The Fun Is Back
A few weeks ago, the Browns were incredibly unfun. The offense was bottom of the league, the defense was underperforming, and the quarterback was breaking decade old records with his poor performance. There was a growing feud between the fans and players, and the city was ready to move on from the Browns and concentrate on the high hopes of the Cavaliers. In the snap of a finger (or an achilles tendon) that all changed.
It's always surprising how a new quarterback can shift the feeling of a fanbase. It's like the cloud that had been sitting over downtown Cleveland (and Berea) for the past few years suddenly parted, and residents were left to bask in the glory of the sun they had enjoyed for 7 short games last year. All of northeast Ohio was able to breathe deeply in the fresh air of having a starting quarterback they didn’t have to pretend they liked once again.
Winning makes everything more fun - that is obvious. It's not about winning. I have given up on a miracle run to the postseason, and wont delude myself into thinking that all the Browns issues are solved (230 million issues to be exact). As far as I am concerned, the biggest box is checked - The Browns are fun again.
These Browns feel different, and I'm pretty certain it isn't because of the change in play caller. Jameis Winston is a goofball and he puts the ball in harm’s way too often, but his affable nature is incredibly endearing, and his recklessness with the ball is due to his willingness to make any throw. The offense looks night and day compared to the previous quarterback, and it is pure joy to have a QB that the fanbase loves once again.
When it comes to sports, I’m a pretty superstitious guy. I grew up watching games with my mother, and we held each other to the no-negativity rule. No matter how bad the game was going, you are not allowed to bring doom into the conversation. If a player suited up for one of our teams, or if a coach was on the sideline, they had our support - even if their play didn’t warrant it. I was in denial that Baker wasn’t a fit in Cleveland up until he was traded. I was a believer in John Doresy and Freddie Kitchens for far too long. Hell, I thought Deshone Kizer was going to rescue the franchise from the bowels of the NFL. I have always followed the no-negativity rule. The quarterback that wears #4 made that rule harder to follow than ever before. In addition to being awful at playing football, he was incredibly unlikeable and hard to root for.
I'm having more fun now because I no longer have to pretend to be excited that Deshaun Watson is the Browns QB for now and the foreseeable future. I don’t have to hope that he will show up on a Sunday afternoon and throw something other than 3 yard outs and screens. Now, instead of my buddies texting me about the worst transaction in the history of professional sports, I get messages about eating a W or Eminem quotes.
I’m glad the fun is back. It's good to look forward to Sunday afternoons again. It’s a relief to see ESPN talking heads discussing the most recent pregame speech instead of the most recent allegations. It's good to be done with the #4 experiment - I just wish it had cost a little bit less.