Monday leftovers

Is it me or has the 2019 season turned into a soap opera at 76 Lou Groza Blvd. in Berea?

Roseanne Roseannadanna, the late Gilda Radner’s wonderful character on Saturday Night Live with humorously interesting takes on life, finished her conclusions by saying, “It’s always something.” With the Browns this season, it truly is always something.

Nearly everyone in the National Football League universe pegged this team to be the one to watch this season. They would be the antithesis of teams that represented Cleveland for the last two decades. The Browns were the chic team with all their stars.

They were the team to keep an eye on. The future was now. This was a team that was that so good, it could possibly come from out of nowhere and not only win the AFC North, but actually get to the Super Bowl, said more than a few.

And then they played the games. Problems arose as they lost six of their first eight games. There was little and, in some cases, no discipline on game day. Nerves were frayed as the losses mounted.

This was not the way it was supposed to be.

Baker Mayfield, who had such a wonderful, record-breaking rookie season, played differently this season. He was not growing as most fans thought he would with that terrific season behind him.

Disappointed fans did not foresee this as the club continued to underachieve. Fingers of blame were pointed at the head coach and his staff. Players did not escape the frustration the fans felt. Same old, same old, more than a few said.

The dysfunction crested the moment Cleveland defensive Myles Garrett, normally a mild-mannered sort, bashed Pittsburgh quarterback Mason Rudolph over the head with his own helmet in the waning seconds of a nationally televised game.

The Browns once again became a national embarrassment; the kind of attention this franchise desperately tried to avoid had returned. And even though the club took advantage of the softer part of the schedule and stitched together three straight victories, there was an underlying tone of discontent.

Odell Beckham Jr., the superstar wide receiver obtained by the Browns in a trade with the New York Giants, was not a major contributor to the cause. His role seemed to diminish as the season wore on.

Beckham was known in New York for his mercurial personality, but kept it under control when he joined the Browns. Guessing here the main reason he has behaved was not to upset Jarvis Landry, his best friend not only in the league but in general.

He spent quite a bit of the season on the weekly injury report with what was called a groin problem. And yet, he played every game. It did not look as though he was not playing at his full speed.

Last Thursday, Beckham told the media with regard to his future with the Browns, “No one knows what the future holds tomorrow. . . . I couldn’t sit here and tell you whether I’m going to be here, want to be here, don’t want to be here.

“This is exactly where I’m at now and I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else . . . In the offseason, everything will figure itself out. . . . Catch me in the offseason and we’ll see what happens. I don’t know God’s plan.”

His vague replies caused more than a stir around the NFL, prompting the following tweet to his four million followers the next day: “I NEVER said I was not happy in Cleveland; just like everyone else, I’m hopeful for better results. Period. Next story plzz (with a sad emoji).”

It’s always something.

Then came game day and the dam broke. The NFL Network reported before the Browns’ victory over the Bengals Sunday that Beckham will require sports hernia surgery in the offseason. He replied after the game he wasn’t sure about that and would “figure it out after the season.”

Jay Glazer of Fox Sports also reported before the game that Beckham basically wants to make Cleveland a one-season stop, or words to that effect. Sort of a one and done before moving on. He reportedly has told opposing coaches, “Come get me.”

“I’m used to it,” he said of the rumors. “I’ve been dealing with this for three or four years. It’s just the same thing that’s going on, not anything I can’t handle.”

Way too much drama.

Then Mayfield entered the picture when informed about the surgery rumors and got in trouble when he criticized the club’s medical staff for, in his words, mishandling the situation.

“Yeah, I’d say it wasn’t handled right,” he said. “He’s (Beckham) not able to run as well as he should be able to . . . and that’s frustrating for him. . . . Wasn’t handled the right way in our training room. So it is what it is. His ‘not 100%’ is still good enough for us. It could have been addressed earlier on.

“I think looking back on it, obviously hindsight is 20/20, but he probably would have missed the first two, one or two (games). Just based on the fact it was during training camp. . . . He’s fighting through pain; he’s playing through pain. It shows you what type of guy he is.”

Someone in the front office must have gotten to Mayfield because he tweeted a short time later: “My intentions were not to throw our medical staff under the bus. No I don’t know all the facts about Odell’s injury. It was emotionally answered because I can sense his frustration and care about my team and putting us in the best position to win. Those people within our building know my intentions and where I am coming from. I truly believe that and apologize to those who don’t deserve the backlash.”

Way, way, way too much drama. That’s because in Berea, it’s always something.

More leftovers Tuesday