The Slow Inevitable Decay Of The Browns 2019 Hype
RIP Browns hype. You were refreshing and not meant for this world. It was nice to see Browns fans act like assholes for a while there. They surely deserve the chance to laud success over everyone. But life isn’t fair, and my universal truths are still intact.
1. The Giants will make me sad
2. The Patriots will win everything
3. The Browns will Browns
Not gonna lie, there has been a certain satisfaction to watching the Browns struggle this year for me personally. I’m still pulling for them to put it together but after their big offseason came at my own team’s expense and I had uppity Browns fans tweeting “THANKS FOR ODELL!” at me for months, watching them be the Browns has given me a certain small level of satisfaction. How dare you hope. Hope is for fools. Never trash talk before your team does anything.
That said I still expected the Browns to look at least mediocre. Looking back on my early-season Browns concern post, I think the biggest thing I was right about was my skepticism of Freddie Kitchens. Freddie does not look ready for the big time. The team has been wildly undisciplined and uncoordinated. I’ve already seen some fans calling for his head. I still distinctly wonder if the Browns would have been a better team if they hired Gregggg Williams. The team seemed to find a focus with him at the helm, asshole though he is. The defense was better, and Freddie seemed suited to the offensive duties. But even if they didn’t keep Gregggggg, they could have potentially had Bruce Arians (who might have even kept Freddie as they have a history together). Freddie felt like a mistake at the time. He feels like a McAdoo. Maybe not as arrogant as McAdoo, but arguably more unprepared. He is more likeable though.
The failures of the offense have been the biggest surprise to me. The o-line is bad, but they have a stellar RB in Chubb, two amazing receivers, and a franchise QB who just last year looked great. What is going wrong? The offense should be the one part of this team still succeeding. Instead Chubb isn’t getting enough touches and for some incredibly bizarre reason, they aren’t feeding OBJ. OBJ does drop balls but he’s still an otherworldly talent who needs opportunities. What’s the point in trading for a guy who never gets looks?
So far the Browns have beaten the Jets (I mean, who hasn’t, except the Cowboys lol) and the Ravens. The Ravens game seems like the team this team has the potential to be. That was the team we were hyped to see. A big ol Chubb penetrating the defense and everyone else doing their part to hold a good team in check. I don’t know why that has been the only game this year that appeared to be well-planned for and well-played. This team is clearly capable, even with their problems.
With their loss to the woeful Broncos starting a rookie QB, the schedule looks a lot more grim than it used to.
Bills – Probably a loss
Steelers – Probably a loss, Steelers appear to have found themselves a bit
Dolphins – probably a win
Steelers – In Cleveland, might be a trap game, but should be a loss
Bengals – win
Cardinals – probably a loss
Ravens – probably a loss
Bengals – probably a win
I see 3 should be wins and maybe 2 more potentials. Not great. The Bengals and Dolphins might even be able to steal one.
But hey, they are still the best team in Ohio. For now. That’s something.
It’s Jarvis Landry I feel sorry for. But then he’d have been in our fun little clusterfuck if he’d stuck around, so…
You say that like he wouldn’t have been traded away already
I would have said “At least were not the Giants”.
At least the Bengals can tank properly and dont have a GM ypu wouldn’t trust to tie his own shoelaces.
I don’t think they are worse than the Giants though. The Giants have less talent, have a rookie QB who is outperforming Baker with worse teammates around him, a coach who might not be good but at least keeps the team disciplined enough…The Giants are bad but they were never going to be good this year. The Browns were supposed to be, and they traded for tons of playmakers who haven’t done anything.
So far Gettleman has actually kinda won those trades with the Browns, so as bad as he is…I dunno if Browns fans can say that yet
Best football team in Ohio right now is OSU, or possibly the Blue Jackets
Would have been the Destroyers had the Arena league not folded last week
Best team in Ohio? I think Ohio State would smack the shit out of a combined Bengals-Browns roster
I hate hearing this, it really is a dumb argument, the talent level between a top NCAA football school and a NFL roster is so vast that even the worst NFL teams would smoke a college team and it wouldn’t even be close
Thank you for that reply.
I’m always dumbfounded that a college team with a half-dozen potential NFL players can be considered a match for a team with FIFTY-THREE actual NFL-level players
Not disagree with the conclusion, I just fell the need to point out that maybe part of why the worst teams suck so hard is that they only contain ~48 actual NFL level players.
Anyone who thought the browns would be good this year is a CLOWN. Poor Odell is probably missing Eli right now
There’s definitely some satisfaction in watching Baker “Icarus” Mayfield fall apart. It almost reminds me of that time Tom Brady mocked a Super Bowl prediction saying, “We’re only gonna score 17 points? Haha, okay!” only to lose 17-14. Except I’m betting that’s going to be Mayfield’s whole career.
It’s fun watching people talk a big game and then eat shit immediately afterward.
My universal sports truth: any Minnesota sports team that gives us hope will inevitably disappoint us in the most painful way possible.
True. So far we haven’t but it’ll probably happen
Nice hat tip to Deadspin & Magary with the ever lengthening Gregggggggg.
RIP DEADSPIN
I think it originally started as a dig at Easterbrook calling him “tastefully named” because they both spell Gregg with three Gs.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=osxJ5-_Ccp0
My biggest sin was actually looking forward to watching the Browns play this year.
I never believed the playoffs/Superbowl hype. MAAAAAYBEEEE was hoping for a winning record in the back of my heart.
Maybe a change to my screen name here!
Now I’m thinking that with a coupla strategic losses to the Bengals, we can get back our traditional #1 draft pick. OWN THE OFFSEASON BABY!!!!
Sigh….
At least we’re not the Bengals is really ironic in retrospect.