2019 Browns Off Season/Roster Discussion

[The Oi]

Dude, at the time the Browns were coming off an historic winless streak compounded by a crazy owner, known for making poor compulsive decisions, and coached by a man who would throw his mother under the bus rather than admit he made a mistake.

There was little sign of a meaningful turnaround just yet. From an objective point of view he absolutely had a point.

It isn't as if he trashed the city, or the fans, he merely called the organization out for what it was for a decade: Dysfunctional.

Not only this but when people bring up that guys wanting to be part of a “historic organization” should be a thing...It’s so silly.

Some of these kids (they ARE kids) are literally about the same age as the new Browns franchise itself. The Browns have been shit their entire lives. And their only exposure aside from inside knowledge of the dysfunction...is slush on the way to games, a hotel downtown that could be anywhere and people making jokes about the city.

So, if given a choice...

do they want to be part of a dysfunctional, cold-weather franchise that was good in the 1960’s?

Or do they want to play for a quality franchise in California? Or if winning is all that matters, the Patriots.

Just be happy the Browns

-Let Sashi compile assets
-Got John Dorsey
-Picked Baker Mayfield

Everything will continue to fall in line.

 

[col63onel]

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...d-the-power-structure-in-favor-of-the-browns/

The Steelers gave away arguably the league's best receiver. The Browns acquired arguably the league's best receiver.

This is a team that went 7-8-1 last season with a rookie quarterback and a coach for half the year who actively sabotaged their chances of winning.

That being said, the Bengals have made a few puzzling moves this offseason, the kind of moves that makes it look like they've replaced the Browns as the bumbling incompetent team that can't get out of its own way.

They hired Zac Taylor as their new coach even though Taylor has been an offensive coordinator in the NFL just once before on an interim basis. Essentially, they're hoping that by working under Sean McVay, Taylor will become their version of McVay. It probably won't work out like that. But hey, at least give them credit for not hiring Hue Jackson.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...d-the-power-structure-in-favor-of-the-browns/

There's this weird dynamic where it seems that Hue Jackson has become the repository for every shitty Browns joke, and every shitty vibe about the franchise. All that bad luck, incompetence, and negativity transferred to him.

When we fired him, it seems as if the media and entire league is willing to accept that we've successfully flushed away all those accumulated turds. Everyone (well, except Mike Silver) is perfectly willing to let Hue be the stand-in for mocking the Browns, and the new Browns are the golden child of the NFL.

I'm not sure I've ever seen such a durable media/sports narrative flip so completely in such a short period of time.

 

[Triplethreat]

Just saw Surge’s post.

Delete.

 

[The Oi]

There's this weird dynamic where it seems that Hue Jackson has become the repository for every shitty Browns joke, and every shitty vibe about the franchise. All that bad luck, incompetence, and negativity transferred to him.

When we fired him, it seems as if the media and entire league is willing to accept that we've successfully flushed away all those accumulated turds. Everyone (well, except Mike Silver) is perfectly willing to let Hue be the stand-in for mocking the Browns, and the new Browns are the golden child of the NFL.

I'm not sure I've ever seen such a durable media/sports narrative flip so completely in such a short period of time.

It’s really Baker in the end.

A great NFL QB is the equivalent of “if you build it, they will come.”

Plus Cleveland is the success story everyone always wanted but pretended they didn’t.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

It’s really Baker in the end.

A great NFL QB is the equivalent of “if you build it, they will come.”

I agree with that in terms of now getting positive press. But I think having an openly-despised guy like Hue to be the collective fall-guy made it much easier to jettison the negative history as well. The combination of having a new hero and a villain on which to blame everything bad is really potent.

Plus Cleveland is the success story everyone always wanted but pretended they didn’t.

That is absolutely true. Most people like to pretend their just hard core partisans for their own team, but most sports fans love a story like this. Just another tiny bit of evidence that most people are actually pretty decent.

 

[The Oi]

@Binkster getting absolutely Melvined in here

 

[col63onel]

Everyone (well, except Mike Silver) is perfectly willing to let Hue be the stand-in for mocking the Browns, and the new Browns are the golden child of the NFL.

And Shannon Sharpe....and Colin Cowherd...and probably a bunch more.

There will be plenty of media types who will take the contrarian opinion just to stand out. I am just going to ignore.

But I agree with the overall point that the media has separated the new Browns from the Hue Browns.

 

[Lee]

Not only this but when people bring up that guys wanting to be part of a “historic organization” should be a thing...It’s so silly.

Some of these kids (they ARE kids) are literally about the same age as the new Browns franchise itself. The Browns have been shit their entire lives. And their only exposure aside from inside knowledge of the dysfunction...is slush on the way to games, a hotel downtown that could be anywhere and people making jokes about the city.

