No Fun League
I tend to be an optimist. I like to look on the bright side of life, and usually expect much more from the Browns than they can deliver. This season was no exception. The talent on the roster, the improvements to the coaching staff and the return of a healthy Deshaun Watson was enough to convince me that the first Cleveland Browns Super Bowl was nothing short of impending.
Who could have predicted, six short weeks later, the Browns would be bottom of the league in every offensive metric, and would have just traded away their best offensive weapon? (maybe a more realistic fan, but not me). This season has been a disappointment in every sense of the word. The Browns have lost their luster, and have become un-fun.
The organization has made it clear that no changes will be made to the starting quarterback position, and the offense hasn’t made any improvements in the first third of the season. I have given up on the hopes of a playoff run, and any delusions I had of being competitive in the AFC North have quickly diminished. As Browns fans, we can take the losing - we’ve been through plenty of that. What irks me is how little I care. This Browns team has taken one of the things I love - watching Browns football on a Sunday afternoon - and made it joyless. If the Browns sucked but were fun to watch that would be one thing, but they aren’t. They are drop-dead boring, hard to root for, and seem to not give a damn about the game being played.
If the Browns are going to lose every game from here on out, can they at least do so in spectacular fashion? The Cleveland Browns offense is a slow, cold death - it is conservative with the football, conservative with playcalls and bad at executing - a combination that results in short, uneventful drives that end with spectacular Corey Bojorquez punts.
It's time for the Browns offense to get aggressive - to throw caution to the wind. The front office might be unwilling to start Jameis Winston, but maybe Deshaun Watson can recreate his stats in the aggregate (insert Moneyball gif here). Watson only has 3 interceptions this year - tied for 21st in the league. Those are rookie numbers. Deshaun should be competing with the likes of Will Levis for most interceptions in the league. Rather than leading the league in sacks, Deshaun should just throw it deep whenever he feels the slightest bit of pressure. Risky? Sure, but an arm punt is always more fun than a leg punt, especially when you are going to lose anyways.
On that subject, if the Browns are officially punting on the season (hard to argue they aren’t, seeing as they just traded away their best offensive weapon) then why be conservative with the playcalls? Kevin Stefanski always has a sheet of gadget and trick plays that he typically reserves for key moments. The season is over - don't hold back, start rolling them out now! Give me a double pass to Jordan Akins, be the first offense to integrate downfield laterals into the playbook, let me see Jerome Ford in the wildcat. No worries about “putting it on tape” anymore, because the rest of the season doesn't matter!
I want to feel something again when watching the Browns. If they aren’t willing to change the quarterback, make changes elsewhere. I’m sure the Browns really do think that Deshaun gives them the best chance to win football games. I’m sure Andrew Berry and Paul DePodesta are really smart dudes that are thinking more steps ahead than I can even fathom. I’m not sure the Browns understand how lukewarm this fanbase has become just six games into the season.
Fans want to support a football team, not a corporation. Stop running the Browns like a hedge fund, and start treating it as it is - a source of fun and joy for the people who care about it.
I am ready for the Browns to be fun again.