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November 15, 2016Cleveland Browns Progress Report: Week 10
November 15, 2016There are no shortcuts to the type of success and championship level success that we want to have here in Cleveland… This is not an easy task. It is not every organization where you undergo this. It is not every head coach that would be able to undergo this. I give a tremendous amount of credit to not only our ownership but also our coaching staff as they fight and push through. -Executive Vice President of Football Operations Sashi Brown
The words above were stated in the middle of an extended media session, but the entire question-and-answer session—for both Brown and then head coach Hue Jackson—revolved around a particular theme: Frustration. The Cleveland Browns realized that the fans deserved to hear from the front office and coaching staff amid the current 0-10 state, and they obliged. The organization wanted to ensure fans knew they understood the disappointment and frustrations. “We have been down far too long in terms of losing, and this is a hard challenge that we are faced with to really rebuild this roster,” Brown noted. “We do not shy away from that challenge at all. I would say to the fans that brighter days ahead, but we understand the task.”
Any speculation that Jimmy and Dee Haslam are not on board with this direction was also refuted. “Jimmy and Dee have been great,” Brown continued. “We have really thorough and transparent conversations with them at the outset and really assessing where we were coming out in 2015. Frankly, there are not a lot of ownership groups that would embrace really undergoing something like this.
“It is important for us to have the organizational fortitude and strength and we preach that to our players, and we want to embody that as a front office staff as an ownership group, as a coaching staff. We know how hard this task is. We know how hard it is going to be on our fans, on our people in the building, but we will get through it and come out the other side. There are brighter days ahead. I am confident.”
Head coach Hue Jackson echoed Sashi’s confidence.
“Dee and Jimmy (Haslam) have been outstanding, and I meant that,” said Jackson. “They are unflinching in what we are trying to accomplish… When you have the record we do, I expect things to be said. We are comfortable and know exactly what we are trying to do. It is a tremendous plan. We all support it. It is not where we wanted to be – I will be the first to tell you guys that – but I know we do have a plan in place, and we feel very strongly that we are going to get things headed in the right direction as soon as we can.”
A big perceived issue with the Browns under the Ray Farmer-Mike Pettine regime seemed to be a lack of discipline and work ethic, especially among the younger players. Brown admitted the key focus for 2016 was to completely change the culture in Berea.
Brown did mention the one silver lining on the season being that the team has been able to play a ton of young players, which has the multiple benefits of experience, evaluation, and the ability for them to learn to play together moving forward.
“Being able to see (DL/LB) Emmanuel (Ogbah) out there on a number of snaps, being able to see (WR) Corey (Coleman) now that he is back healthy and some of the other players—not only does it give us the opportunity to evaluate them, but it also accelerates their development. There really isn’t a substitute for experience,” Brown stated. “We are positioned well for success as we move into the draft next year with two first-round and two second-rounds picks. We will have a host of players that learn to play with each other and will be on this roster for a long time, making our fans proud.”
The team is going through this plan with the acknowledgement that they would be ridiculed and torn down for the losses early in the process. Without the immediate gratification of wins to validate the plan, they are easy targets. Still, they expect the fans will be ready to return to their past passion once the organization starts winning again. As Brown said, “Our fan base will rise up for us. We understand that, and we can’t bother ourselves with some of those externalities. We know that Browns fans and Cleveland as a sports city is unparalleled. We do have the greatest fans in the country. Some of that we need to own and win so that they have reason to come out and feel that hope on Sunday.”
Robert Griffin III also talked with the media on Monday about his shoulder rehabilitation. His quote was directed at his ability to recover from his injury with a chance to play before the 2016 completes, but it might as well have been talking directly to the fans of the Browns when he said “Hope dies last.”
The Cleveland Browns are betting there is still hope left by the time they complete their rebuild. Tick, tock.
55 Comments
Originally? Moneyball wasn’t used to win anything. It was used to lose in the playoffs to an even smaller market team that would also lose in the playoffs.
Why are you bringing up the 1997 Indians (original moneyball team)? Wasn’t losing in extra innings of a G7 2 weeks ago today enough pain?
yes, we discussed as much in the draft thread today – tb2 only asked for any dynamic pick though
Sounds like the Mangini plan.
Emotionally, yes.