The dawn of a brand new era

It really started at the tail end of last season. The groundswell of excitement and anticipation by Browns Nation when the franchise showed signs of life that hadn’t been seen for a long time. Thoughts of 2019 burst into view.

They intensified when General Manager John Dorsey swung trades during the offseason that bolstered a defense that showed promise last season. They exploded into full bloom when one of those deals also involved one of the most dynamic wide receivers in the National Football League.

Ever since the deals that brought Odell Beckham Jr., Olivier Vernon and Sheldon Richardson to Cleveland, the mantra went something like this: I can’t wait until the season begins. It can’t get here soon enough.

Well, the wait is over, Soon enough is finally here. All the pieces and parts are in place and the global populace that follows this team with zeal arguably unmatched in the league is primed and ready to enjoy professional football once again.

The brand new Cleveland Browns, no longer associated with doormat status, kick off the 2019 regular season Sunday at home against the Tennessee Titans.

During the last six months, the Cleveland Browns, that woebegone franchise that became the NFL’s stepchild for the last two decades, seemingly overnight became the talk of the league. They are clearly the most hyped team of the season thus far.

The media, sensing a great story, glommed on to all the terrific story lines emanating from Berea, showering the team with the kind of attention nationally it hadn’t seen for decades.

Now it all unfolds as this team experiences the pressure of proving it is more than a heavyweight on paper. Time to step up and out and show that the laudatory words they have been showered with translates into something positive on the field.

Time to back it all up and prove, maybe not once and for all because that would be unfair at the dawn of a new season, that they can play the kind of football Cleveland has not seen since the glory days of Bernie Kosar more than 30 years ago.

Last season’s team spent most of the season shattering embarrassing records for losing that accumulated over the last five seasons. A number of those streaks came crashing down as the club posted a 7-8-1 record that could have –and should have – been 9-7 with quality placekicking.

But that was then and this is now. Then – the last two decades, that is – is history, Forgettable in so many ways. Now arrives the birth of a whole new attitude, a whole new culture that has sprung to life in Berea, ready to reward an anxious fan base. 

And it begins with the opener against the Titans, which carries an interesting caveat. Season-opening games for the Browns since the resurrection in 1999 have been disastrous. They are 1-18-1 in lid lifters, 1-14-1 believe it or not at home.

The lone victory was a 20-3 triumph over the Baltimore Ravens way back on Sept. 12, 2004. Butch Davis was the head coach and Jeff Garcia was the winning quarterback. Davis did not finish the season, quitting after 11 games as the Browns finished 4-12.  

Since then, the Browns are 0-9-1 at home and 0-13-1 overall in season opening games, the tie coming in last season’s opener against Pittsburgh. Zane Gonzalez’s 43-yard field-goal attempt was blocked with nine seconds left in overtime in a 21-21 game.

The Browns recorded five turnovers in that game, joining a short list of teams that have not won with that many turnovers. Teams entering that game with an average turnover margin of five or better were 132-4. The Browns own half those losses and the deadlock.

The 2019 edition probably looks at statistics like that and accepts it as a challenge to knock down yet another stain of the past, last season’s much improved result notwithstanding.

Now for Sunday’s game.

Some fans are naturally a little suspicious about the Cleveland offense this season despite what it says on paper, no doubt because it did not look good during the exhibitions.

One of the reasons was coach Freddie Kitchens’ decision to severely limit his starters’ playing time. Wide receivers Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry and tight end David Njoku did not play a single snap. Nick Chubb ran the ball just once. They and quarterback Baker Mayfield are the heart of the offense.

Mayfield played one series in the opening exhibition (looked sharp) and the first half of game three, looking not at all like the rookie quarterback who set an NFL record for touchdown passes by a first-year player.

More than a few think limiting everyone might backfire with rust being the main culprit. Kitchens allayed those fears during mid-week preparations for the Titans, ticking off player by player just what they can look forward to with Mayfield in charge of the huddle fulltime.

“Odell is going to get plenty of balls,” he began. “Jarvis is going to get plenty of balls. David is going to get plenty of balls and Chubb is going to run the ball enough. I am going to make everyone happy. More importantly, hopefully, we win the game and it will make everyone happy. That’s the only important thing.”

The coach neglected to mention his offensive line. An oversight perhaps or was it by design? This suspect group, so vital to making the skill guys look good, is easily the biggest question mark on offense.

Play calling in exhibitions – Kitchens admitted offensive coordinator Todd Monken called a large majority of the plays – is quite different. The plays are more vanilla, designed not to show too much before the games that mean something are played. Kitchens will be back in charge against the Titans.

Everything changes in week one. The game is quicker and faster. Everything on both sides of the football develops with a great deal more speed. That goes for the defense, too, but the Browns were solid on that side of the ball in exhibitions and figure to show the most improvement this season.

The Titans rely on playing solid fundamental football on both sides of the football. They generally do not beat themselves.

The Cleveland defense must contain the running of Derrick Henry, one of the strongest ball carriers in the league. He’s big, strong and fast and was one of the NFL’s best running backs last season in December. Solid tackling must be priority one.

Henry ran for 585 yards and six touchdowns in the last four games last season after gaining just 474 yards in the first 12. The Cleveland defense can expect to see a lot of the former Alabama star in the Titans’ run-first offense, which is designed to keep the chains moving and the opposing offense off the field.

Right now, this Cleveland franchise enters the 2019 season with a heartbeat that has been missing for two decades. It’s a vibrant heartbeat that has stirred up and excited a fan base that has longed for an end to the annual embarrassments.

When I saw the Browns drew the Titans for the season opener, though, my most immediate thought was not as positive as I hoped it would be. Tennessee plays solid, if not spectacular, defense under coach Matt Vrabel.

Then I thought if what we saw during the exhibitions was an aberration after all, especially on offense, the 2019 Browns are strong enough to literally outscore opponents even if the defense falters and they have to.

The Titans will take advantage of a slow start by the Cleveland offense, but the defense will cover until Mayfield and his buddies find their timing after brushing off the rust and move downfield in big chunks with Beckham, Chubb and Njoku featured.

It might be close for the first 30 minutes, but the Browns will solve the Tennessee defense and take the lead in the third quarter, forcing the Titans to abandon the ground game. Marcus Mariota is not the type of quarterback who engineers comebacks with his passing. 

The fall of the season-opening jinx, the last of a way-too-long line of embarrassing records, will signal the beginning of a whole new era for the Browns. Make it:

Browns 27, Titans 13