The Browns season came to an end Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium, with a loss to a one win team, the Cincinnati Bengals, 33-23. Freddy Kitchens was immediately relieved of his head coaching position with a 6-10 record, tough luck for the first year coach. His questionable play calling, who can forget the 4th down draw play, and Baker’s inability to take the next step, sealed his fate with the organization on Monday. 2020 will bring Baker his 3rd HC in as many years. Will Cleveland ever get some stability?
There is one pillar on this team, #24, Nick Chubb. Chubb finished 2nd in rushing yards, 1,494, despite his 124 yard lead on Derick Henry, of the Titans, due to his lack luster 41 yards against the worst run defense in the league, Cincinnati. Chubb scored 8 TD’s along with 298 carries this season, 3rd most in NFL. His stats, stature, and natural ability are nothing to sneeze at. Freddy Kitchens couldn’t figure out the Orange n Brown are a run first team!
With the acquisition of Kareem Hunt, a local kid, and 2017 rushing leader, 1,397 yards, you’d figure Kitchens would pound the rock, once Kareem joined the team after his 8 game suspension; but no, he rolled the dice with Baker on first down more times than I care to remember. The Cleveland Browns inability to unite talent as a team never occurred while Baker was under constant pressure, resulting in 21 interceptions for the young Progressive gun slinger.
It came through a text, as I’m writing this, that the Haslam’s have also fired GM, John Dorsey. History remains repeating itself at First Energy, as the fan base takes another kick to the groin. I feel like my mom is dating all the single dads in the neighborhood, never settling down.
John made a mistake in
giving Kitchens the HC job, probably so he could have more control, unlike his
time in KC under HC, Andy Reid. Kitchens
was Baker’s big brother and they had quite a bonding last year, as Kitchens was
promoted to offensive coordinator and Baker threw for the rookie record, 27 TD
passes. Kitchens just didn’t have command of so many stars, on or off the
field. John made splashy moves signing
OBJ, Vernon, Richardson, and Hunt to an already talented roster. Unfortunately,
letting linemen, Zeitler, go to the Giants in the Vernon trade didn’t pan out
for the LSU Tiger’s combo of OBJ and Jarvis.
The season started out with so much hype coming off a surprisingly good run at the end of last year, the additions of OBJ and Hunt, a creative play caller, and the return of the big BM. The Browns were being talked about across all national sports platforms as the favorite to win the division. Although, once the schedule was released I had second thoughts. To quote Arnold from Predator, “So you cooked up a story and threw us into a meat grinder.” One of the toughest schedules in the league had us battling the Rams, Seahawks, Pats, and 49er’s early on, not to mention the #1 seed in the AFC twice, the Ravens. This was a lot to ask of a first year HC, 2nd yr. QB, depleted O-line, hurt corners, and a fan base that was foaming at the mouth. But it ended as all BM’s do, a wipe and flush, as all goes down the drain.
Baker was not Baker from last year. He struggled for touch as I watched him overthrow receivers regularly on Sunday. His protection was no good; Baker was sacked 40 times this year compared with only 25 for 2018. He never seemed to develop any chemistry with OBJ, ultimately limiting his passing yards to 3,827 and ranked 14th in the league. They always were trying to force it instead of playing together. I watched him hang Njoku out to dry causing the TE to get injured for the whole year. He didn’t look dangerous once, just unsure of the D and holding the football too long. He was under the gun to produce all year and unfortunately, that only happened on his commercials. He’s no Peyton Manning, but, hey, he’s ok.
Jarvis Landry was another rock on this team, you just couldn’t flush him. His chemistry with Mayfield showed in another pro bowl year, recording 1,174 receiving yards, and 6 TD’s. Number 80 is the definition of go to receiver, he’s a playmaker, and I’m glad he’s a Brown. Landry’s stats couldn’t overcome the visor incident, the shoes; Calloway’s dismissal over a failed drug test, Whitehead’s Twitter assault, Miles’s helmet smash, Kitchen’s Pittsburgh started it T, 18 penalties on opening day, and the ref’s bias. All we heard from Baker and Freddy was, “We have to get better and translate it to the game.” I thought Landry’s comment was the best, “Maybe were not as good as we think we are.”
With a division ripe
for the plucking, and with an injury to Hall of Famer, Big Ben Roethlisberger, the AFC North as well as the
NFL, were introduced to Baltimore Raven MVP, Lamar Jackson. 36 TD’s and only 8 INT’s, oh, and the 1,206
rushing yards from a QB, the Browns didn’t stand a chance. Our playoff hopes
were crushed when former number 1 pick, Miles Garret, was suspended for the
remaining 6 games after his beating of Steeler QB, Mason Rudolph, with the
man’s own helmet.
There will be no parade this year, just what if’s and how come’s on the North Coast. Awaiting a polar vortex and the Lake Erie snow machine to get ramped up, as the Cleveland Browns head into another off season, in search of the right dad to lead this roster of stars, with names like Chubb, Hunt, Landry, Beckham, Ward, Garret, Njoku, and Mayfield. Maybe this could be enough sex appeal to lure an Urban Meyer back to his Ashtabula roots, and coach the Cleveland Browns. Urban is the rock this team needs! His ability to win consistently, in addition to his way with the players is something Kitchens will have to strive for. One can only, “Wait for next year,” as the saying goes in Cleveland.
So my Sundays will now become free of 3rd quarter naps, outbursts at the TV, Dominoes, the official sponsor of the NFL, FB press conferences, wearing my Bernie #19 jersey with pride, and hopes that Santa will arrive wearing a number 6 jersey and a Progressive apron, throwing 3 TD’s and letting me have a little piece of victory. The pain of 16 games has passed through me; I hope there is still enough room in there for some hope. I’ll have to re-watch Draft Day, oh, that Kevin Costner, “If you build it, he will come,” but who, will remain a mystery for the weeks ahead.