So, if given a choice...

do they want to be part of a dysfunctional, cold-weather franchise that was good in the 1960’s?

Or do they want to play for a quality franchise in California? Or if winning is all that matters, the Patriots.

Just be happy the Browns

-Let Sashi compile assets
-Got John Dorsey
-Picked Baker Mayfield

Everything will continue to fall in line.

100% agreed, but it was way cool to see in an interview with Sheldon Richardson on the day he signed a 3/36 million contract, the highlight of his day according to him was meeting Jim Brown, his Dad's hero.

So the history of the game does matter to some. But like I said, 100% agree with you.

 

[Lee]

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...d-the-power-structure-in-favor-of-the-browns/

We kind of did the same thing by hiring Kitchens though. 8 games as interim offensive coordinator, hoping his genius of 8 games continues.

 

[Randolphkeys]

Not only this but when people bring up that guys wanting to be part of a “historic organization” should be a thing...It’s so silly.

While your points are valid, if somebody came up to me wearing an OKC Thunder jersey, a Nashville Predators hat, and a Jacksonville Jaguars Starter jacket and wanted to talk up sports for a bit... I'd pretend I got a phone call and walk the other direction.

 

[Lee]

While your points are valid, if somebody came up to me wearing an OKC Thunder jersey, a Nashville Predators hat, and a Jacksonville Jaguars Starter jacket and wanted to talk up sports for a bit... I'd pretend I got a phone call and walk the other direction.

And you would be sad when you find out that person owns a major sports marketing firm and he is just showing off some gear of his clients and he could have gotten you a sideline pass to a Browns game, lol

 

[The Oi]

While your points are valid, if somebody came up to me wearing an OKC Thunder jersey, a Nashville Predators hat, and a Jacksonville Jaguars Starter jacket and wanted to talk up sports for a bit... I'd pretend I got a phone call and walk the other direction.

True.

But I think the only thing separating Cleveland from those markets at any given time is competitiveness and salary.

I’d imagine really only LA and NYC have mass appeal. I’m not sure if Miami has ever been a destination aside from the Heatles stretch.

Boston claims it has that Celtic pride and Sox history but really the Celtics have been mostly run well and the Sox have just paid more than anyone else for years.

 

[Lee]

True.

But I think the only thing separating Cleveland from those markets at any given time is competitiveness and salary.

I’d imagine really only LA and NYC have mass appeal. I’m not sure if Miami has ever been a destination aside from the Heatles stretch.

Boston claims it has that Celtic pride and Sox history but really the Celtics have been mostly run well and the Sox have just paid more than anyone else for years.

Its really sport by sport on how it is viewed. The NFL is by far the most "beautiful people" scene destination, thus only in basketball is Miami a great destination.

In football I would argue that Cleveland is a great destination, look at the Richardson interview, history matters to players, having great fans matters, being a football town matters. The big issue the last decade plus was the organization was a fucking joke. We all cant argue that either, we all know it.

Football players are more family oriented, they like Cleveland, even a "Hollywood" type like Odell will like playing in Cleveland. His passion is matched by the fans, his desire to win will be respected. He knows what Cleveland is, his best friend has told him, and Landry loves it there. Low cost of living, respect from fans, and now that we are an up and coming team with a qb, watch out.

 

[Randolphkeys]

True.

But I think the only thing separating Cleveland from those markets at any given time is competitiveness and salary.

I’d imagine really only LA and NYC have mass appeal. I’m not sure if Miami has ever been a destination aside from the Heatles stretch.

Boston claims it has that Celtic pride and Sox history but really the Celtics have been mostly run well and the Sox have just paid more than anyone else for years.

I get it, athletes don't have much of a sense of a sports history.

I'll go a little further - I believe baseball players generally have the greatest appreciation for the history of their sport. I see ex-greats going to spring training and hang with the new groups in the clubhouse. It's a real respect. Basketball has something there, and you see it during All Star weekend. They study players who came before, even if they should give more respect to the players they weren't alive to see.

Football might be the worst at carrying a sense of history among players. For the most part, they want to make as much money in their short careers as they can. The NFL doesn't do a great job taking care of the former players, and it carries on with a lost history of the game.

All that said, I believe in "The Sleeping Giant."

Real Browns fans have learned to lay low outside of Cleveland. You don't talk too loud because the jokes from fans of other teams are too easy. But now? It's cool to be a life-long Browns fan. Random people who didn't want to talk sports with the Cavs fan family LOVE bringing up the Browns, and have since Baker was drafted. My wife's co-workers gave her grief for not caring about the OBJ trade and made her buy me an OBJ in Cleveland t-shirt as an apology. The Sleeping Giant among fans is totally real.