Thought Partners

The biggest question following tonight’s NFL Draft should be what will sports talk radio and all of the podcasts which discuss the Cleveland Browns talk about after this weekend?

Yes, we are sure if the Browns don’t move up tonight using the 33rd overall selection, there will be ad nauseum discussion tomorrow and who they should take or who should they trade for with that pick, but we are really talking about Monday. What do they fill airtime with?

This could be and probably should be a pivotal moment for both the franchise and the front office. This regime started with a bang, going 11-5 in Kevin Stefanski’s first year and with what looked like a solution to their quarterback issues in second year pro Baker Mayfield.

That was followed by an 8-9 season in which Mayfield play hurt and the organization either soured on him or got distracted by a shiny object in Deshaun Watson.

Owner Jimmy Haslam called what happened in the off-season following that year “a big swing and miss”. They traded the future of the franchise, one that was showing signs of finally having “good bones” for Watson. The price was three first-round draft picks, among other things.

That limited how the front office could continue to add talent and patch up holes to a pretty talented roster for three years.

Somehow, the Browns made the playoffs in Watson’s second season, although it was without help from the player who they ruined their future for. That team made the post-season with an incredible defense and a late season offensive surge led by free agent signee Joe Flacco.

The Browns let him go after he played very well for them. Can you say, “self-sabotage”?

It wasn’t the only weird move by the front office after a pretty good season. They fired several offensive coaches, including coordinator Scott Van Pelt. It seemed the goal of the front office was no longer winning; it was making the Watson decision look like a good one.

That should never be the goal.

So, this front office needs a good weekend. We don’t want to go back to change general managers and/or head coaches every year days. We felt at times during those days that maybe things could have clicked if change wasn’t a constant.

Perhaps Mike Pettine could have done better without front office interference or Eric Mangini could have been a better coach if he were not also a terrible GM.

But now, it doesn’t seem like anyone is accountable. And they should be. The Browns’ front office mangled a five-year period if which they had solid talent. They came out of it with two playoff appearances and one post-season win.

This group has a chance to restock the cupboards and put the team back on a winning track. And that needs to start next season. Haslam, Paul DePodesta, Andrew Berry, and Kevin Stefanski made this bed.

They need to have success in 2025, and by that we mean, be in contention for a playoff spot after they’ve played ten games. It’s not a huge ask, right?

That path starts tonight. Don’t overthink it, don’t look at three to four years from now.

As Al Davis used to say, “Just win, baby”!

Should Andrew Berry Be Trusted With This Draft?

When it comes to continuity, we don’t see a lot of success for professional teams that change people in their front office or coaching staff on a yearly basis. The biggest reason is if the philosophy changes every season, then likely you don’t have the right personnel, and significant turnover has to happen.

The Cleveland Browns are trying to do that after a decade of reshuffling the deck every season.

When owner Jimmy Haslam talks about his front office, he usually mentions the term “collaborative”, which we aren’t sure works in professional sports. We believe it is far better to have someone who can judge talent in concert with the coaching staff, and let that person make the call.

That makes it very difficult for evaluate GM Andrew Berry.

First, let’s go back to the trade for Deshaun Watson. Whoever had the idea to vigorously pursue Watson via trade should be no longer with the organization. It was that bad of a decision.

However, we don’t know who advocated for the deal, and that of course leads to speculation that it was the owner who pushed for the move.

And dealing the three first round picks makes it hard to evaluate Berry’s performance in the draft. In looking at his record, we find the following:

2020: First round pick Jedrick Wills didn’t pan out as expected and has probably played his last down in Cleveland. Second rounder Grant Delpit is a solid safety. Nick Harris (5th) has been injury prone. Harrison Bryant was also selected in this draft.

2021: First rounder Greg Newsome is a starter at nickel corner and 2nd rounder Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah has made a Pro Bowl, although he had a severe neck injury last season. James Hudson, selected on the 4th round is hanging on the roster by a thread.

Taking WR Anthony Schwartz in the third round wasn’t a good pick.

2022: No first this year, but the top selection, Martin Emerson is a starter, and another pick in that round, Alex Wright shows some promise. Jerome Ford (5th) is a contributor, and Michael Woods (5th) has had injury issues.

2023: Again, no first-round pick, but 2nd rounder WR Cedric Tillman shows promise. 3rd rounder Siaki Ika has been cut, but 4th rounder Dawand Jones should start somewhere if he can stay healthy and DE Isaiah McGuire flashed late last season.

Fifth round QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson looks like a wasted pick and CB Cam Mitchell seems like a solid cornerback. Offensive lineman Luke Wypler missed all of last season.

In last year’s draft, 2nd rounder Michael Hall seems to be the real deal, but has had off the field issues. It’s too early to judge anyone else.

The problem for Berry has been the lack of first round picks for sure, but neither of the two he made is an impact player. In fact, outside of Owusu-Koramoah and Delpit and maybe Emerson, none of his picks can be considered franchise cornerstones.

