Monday leftovers
The coils under Hue Jackson’s hot seat are hotter now than
ever. Never mind those who would argue the Browns coach is not on a hot seat. A
1-19 record in 20 games on the job wins that argument.
When a National Football League team sports that kind of
record over such a comparatively brief span, it is only natural that thoughts
of change begin to waft in the air.
When the product goes sour, and this product can’t get any
more sour after that 31-7 drubbing against Cincinnati Sunday, changes
need to be made. If Jimmy Haslam III does not see that, perhaps that is where
the problem lies.
It is understandable if the owner, known for his knee-jerk
reactions to past ineptitude, is reluctant to make a move now. He wants to shed
that reputation, but the current state of his billion-dollar acquisition is
making it difficult.
A winless start to the 2017 season was not in Haslam’s
crystal ball. Neither was bad football, embarrassingly bad football. That
aspect was not even a consideration when the club broke training camp a month
or so ago after posting an unbeaten exhibition season.
When looking to identify the problem(s), Haslam might
consider looking no farther than the office down the hall. The one occupied by de facto general manager Sashi Brown, at
whose desk the buck stops.
The ill-equipped Harvard graduate is in charge on a daily
basis of what the roster looks like. These days, it’s beginning to look like a
merry-go-round of mediocre talent (and that’s being charitable).
The man is clearly in over his head. He might be successful
in the business world, but he has no business running the personnel end of this
franchise or any football franchise for that matter. Bottom line: It . . .
isn’t . . . working.
If Brown is allowed to continue in his current capacity, the
giant finger of blame should be pointed squarely at Haslam because his desk is
where the ultimate buck stops.
It is high time the owner and his wife, Dee, realize this
team needs a genuine football man at the helm, at the top of the corporate football ladder.
The Browns have not had one since Haslam took over. In fact, they haven’t had
one since the return in 1999.
Not just any football man. A football lifer who has known nothing
but success. Someone who knows how to cobble together a winning product in a short
period of time and sustain that success.
Haslam is slowly losing his core audience, the age 35-to-60
and over crowd old enough to actually remember what it was like to be proud to be a
Cleveland Browns fan. Slowly but surely, they are falling to the wayside due to
the incessant losing.
He is not picking up any new fans. Why would anyone looking
for a professional football team to glom on to pick this team? The product is
not interesting enough or good enough to glean their attention and/or devotion.
At the risk of painting with a broad brush, the younger crowd couldn’t care
less about the Browns.
That crowd needs a hook. It needs a reason to get
interested. In a town once owned by its professional football team, the Indians
and Cavaliers have provided that hook. How? Simple. By winning in entertaining
fashion. All age groups are enjoying the bountiful results.
The Browns are not only the NFL’s stepchild, they have
become Cleveland’s stepchild as well for the last 18 seasons. Their return in
1999 after a forced three-year absence was supposed to be a joyous blessing, a
reward for being so loyal in spite of an NFL blunder.
Instead, it has been a curse no one saw coming. There was
always next year at the end of each season. Next year came, but the curse
remained. The losing was so monotonously prevalent, it became comical. It
became the butt of jokes.
Ardent fans began dropping off season after season when it
became obvious progress was just another word. The club charged outrageous amounts
of money for a product that didn’t warrant it. The fans began spending their
sports dollars elsewhere.
The Browns’ fan base is dwindling slowly with nothing in
sight to provide even a sliver of hope. Unless, of course, Haslam makes a move.
This time, such a move will be much more understandable than those of the past.
But only if a wizened football man is brought in, placed in charge and left
alone.
This time, such a move will be for the greater good of a
franchise desperately looking for love from a community that has bundles of it.
All the Browns have to do to earn that love, and not by just showing up on
Sundays from September to December, is produce winning football.
It’s that simple.
* * *
To paraphrase the late Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green
after a frustrating loss to the Chicago Bears many years ago. “DeShone Kizer is
who we thought he was.”
Fans were warned in advance about Kizer. Brian Kelly, his
coach at Notre Dame, said the kid was not ready for the NFL. It’s been only four
games, but so far, Kelly is looking pretty smart.
We knew Kizer had accuracy problems at Notre Dame. We knew
he held on to the ball too long. We knew his ability to process quickly needed
serious work. His inconsistency was maddening.
We knew he was clearly a project who needed lots of help
transitioning to professional football. And he has proven it thus far. Being
force-fed by his head coach is not helping his growth. If anything, it’s
counterproductive.
