May 21, 2013

State Of The AFC North Makes It So Much Worse For the Browns

November 8, 2011 by 24 Comments

I know you all watched NFL games on Sunday. I was all set to watch the Browns at 1 PM, despite the fact that it was a beautiful day outside in Cleveland. By 1:15, I might as well have tuned out. By halftime, I had moved to the Red Zone Channel so I could see what real football teams look like.

I was absolutely disgusted by what I saw with the Browns on Sunday. Its been talked about ad nauseum over the past two days on this site, so I am not going to get into detail. All I can say is that the lack of talent on the field, coupled with the complete lack of preparation from this coaching staff (who cannot make halftime adjustments either by the way), proves that the Browns are nowhere close to being relevant.

How many more years of this do we have to take? I’ve asked this question way too many times. 

The worst part about this season is that the Browns have the easiest schedule that they will ever have. Take a look at it. Outside of their divisional foes, the schedule is littered with junk. Indianapolis, Miami, and St. Louis have a combined two wins. Seattle, Jacksonville and Arizona each have just two wins apiece. Tennessee and Oakland are middle of the road. Nobody expected the 49ers to be as good as they are (another case of a team completely turning it around in one year with a new coach, yet the Browns have never been able to do so).

Think things are bleak now? Wait until the stretch run where the Browns have to play the Steelers, Ravens, and Bengals in five of the final six games. If you watched the Steelers/Ravens game Sunday night. one thing was abundantly clear – the Browns aren’t even in the same stratosphere as these two teams.

And while we are on the subject, how about those AFC North “rivals.” Its tough to refer to the Steelers and Ravens as rivals anymore, considering the Browns have had little to no success against either team in the last decade.  The Bengals are the surprise of the NFL at 6-2. Let us now take a quick look at each team and their prospects compared to the garbage coming out of Berea.

Baltimore (6-2) – The Ravens have consistently one of the most feared defenses in the league, led by one of the greats to ever play the game, the ageless Ray Lewis. Ed Reed (another sure-fire hall of famer) anchors an underrated secondary. Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata (thanks, Phil Savage) are amongst the best in the NFL at their positions. On offense, they have Ray Rice, one of the top five backs in the game toting the rock,  stud veteran WR Anquan Boldin on one side, and rookie speedster Torrey Smith (averages 19.4 yards per catch, and 4 TDs) on the other. QB Joe Flacco has regressed this season, but in the biggest drive of the season, took his team 98 yards and threw a TD pass with eight seconds left to beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh 23-20. He has also taken the Ravens to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons.

Head Coach John Harbaugh has continued the Ravens success despite coming in with zero head coaching experience. Ozzie Newsome is still running the show, which is viewed as a model NFL franchise.  On the field, the talent gap between the Browns and the Ravens is Grand Canyon sized.

Cincinnati (6-2) – Sure, they may be like the 2007 Browns; a success because of their soft schedule. But you can only play the teams in front of you. The Browns have had the same soft schedule and have three wins (how they won those three are a mystery). But unlike in Cleveland, the Bengals have found themselves offensive skilled players for the future.

QB Andy Dalton (61% completion percentage, 12 TD, six wins) has started from day one and would be running away with Rookie of the Year if not for a guy named Cam Newton in Carolina. He is throwing to the next great NFL WR, A.J. Green (40 catches, 599 yards, 5 TDs), budding TE Jermaine Gresham, and a group of other no-name receivers who are stepping up. RB Cedric Benson is an in his prime, smash mouth type of RB.

Defensively, the Bengals are one of the most underrated units in the league, ranked second in the NFL (2nd vs the run, 10th vs the pass). Yes, the Browns rank #1 against the pass in the entire league, but when a team is 30th against the run, it speaks to a team constantly being behind.

The difference here is the Bengals have their young skill position players set with Dalton, Benson, and Green. The Browns don’t know about Colt McCoy long term, have no idea what is going on with Peyton Hills or what they have in Montario Hardesty, and need Wide Receivers badly. Oh, and their offensive line is a disaster.

Pittsburgh (6-3) – Lets see. Ben Roethlisberger at QB. Rashard Mendenhall at RB. Mike Wallace, Hines Ward, Antonio Brown, and Jericho Cotchery at WR. Heath Miller at TE. Troy Polamalu at Safety, James Harrison as an outside pass rusher, James Farrior and Lamar Woodley at LB.

Do I really have to keep going?

Oh yeah, can’t forget the fact that they have Mike Tomlin as their head coach, who already has a Super Bowl under his belt and is well respected and liked throughout the league. The Rooney family runs this organization as well as any in pro sports. Like the Ravens, they are at the top of the heap in the NFL.

Raise your hand if this depresses you at all?

Someone needs to give me a reason to believe that the Browns can turn things around and compete for this division any time soon. I just can’t see one right now. If they were in the NFC West, I’d feel much much better.

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  • Eric G

    Would anybody really blame someone if they jumped ship to the Ravens wagon? I mean, I’m happy for the Bengals and the Niners, and the other teams that are showing some success, but at least the Ravens USED to be the Browns, and they are a stable force in the league.

