I still write for the Orange and Brown Report, a publication of Scout.com. Here is a
column a wrote at the end of the 2013, as well as a email I got from a fan.
I
Thought I’ve Seen Everything
At least I thought
that when the game was over with so would be the suffering. No more Browns
games until next August, and hopefully with a new quarterback, a rebuilt
running game, and another threat or two at the receiver position. Some time
away from the Browns would be good for all of us, from the fans to the press.
But no, like a bad case of poison ivy that won’t go away, the Browns just
couldn’t give us that well deserved break, could they?
The fans will once
again go through another season of change. A new head coach, new coordinators,
new philosophies on offense and defense, new position coaches, etc., etc., etc.
The way it went down common sense told you they must have someone waiting in
the wings that is a proven winner on the head coaching level either in the NFL
or a major college. A coaching retread, someone who has already failed as a
head coach, an unproven offensive genius, just won’t do. But who is going to
come here? An owner in serious legal problems; a front office that just left
the last head coach out to dry; a general manager and team president who have
less than stellar reputations. A first time head coach or a retread rebounding
from disaster will be what we settle for. Here we go again.
The Browns
disappointing 2013 season was the fault of many, not just the head coach. They
traded their leading rusher from last year; they added very little in the
draft, especially a part time player with the sixth pick in the draft; when
they were 4-5 and still in the thick of things no major personnel moves were
made to strengthen the team. None of that was the coaching staff’s fault. The
Browns have five Pro Bowl picks, but had nothing but journeymen playing at
quarterback, running back, and most of the receiver positions. That lack of
talent was not the fault of the coaching staff.
Who ever is the
next Browns coach will immediately look better than the last several because of
the additional talent on the team. He will have the benefit of the team’s ten
draft picks, several high priced free agents, plus the core of the team that
will be returning. So wins and losses will not be the fairest way to compare
next year’s Browns Head Coach to Rob Chudzinski or Pat Shurmer.
The bigger job
this off-season is upgrading the talent, not selecting the head coach. Too many
fans think the solution is hiring the right coach or drafting the right quarterback.
They are both important parts of the picture, don’t get me wrong, but this off-season
is about upgrading the talent. Between the extra draft picks and room under the
salary cap this is a once in a long time moment.
The team does not
have to be turned over. The core is solid, the problem was this year the talent
added over the course of the off-season and in season was very limited. I would
keep most of the offensive and defensive line, that means signing Alex Mack immediately.
I’d keep Haden, Gipson, and Ward
in the defensive backfield. I’d keep Jackson and Richardson, Krueger, and Sheer
at linebacker. The only outside receivers whose jobs would be safe are Josh
Gordon and Travis Benjamin. Keep
the punter and the kicker.
The priorities in
the draft and free agency are many. First, get the running game in order. It
was too easy to game plan against the Browns without a rushing threat. Next,
draft whomever they consider the quarterback of the future. As I have said
before, the best of the bunch Jameis Winston is still a year away, there are no
for sure quarterbacks this year. Yes, a lot of good college quarterbacks, but
being a good college quarterback and being a good pro quarterback are two
different things. Then find at least two offensive threats to go with Josh
Gordon, as well as another quality tight end. After that add depth to both sides of the ball.
There are other
offseason priorities, especially for the owner to settle all of his legal
problems. This is huge; there is a lack of respect from fans, the media, and
people in the football world that won’t go away until this is resolved. There
are top tier coaches who won’t come to Cleveland until this is resolved. Turf
the field so the stadium can be used more often, like hosting high school state
playoff games. The fact the building is only used ten times a year is sad. The
last thing I would do this offseason is get rid of all the game day gimmicks, like
the cheerleading announcer and the open flames during introductions. I would think the Browns and their fans
are above all these things they do at every other stadium.
The Browns front
office needs to get its house in order. The firing of Rob Chudzinski was not
the defining moment of the season. Brian Hoyer getting hurt was not the
defining moment. The moment that defined the season happened the day Trent
Richardson was traded. Not the trade itself, but the fact that Richardson heard
about it from a friend who had heard it on the radio. That is not how top tier
programs do things.
Where was the front
office and owner the last seven weeks of this miserable season? Nowhere to be
found. And each week they threw Chud out there in front of the press. To talk
about a team that Ray Charles could have game planned against, with no running
game, a carousel of players at quarterback, and a defense that spent way too
much time in the field.
When Jimmy Haslem
was introduced to the fans of Cleveland he told us he ran his business like he
hoped to run his football team, by hiring the best people possible and let them
do their jobs. Since he told us that wonderful news, he has spent the last year
dodging lawsuits, and pleading that he didn’t know what was going on as his
company ripped off their best customers. He either has been lying or he didn’t
hire the best people possible to run his business. Let us hope that is not the
case with the Browns.
Who should be the
next coach of the Browns? I would go with the guy who I think should have
gotten the job the last time around, San Francisco Offensive Coordinator Greg
Roman. But I doubt anyone is listening.
Greg,
I just finished reading the Orange and Brown, March 2014 edition, and I was so moved by your article that I needed to write to you.
You hit the nail on the head with this article. Thank you for expressing what I also experienced the evening of the last Brown’s game against Pittsburgh. Talk about a hit in the gut with Chud’s firing. Whether it was the right or wrong thing to do, the timing was horrendous.
I, too, was hoping that the new owner and front office could turn things around for the Browns, however, it doesn’t look that way at this point, which is deeply saddening as a lifelong Browns fan. It’s looking more and more of the same as this fiasco continues.
When I think of the worst thing that happened to the Browns organization, I always go back to 1995, when the team was taken away from Cleveland. However, with this latest mess in the front office, I dare to say that this is competing with that awful time. After 15 years of hoping they could pull out a winning team, it seems that they will never be able to make it happen again. There are so many reasons why, and we all know what they are, so there’s no point in dredging them up, once again.
So, this evening I am going to a Super Bowl party. I’m rooting for Seattle for the simple fact that I still do not care for the Denver Broncos and Elway.
Every time I’ve been invited to a Super Bowl party I take the same thing. Brownies. It’s a symbolic thing for me in that the “Brownies” will be there. It’s a subtle thing, but it does make me feel better. A few of my friends here in Florida are Browns fans, and I let them know why I brought the brownies. They love it.
Thank you again for your article. It was right on the money, and I’m looking forward to reading more of your articles in the future.
Sincerely,
Ellen Corsi Tutko
