It was supposed to be different for the Cleveland Browns.This years was supposed to be their year. “SUPER BOWL OR BUST!!!” Or at least… that’s what fans thought. That’s what players thought too. But here we are, and even though it’s only been 5 weeks, it seems like the Browns are still the Browns.
One of the main reasons that there was so much hype around the Cleveland Browns this season is because of the presence of second year quarterback Baker Mayfield. In his first NFL appearance last season, Mayfield led Cleveland to a 21-17 win against the New York Jets, after they trailed by as much as 14 points. This was Cleveland’s first win in 19 games, ending a 635 day winless streak. SIX HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FIVE. That singular win, in that many games should bring fans some semblance of hope (which it did). They then went on to lose 6 of their next 7 games. This prompted them to make a mid-season coaching change, firing head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley, replacing them with Gregg Williams and Freddie Kitchens, respectively. This coaching change led the Browns to finish out the final 8 games of the season 5-3.
After going 0-16 in 2017, the Browns’ finished 2018 with a record of 7-8-1. While that still wasn’t a winning record, the Browns organization and fans were excited about Baker Mayfield, whose 27 touchdowns in his 13 starts broke Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson’s previous rookie touchdown record of 26. After the season, management for the Browns decided to name offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens as head coach, because they liked how dynamic the offense looked under his guidance. They were also able to acquire through trade or free agency running back Kareem Hunt, defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, defensive end Olivier Vernon and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. In that list of people, Odell and Kareem Hunt are two of the top five players at their respective positions.
And despite all of these steps that seem to be in a positive direction, the Browns are still playing lackluster and uninspired. Mayfield leads the NFL with 8 interceptions and only 4 touchdowns. The Browns are ranked 21 out of 32 in total yards and 25 out of 32 in total points. This week they were blown out of the water by the San Francisco 49ers 31-3. For a team that had so much fanfare in the offseason, this is unacceptable. But for the Browns… this is normal.
In life, three things are certain: Life, Death, and the Cleveland Browns will do Cleveland Brown things.