Fans and analysts alike should stop assuming the Cleveland Browns didn’t know they’d be bad.
Members of NFL teams, more often than not, know if they can win a Super Bowl or not. Many have been through numerous football rodeos during their careers. Some coaches have been in the NFL for over a decade. Veteran players have been part of good and bad teams. They know.
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ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen released a story on the morning of Sept. 15 claiming the Cleveland Browns’ search for a future franchise quarterback was “back on” following the injury to Robert Griffin III in the regular season opener. Griffin suffered a broken bone in his left shoulder during the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. RG3 will be sidelined up through Week 9 and there is no timetable for his return.
That story makes sense, on paper. Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson hoped Griffin would revitalize his career. Perhaps the Browns could also possibly relocate the form that helped him win Offensive Rookie of the Year honors while with the Washington Redskins. That hope is gone for the foreseeable future. And there is no guarantee Griffin will ever again play for the Browns.
The ESPN piece seemingly assumes, however, Jackson and the Browns weren’t already looking past 2016.
Over the past couple of months, Cleveland sports talk radio hosts have discussed whether or not the 2016 Browns are “tanking” to obtain the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. I do not believe the Browns are throwing games or attempting to lose on purpose, if for no other reason than the NFL would have much to say about a franchise phoning-in an entire season and potentially losing customers and money.
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With that said, don’t think Jackson and his coaching staff think this lousy football team is any good. They know better.
Per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland,com, Jackson told reporters on Wednesday he and his staff are “going to win a championship here for the Cleveland Browns.” Of course Jackson said that. What do you want him to say?
We’re terrible today. We deserve to be in the basement of NFL power rankings. Quite frankly, you’re silly if you waste your money to come to FirstEnergy Stadium this Sunday when the first-place Cleveland Indians are hosting a game at the same time.
Please.
Jackson should want to win every game. He’d be an awful coach if he didn’t. The same goes for veteran quarterback Josh McCown, who will start in place of Griffin when the Browns host the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 18. McCown is a 37-year-old journeyman in the twilight of his career. Odds are the Browns will be his final employer until he rides off into the sunset.
A fine line separates “wanting to win” from “believing we’re a championship team.” It would be worrisome, and possibly even a fireable offense, if Jackson told Browns owner Jimmy Haslam he believed the currently edition of the team could win a Super Bowl. Of course that’s not happening. This team would deserve a parade similar to what the Cleveland Cavaliers received earlier this year if it somehow won eight games this year.
Fortunately for the future of the franchise, Haslam appears to be living in reality. According to Mary Kay Cabot, Haslam said the following to reporters this past July:
"“I can’t guarantee we’re going to have a winning season after going 3-13,” Haslam said Sunday during his annual training camp press conference. “I know we’ll be a better football team, and we’re directionally correct. These guys will work hard and play hard, and our fans will appreciate that. (But) we have a long way to go.”"
Haslam doesn’t sound like an owner preparing to fill a trophy case anytime soon. Even if Jackson and his staff believed Griffin would play well and also avoid injuries, they still should’ve been scouting would-be pros beginning with the opening weekend of college football. They likely were. Bad teams do that. It was known to just about everybody in football circles the Browns were scouting college QBs in September 2013 after Cleveland lost a pair of games to begin that campaign.
2016 has been a great year for Cleveland sports. Stipe Miocic is heavyweight champion in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. AFC Cleveland and the Cleveland Monsters hoisted trophies. LeBron James and the Cavaliers officially ended the title drought that haunted Cleveland for over 50 years. It’s understandable Cleveland fans are bummed the Browns are so terrible.
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Jackson may prove to be the right man to turn the Browns into a winner. Maybe he’ll be another failed coach in the franchise’s history. This season is not about evaluating Jackson or the current Cleveland roster. The purpose of the following 15 games is for the Browns to take some positive steps in the right direction and move away from the losing culture that has haunted the club since the team won 10 games in 2007.
Jackson probably knows this team isn’t a winner, regardless of what he’d say about the matter.