Rival Report: Browns in hopeless downward spiral
Before the 2017 NFL season even began, I looked at the Cleveland Browns in some depth – from ownership to their draft strategy to even calling out the team for possibly ‘moneyballing’ or tanking their 2016 season in order to rebuild through the draft. Allegedly, Jimmy Haslam, Sashi Brown and Hue Jackson were simply setting a foundation for the future. Well, the future is here and the Browns still cannot find success as they spiral ever downward into mediocrity.
Even though quarterback Kevin Hogan got the start over rookie DeShone Kizer, the Browns suffered yet another embarrassing loss to the Houston Texans, 33-17. On Sunday, leadership – from Haslam down – who had attempted to take a 3-13 2015 team and make them ‘winners’ has found a way to make their team worse as Cleveland fell to 0-6 on the season.
Hogan was guilty of throwing three interceptions in the first half of the game and then opted to dump the ball (illegally downing it) to the turf as he was being sacked in the end zone. Guess what? That’s a safety. Hogan was unable to get over the 100 passing yards mark until late in the fourth quarter and the Browns offense didn’t get into the end zone until the game was basically over; the Texans defense playing prevent and soft cover.
Defensively, the Browns entered the game ranked fifth (in yards allowed) but gave up 24 points on Sunday. Despite Jackson’s praise, this is the same defense that has allowed a league-high 87 points by opponents in the first half of games they’ve played this season. So, it isn’t just the offense that is subpar.
The Browns organization has stood on a foundation of continuity and it looks like they are about to suffer a critical failure with the dam now ready to burst into a devastating flood that wipes any progress they may have made downriver. No one wanted to hear that this organization may have made a gross miscalculation by trying to use Paul DePodesta’s model in the National Football League. Cleveland fans certainly didn’t want to see this team go backward, either.
The Browns, who spent the preseason prepping Brock Osweiler – who they acquired for a lot of money – to be their starting quarterback. Then, in one of the most bizarre moves in recent history in the league, they sent him packing back to the Denver Broncos in a turnstile move that made Osweiler look like an evil genius to stay with the team he wanted to be with all along … but for a better paycheck … even if he is the backup.
During the draft, the Browns could have grabbed Deshaun Watson, the rookie quarterback that orchestrated the win for the Texans and only rookie to throw more touchdowns through six games than any other since the merger of the AFL and NFL. With Watson under center, the Texans have four consecutive games with at least 30 points scored. Instead of grabbing the kid Jackson said was “what I anticipated he would be,” in a conference call on Monday, the Browns traded the 12th pick to Houston.
Back to the questions…
What are the Browns actually preparing for if it’s not success? And how long do they continue on the path they’re on before a major change is made? “Those decisions are always difficult,” Brown said in regard to why they traded the 12th pick. “At the same time, we add[ed] Jabrill [Peppers] and David [Njoku] in the first round and that came from sliding back the year prior…there’s going to be players there that you miss on…that’s just the realities of that decision.”
That may address the ideology of passing on one guy you think would fit your system but does not explain why the Browns have a history of poor decision-making skills about quarterbacks. Johnny Manziel, trading the pick to the Eagles that could have landed Carson Wentz, grabbing Osweiler to dump him. “I hear what you are saying and I respect what you are saying,” Jackson responded when asked about the team’s ability to judge and evaluate guys at the position. “At the same time, we make decisions for our football team and where we are…we all come together and make decisions with what we think is best for our organization and that is where we are.”
Interpretation? The Browns organization has made decisions to settle for mediocrity based on the results of their “best for our organization” argument. Settle in Cleveland fans, this is going to be a long, rough ride at the bottom.