That might be the most damning thing to say about those drafts. He made solid trades for Jerry Jeudy, Amari Cooper, and other veterans, but free agent signings Juan Thornhill and John Johnson III haven’t worked out.

It’s why fans and media people have issues trusting Berry with this draft, which includes a first-round pick, and is oh so important for the franchise.

And we totally understand.

No Rush To Make A Move With Myles

There’s an old adage sports reporters use when they are asked who they want to win in a specific game or series. Most times they say “I’m rooting for the story”.

We think that where several sports media people in Cleveland are on the Myles Garrett situation.

Many of these folks say the Browns have to make a decision on Garrett as soon as possible, hopefully when the new league year starts in March.

We say what’s the hurry, other than it provides conversation for sports talk stations.

First, we are not salary cap experts, but we have read several articles from people who understand it and the Browns would take an enormous cap hit by trading Garrett. Factor in the consequences of Deshaun Watson contract and any move involving a trade is very difficult for the franchise.

Second, no doubt the Browns don’t want the situation to get contentious with their All-Pro defensive end, but Garrett really doesn’t have much leverage. He’s under contract for two more years, so if the Browns don’t trade him and he still wants to play football in 2025, he’s playing in Cleveland.

Again, neither side wants it to go that way.

However, there is no reason to rush to make a move with Myles Garrett.

Many people suggest the draft is a good time for a move but think about it from the team trading for the pass rusher’s point of view. Do you think they would rather deal a pick in this year’s selection process or next year’s draft?

Because if you wait until after the draft, you can’t deal a 2025 selection, you’ve pushed it out to ’26. Tell us what team wouldn’t prefer that.

After the draft is kind of a dead period for the NFL. There are the optional and mandatory mini camps, but no football is being played at that time. No wins and no losses.

So, from our viewpoint there is no rush to do anything with Garrett until training camps open in late July. That gives the Browns five months to discuss their plans for the next two or three years with Garrett and get him back on board with the franchise.

And that’s what we would do. We heard David Njoku and Denzel Ward talk last week about how much they wanted Garrett in brown and orange, and the Browns should encourage more of those conversations.

In that time period, you could have a great draft adding a lot of pieces Garrett might find interesting. The Browns could upgrade the quarterback position and Kevin Stefanski could show him how the team can return to the record they had just a little over a year ago when they made the playoffs.

The point is there is no rush to make a move. We’ve all heard the expression that time heals all wounds, and time is the one thing Jimmy Haslam, Andrew Berry, and Stefanski have.

Whatever happens with Garrett will alter the future of the Cleveland Browns. Being patient for that reason alone is the smartest decision.

Garrett Requests A Trade. Browns Need To Fix It

Only the Cleveland Browns could have a 3-14 season and have the off-season be worse than the actual season. But that’s where it seems we are after the franchise’s best player; Myles Garrett requested a trade.

We guess it is semantics, but Garrett asked to be moved, he didn’t demand it. People who know this stuff better than us feel it would be another huge hit on the salary cap to trade the All-Pro defensive end, which may preclude making the move.

Garrett has two years left on his current contract, so if push comes to shove, the Browns could play hard ball and refuse to trade him, making Garrett decide whether or not he is going to sit out a season.

It would also be stupid for it to come to that.

Our advice to the Browns’ front office? Put together your collaborative process (sarcasm intended) and fix this. And the sooner, the better.

We would even go as far as to say this. In his public statement requesting a deal, the former first overall pick gave a little tweak to GM Andrew Berry using the latter’s “Cleveland to Canton” comment. If Garrett’s issue is with Berry, it’s an easy solution for us, hire a new general manager.

Berry is easily more replaceable than the best defensive player the franchise has had over the last 65 years.

We understand that Garrett’s request got all of the football fans in northeast Ohio who crave and worship draft picks all excited. That’s what they love. But the reality is anyone you draft with one of the picks you get will not be as good as Myles Garrett.

And that’s not a slap at the front office either. Garrett has already won the Defensive Player of the Year last season and is up for the award this season. He’s arguably the best defensive player in the NFL.

The Browns could get 20 first round picks in return and not get anyone as good as Myles Garrett.

As for Garrett’s desire to play important games, let’s be honest about this, how many games would the Browns have won in 2024 with competent quarterback play? They certainly wouldn’t have been 3-14. Cleveland started 10 contests with Deshaun Watson, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and Bailey Zappe behind center.

They were 2-5 with Jameis Winston, so is it out of the realm of possibility to think they could have gone 6-11 with Winston starting the whole season? If you agree, then that makes to trip back to the playoffs in 2025 shorter.

We understand Browns’ fans and media alike love to play the “woe is us” card. But there is talent on this roster. Denzel Ward and Jerry Jeudy made the Pro Bowl (such that it is), and the offensive line needs some tweaks, but there are solid players there.

David Njoku is a good player too, and Mike Hall and Isaiah McGuire look like they have talent. And don’t forget, the Browns have a first-round pick for the first time in four years and four picks in the top 100 of this year’s draft.

And going back to the offense Kevin Stefanski likes to run should cause an improvement as well.