Kizer has two tools that enticed talent scouts – his
bazooka arm and his athleticism. That alone, some believed, would be good enough to overcome other
deficiencies. And yet, he still has accuracy problems, holds on the ball too
long and has not improved his processing.
Some would consider judging the kid after only four games
unfair. Maybe so, but he is trending downward after a semi-impressive start
against Pittsburgh. The only consistency fans see is his inconsistency. A
thrill followed by heartache followed by another thrill followed by . . .
Quarterbacks like Kizer don’t get any better. Bad habits are
difficult to shed. It’s in their DNA to repeat mistakes. They eventually level
off and become just good enough to stick around as a journeyman.
New York Jets quarterback Josh McCown is a
perfect example. He is just good enough to stick around and play 15 seasons for
eight NFL teams, including the Browns the last two seasons. He will always be remembered
as some team’s ex quarterback.
Kizer claims the game has slowed down for him. Results do
not back up that contention. The inability to adjust to the speed and quickness of the game have stunted
the growth of potentially great quarterbacks in the past. Right now, he is a
prime candidate to join that crowd unless he miraculously changes.
* * *
After the Bengals loss, Jackson was asked if his team has
regressed. “I can see you saying that about today,” he said. “We got beat so
soundly in every phase. We’re going to work. I’m not going to let this team go
backward. . . . We’ve got some work to do.”
When you stop and think about, he had no recourse but to
answer honestly. Whatever credibility he had built up would have been destroyed
if he had answered otherwise. The fans aren’t stupid. To handle that question
with anything positive would have been an insult to the team’s fan base.
* * *
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis was asked what he said to Jackson
when he met with his former offensive coordinator and friend at midfield for
the post-game handshake. “Don’t let them quit on you,” Lewis told the media.
Was Lewis suggesting that’s what he saw in the game Sunday? Or
was he trying to warn his coaching buddy of impending trouble in that regard?
One other thing. Why did Lewis call that timeout with the
game firmly in hand as the Browns were threatening to score in the game’s final
moments? Why did he reinsert some of his defensive regulars as the clock wound
down and his team ahead, 31-0?
The Browns had done a good enough job humiliating themselves
during the game’s first 55 minutes. They didn’t need the opposing coach to add
to that humiliation by trying to preserve the shutout.
* * *
It looks as though the Browns have a few serious challengers for the top pick in next year’s college football draft. After four weeks, the NFL standings show four teams seeking their first victories.
Challenging the Browns are the New York Giants, Los Angeles Chargers and San Francisco 49ers. The only serious one among that group is San Francisco. The Giants and Chargers have quarterbacks who will eventually pull them out of whatever tailspin they are in.
The 49ers, on the other hand, have Brian Hoyer at quarterback, which means it could be a race to the finish line.
* * *
Further proof Jackson either loves the forward pass or hates
the run, maybe both: The Cleveland offense ran 61 plays against the Bengals. Of
those 61 snaps, 48 were designed to throw the football; 13 were designed to run
it. That’s a 78.7%-21.3% ratio, far from the 55-45 or better ratio the head
coach said was his goal this season.
* * *
Finally . . . It
has become clear the Cleveland defense is not ready to play the first half of
games. It has allowed 84 points in the first 30 minutes of the four games.
That’s 21 points a game. The second half is quite different. The
opposition has scored just 28 points after all the adjustments are made. And
the game is out of hand. The offense, in case you are interested, has scored
just 23 points in the first half, 35 after intermission. . . . The Browns had
14 chunk plays (20 yards or more) in the first three games of the season, but only
two against the Bengals (Kizer and Kevin Hogan each had one). . . . Bengals quarterback
Andy Dalton sure loves to play against his old coordinator. In three games, he
has completed 64 of 86 passes (74.4%) for 774 yards and eight touchdowns. And zero interceptions. . . .
Duke Johnson Jr. touch watch: Nine pass receptions for 47 yards; four runs for 13 yards. Total touches, 13 for 60 yards.
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ReplyDeleteRegarding your stepchild remarks, it would be interesting to know if the NFL regrets bringing the Browns back.
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad Coach Jackson won’t start Hogan this Sunday for a single game. For one thing, it would be interesting to see how these wide receivers perform with a different quarterback.
Hi Richard,
DeleteI don't think there are any regrets with regard to the NFL as long as the Browns are members in good standing.
The only way Jackson starts Hogan is if Kizer is hurt. Period. The receivers will be somewhat better because Hogan processes faster and releases quicker.
But again, that won't happen any time soon.