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Cleveland Browns on the cusp of stability and winning seasons
By Zac Wassink, Yahoo! Contributor Network Nov 19, 11:00 am EST
"Why are the Browns always so terrible?" is a question I'm often asked by New York sports fans unfamiliar with Cleveland sports. It's really a complex question that has numerous answers, such as a plethora of worthless draft picks and the lack of serious play makers since 1999. The main thing that has been killing this franchise over the past decade is really quite simple.
Stability.
Since the Browns returned to the NFL in 1999, the team has had (as of the writing of this piece) five different head coaches and roughly 71 different quarterbacks. Comparing the Browns to Super Bowl winning franchises of the past decade is sad for numerous reasons, but the main thing that stands out is that a head coaching carousel never equals championships. The Patriots have had one head coach over the past ten years. The Steelers have had two. The Colts have had three (Mora's last season was 2001). You get the idea.
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Before disgruntled Cleveland fans remind me of the team's current record (3-6 as of the writing of this), I want to point out the "on the cusp" that's in the title. I'm well aware that the 2007 Browns were even closer to stability with a rocket-armed quarterback, a "players coach" and a 10-6 record. In hindsight, that team's fall from grace is now very easy to predict. Romeo Crennel just wasn't meant to be a head coach in the NFL and the roster had way too many holes and "me first" players.
The biggest quality the 2007 Browns lacked was leadership. We now know that many in the locker room did not respect quarterback Derek Anderson(notes) as the offense's leader and that Crennel was too busy being friends with the guys to be any sort of authority figure. The Browns were a disaster waiting to happen.
Even with a losing record, the current crop of Browns are headed in a completely different direction; that being the right one. Rookie QB Colt McCoy(notes) is earning the respect of what will be "his offense" with every snap. Driving down the field for a game-tying score against the Jets is something that either Tom Brady(notes) or Peyton Manning(notes) would struggle to accomplish, and McCoy completed the task looking like a ten-year veteran. Don't be fooled by head coach Eric Mangini's refusal to name
McCoy his starting QB. Barring injury, Colt will be taking the snaps for the Browns until the end of 2010 (and hopefully long into the distant future).
And what of head coach Eric Mangini? Is 3-6 really something to get excited about? Considering Cleveland's roster and schedule, I'd say so. The Browns lost their first three games by a total of twelve points. The team's worst loss, McCoy's first career start, was a 28-10 "not as bad as the final score indicates" defeat in Pittsburgh. Cleveland currently has wins in New Orleans and against New England. Things really could be a lot worse.
More importantly, the entire team is beginning to embrace Mangini's leadership. Since October 24, the Browns have been one of the hardest teams to play in the NFL. Just ask New Orleans, New England and the Jets. As I stated back in August, Mangini pulled a Tom Coughlin during the off-season, and his players have responded. I could think of nothing worse for this current roster than having to start all over…again…with a different head coach.
The Browns are even stable in the front office. General manager Tom Heckert and team president Mike Holmgren selected stand-outs Joe Haden(notes), T.J. Ward(notes) and the aforementioned McCoy in the 2010 NFL Draft. They then pulled off the best trade of the off-season when they acquired stud running back Peyton Hillis(notes) and conditional draft picks for a third string quarterback.
With all of this said, the 2010 Cleveland Browns aren't finishing 8-8. This is a very banged up team that still doesn't have a single dependable wide receiver. Winners in the NFL aren't built in a day, though. Look at how dreadful things got for teams such as the Giants and the Colts before they became contenders. Tampa Bay is even on the cusp of being a perennial threat. The Browns aren't "there" yet. If you've watched this team in 2010, you can see they're close.
Really close.
Cleveland Browns on the cusp of stability and winning seasons - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
By Zac Wassink, Yahoo! Contributor Network Nov 19, 11:00 am EST
"Why are the Browns always so terrible?" is a question I'm often asked by New York sports fans unfamiliar with Cleveland sports. It's really a complex question that has numerous answers, such as a plethora of worthless draft picks and the lack of serious play makers since 1999. The main thing that has been killing this franchise over the past decade is really quite simple.
Stability.
Since the Browns returned to the NFL in 1999, the team has had (as of the writing of this piece) five different head coaches and roughly 71 different quarterbacks. Comparing the Browns to Super Bowl winning franchises of the past decade is sad for numerous reasons, but the main thing that stands out is that a head coaching carousel never equals championships. The Patriots have had one head coach over the past ten years. The Steelers have had two. The Colts have had three (Mora's last season was 2001). You get the idea.
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Before disgruntled Cleveland fans remind me of the team's current record (3-6 as of the writing of this), I want to point out the "on the cusp" that's in the title. I'm well aware that the 2007 Browns were even closer to stability with a rocket-armed quarterback, a "players coach" and a 10-6 record. In hindsight, that team's fall from grace is now very easy to predict. Romeo Crennel just wasn't meant to be a head coach in the NFL and the roster had way too many holes and "me first" players.
The biggest quality the 2007 Browns lacked was leadership. We now know that many in the locker room did not respect quarterback Derek Anderson(notes) as the offense's leader and that Crennel was too busy being friends with the guys to be any sort of authority figure. The Browns were a disaster waiting to happen.
Even with a losing record, the current crop of Browns are headed in a completely different direction; that being the right one. Rookie QB Colt McCoy(notes) is earning the respect of what will be "his offense" with every snap. Driving down the field for a game-tying score against the Jets is something that either Tom Brady(notes) or Peyton Manning(notes) would struggle to accomplish, and McCoy completed the task looking like a ten-year veteran. Don't be fooled by head coach Eric Mangini's refusal to name
McCoy his starting QB. Barring injury, Colt will be taking the snaps for the Browns until the end of 2010 (and hopefully long into the distant future).
And what of head coach Eric Mangini? Is 3-6 really something to get excited about? Considering Cleveland's roster and schedule, I'd say so. The Browns lost their first three games by a total of twelve points. The team's worst loss, McCoy's first career start, was a 28-10 "not as bad as the final score indicates" defeat in Pittsburgh. Cleveland currently has wins in New Orleans and against New England. Things really could be a lot worse.
More importantly, the entire team is beginning to embrace Mangini's leadership. Since October 24, the Browns have been one of the hardest teams to play in the NFL. Just ask New Orleans, New England and the Jets. As I stated back in August, Mangini pulled a Tom Coughlin during the off-season, and his players have responded. I could think of nothing worse for this current roster than having to start all over…again…with a different head coach.
The Browns are even stable in the front office. General manager Tom Heckert and team president Mike Holmgren selected stand-outs Joe Haden(notes), T.J. Ward(notes) and the aforementioned McCoy in the 2010 NFL Draft. They then pulled off the best trade of the off-season when they acquired stud running back Peyton Hillis(notes) and conditional draft picks for a third string quarterback.
With all of this said, the 2010 Cleveland Browns aren't finishing 8-8. This is a very banged up team that still doesn't have a single dependable wide receiver. Winners in the NFL aren't built in a day, though. Look at how dreadful things got for teams such as the Giants and the Colts before they became contenders. Tampa Bay is even on the cusp of being a perennial threat. The Browns aren't "there" yet. If you've watched this team in 2010, you can see they're close.
Really close.
Cleveland Browns on the cusp of stability and winning seasons - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
