The painful Cleveland Browns season came to an end yesterday at the former Heinz Field in Pittsburgh with a loss against a rookie quarterback. The team ended up with a 7-10 record, good enough for last place in the AFC North. No amount of leftover holiday cheer could be felt on the bus ride home I’m sure. The addition of Watson late in the season only confused a team searching for their 2020 identity. Nick Chubb had 12 carries for crying out loud! To put your body on the line, a message that the world has felt all week, and for what, next year; really must be a tough pill to swallow. At least I could just let the sandman enter after an unwatchable first half.
Kevin Stefanski has to be feeling the hot seat. His play calling, specifically 4th downs at times is questionable. The way he put Baker through a season playing injured did not give the team the best chance to win. The ban of Clowney from the facilities for talking smack on a podcast just high lights the unhappiness it was to be a Cleveland Brown this year.
The team was built to win with a fantastic offensive line, a crop of top tier backs, an all-pro receiver, and a defensive that was supposed to be mean headed by #95. The early loss up by 14 with 2 minutes left to the Jets, at home, signifies the results of a Stefanski regime. Backup QB Brissett played his heart out especially on that Thursday night game against the Steelers throwing 2 touchdowns, 220 yards, no pics, and helping the offense put up 29 points. But it was the defense that couldn’t stop the run this year ranking dead last that cost games.
Rehashing the end of the season, brashly with strains in our nasally Midwest accents, my friend, Pat, reminded me, “Baker was everything Cleveland desired and needed.” He noted his attitude at press conferences when he was man enough to say he sucked or as I shot back, “Or when he was feeling dangerous.” Chugging a beer at the Jake, Progressive commercials, softball, golf outings, and oh yea, the playoff victory over the Steelers; we knew we had one of our own. Watson on the other hand, practices sleight of hand poorly. He is just not genuine.
The team seems like it has under gone plastic surgery, nothing natural, no feeling. It will be tough to cheer for a team that doesn’t have a good soul at its helm. Sure Nick, Myles, Ward, Botonio, Peoples-Jones, David, and others are magnificent but can they sway me back to a Browns team that had hearts of the Cardiac Kids? I guess we’ll wait ‘til next year, we are programmed to this acceptance, I surrender.