There is a long time between now and the beginning of training camp, so the front office is on the clock. Fix this issue with Myles Garrett. End of discussion.

When It Comes Down To It, Have To Find A QB

While the real Super Bowl will take place a week from Sunday, for Browns’ fans the crazy season has started, and because of the Deshaun Watson trade, it has been a long time coming.

The NFL Draft will be here in late April and Cleveland has the second overall pick, and of course, they need a quarterback.

The popular opinion among many fans and media people is to trade down because the next Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning or Joe Burrow is not in this selection cycle. Of course, both of these groups have no input in the process and they both love picks, and the more, the merrier.

And their jobs are not on the line. However, Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski’s probably are. Let’s say they don’t fix the quarterback situation for 2025 either by not getting a capable veteran or a young guy waiting in the wings for the future. Then they are likely on the unemployment line following next season.

Keep in mind, Berry and Stefanski have both been at the Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl and they aren’t there to watch wide receivers and/or linebackers. They are talking to the QB prospects at both All-Star games.

Because they have to get that position right.

Bill Belichick used to love when other teams reached for quarterbacks in the draft because it pushed good players down to where New England picked. Of course, he had Tom Brady, creating a perfect scenario.

When you don’t have a QB, you simply have to get one. The easy thing for many people is to wait for the generational talent to appear the year the Browns happen to have a high draft pick. But that’s not reality.

Cleveland has the opportunity to get one of the two best QB prospects coming into the NFL this season. It’s Berry’s and Stefanski’s job to find out who those players are and take one of them. Right now, the consensus is those passers are Shadeur Sanders and Cam Ward, but maybe going through the process, they like someone else.

If the latter is the case, perhaps they can trade down a couple of spots and still get their guy, but they better know what the other teams they drop behind in the process are going to do.

For us, we like Quinn Ewers out of Texas. He has started 36 games at the college level and has guided his team to the playoffs the past two seasons. He’s completed 65% of his passes at Texas in his three years as a starter.

But the question we can’t answer is how he reads defenses, the most important skill a QB can have. That’s what Berry and Stefanski need to find out.

All that said, the ideal situation would still be to find a veteran quarterback who can come in and start next season, while the rookie sits, learns, and maybe gets a start or two at the end of the season.

Trading down, getting a pass rusher to pair with Myles Garrett, getting another shutdown corner, all of those things are important. But the Browns have to find a QB and they need to keep taking swings until they find one.

That’s NFL reality.

Browns Trying To Right The Wrongs They Inflicted On Themselves

The NFL playoffs started this past weekend, a grim reminder that it was only one year ago the Cleveland Browns were participating. Yes, it might seem like eons ago, but it was only 12 months.

While others want to sound the woe is us card when it comes to the Browns (as usual), we can’t get past the point that the organization did this to themselves. They replaced several offensive coaches, in essence tearing apart something that needed building upon.

The Charles Barkley quote keeps ringing in our ears, “if it ain’t broke, don’t break it”.

We questioned a few times why when offensive line guru Bill Callahan went to Tennessee to coach with his son, the front office simply didn’t hire his assistant, Scott Peters, to succeed him. This would have been perfect sense, continuing the blocking scheme Callahan brought to Cleveland.

In an interview after the season ending loss to Baltimore, after hearing the news that Andy Dickerson was fired as the O-line coach, Joel Bitonio and Jack Conklin wondered out loud why the Browns made the change in scheme. They said they would like to go back to that.

It’s something else we always say. The players know when the coaches or the front office does something dumb. And nothing erodes the relationship between a coach and the players like doing something that doesn’t work and keep sticking with it.

And all these moves were made to justify the biggest mistake the Browns made in the last 10 years (perhaps in franchise history), the trade for Deshaun Watson. And compounding a mistake is always worse than just moving on from it.

Remember, Watson ruled out the Browns before the deal was made and only agreed to come to Cleveland when they fully guaranteed the contract. That should have sent a message that he really didn’t want to be here. And let’s face it, he still doesn’t want to be here.

It’s akin to being unemployed and taking the first job offer you get even though you know it’s not a good fit for you. Watson felt he could make it work, but his heart really wasn’t in it.

And the organization did not show Watson any tough love. Instead of telling him to conform to Kevin Stefanski’s offense, which has been proven, they instead decided to breakdown what was working, and try to make it more “Watson friendly”.

We guess the best news out of this is the organization decided to try to reverse the course after one season, a 3-14 disaster true, but they didn’t stick their heads in the sand and pretend everything was okay.

They hired a new offensive line coach, Mike Bloomgren, who lost his job as head coach at Rice University. Who did Bloomgren coach with earlier in his career with the Jets? That’s right, Bill Callahan.

The candidates for offensive coordinator also seem to have Stefanski’s offense, which means running the football in mind. It will be interesting to see who gets the gig, but it won’t be a pass first coach like Ken Dorsey.

As for Watson, his re-tear of the Achilles’ tendon virtually assures what was always thought to be true. His career in Cleveland is over.

The worst thing about it? The loss of draft picks and wasting three years of the careers of so many players.