    The wheels on the Browns have not only fallen off, but the oxen are riding off in the sunset, the kids have died of dysentery, all the food is spoiled, and there’s one round of shells left in the shotty.

    I didn’t want to run with the nay-sayers, but seeing how disorganized this team is and (as mentioned above) how FAR AWAY they are from competing in the division (hell, in the entire league) is completely depressing. Really, really depressing.

    I’ll say it again, thank God for the RedZone channel so I don’t have to suffer through this team week-in and week-out.

  • christopher

    whenever the Ravens play the Steelers i always feel like the promo should say:

    “Tune in tonight as the Ravens led by Ray Lewis (he killed a guy), Terrell Suggs (i think he killed a guy), Ed Reed (he looks like he killed a guy) battle the Steelers and Ben Rothlesberger (he raped a girl)…….so bring the family!”

    allegedly of course.

  • Nipsey22

    Sorry I can’t give you a “good” reason that we will turn things around and compete……soon. Mike Holmgren coming down and coaching MAY help a little. Landing homeruns with both of our first rounds picks SHOULD make a bit of a difference. Adding a solid free agent or two COULD provide some type of team leadership and on the field coaching/mentoriing. However, Holmgren is probably not coming down, we need at least 2-3 more drafts of hitting home runs on our first two picks, and what free agent wants to sign with a team that hasn’t shown promise in years. I’ve been a season ticket holder since 1999 and unfortunately this is the first year that I can honestly say, I am losing faith. I’m keeping my fingers crossed and holding out hope that H&H know where we were, know were we are, and know were we are going, otherwise…………we won’t be “turning things around” for a long time. All we have is hope!!!!

  • Max

    im at the point where I know there is no hope on the horizon for the Browns. When I see NFL talking head types talk about how the Ravens are a model NFL franchise, and how the Ravens Steelers rivalry is the best in the NFL, it makes me sick to my stomach.

    Those aren’t the Ravens. Thise are the Browns. The real Browns. Now, don’t get me wrong, I hate them all and root for bad things to happen to them on a daily basis.

    However, I’m also not going to sit around anymore and be a sad sack Browns fan hoping this traveshamockery of a football team foisted upon us by the NFL with only 14 months to build an entire organization is ok.

    We were robbed by the NFL, plain and simple. And since the NFL has already stolen our team once, I’m sure many who are as sick of this as I am are afraid to not buy tickets because the NFL may just come in an rip our team from us again.

    In my mind, the NFL figures that we should be happy just to have a team, and if we wont support it they will move it to another city that will (not that LA would actually support a team, but theres more money to be made in LA than Cleveland, for example).

    Screw the NFL for helping Modell rape us. Screw the NFL for setting us up to fail from day 1. Screw the NFL for allowing the Colts to IR their good players in a systematic fashion with “shady” injuries so that Bill Polian “long time NFL guy” gets to cement his legacy by having Luck follow Manning.

    We’d all be better off rooting for the WWE. At least their honest about their shenanigans

  • Max

    please note- I do know the difference between there, they’re and their but my anger prevented me from reviewing my draft before submitting

  • THE Porkchop Express

    The Browns are the AFC Norths version of Cousin Eddie from the Vacation movies. I could see the Bengals, Steelers, and Ravens gathered around for a Christmas party and then here come the Browns rolling up in an RV, dumping the chemical toilet down the sewer.

  • Nobody

    Yeah, at this point, calling the Cleveland team the Browns is a disgrace to the rich history the team had before it moved to Baltimore. I admit I’m a Browns fan, but I have no clue why (I live in Los Angeles, where there’s a ton of Raiders fans…)

  • Swig

    I know it takes time, I just like to see progress. Blowing up the team every 2-3 years is not progress.

    @Eric, yes, I would blame someone for jumping ship to the Ravens. There are 29 other teams to choose from, pick one of those.

  • Lyon

    I’m with Swig. If anything, Go root for Buffalo.

  • Eric G

    Swig,

    Like the Steelers, or Patriots, or the Cowboys? If I were to switch alliances it certainly wouldn’t be for another team that MIGHT have a chance to be ok (e.g. the Bills, the Bengals, the 9ers). I would prefer to root for a perennial contender. The underdog role has been too exhausting for last 35 years

  • mgbode

    @Eric G – if you want to go and be a young LeBron-style-fan front-runner, then go ahead. noone is stopping you. if you come around here after you do it, then we will mock you. but, it is a choice that you have to make for yourself.

    now, if you want to go and be a front-runner for the team that ripped the hearts out of this entire fanbase, then I suggest you do not come back around here after you do it.

  • THE Porkchop Express

    I’m with Swig, I’ve been hearing alot of this testing the waters talk lately about how “The Ravens were our team first, they really are the Browns” etc. If you were truly a Browns fan and could switch to the Ravens you’re probably the same type of person that would be okay taking your wife back after catching her in bed with your brother.

    I don’t get how people switch teams anyway. I’m not talking about the 1000′s of “true” Steeler fans who bought their first jersey in ’04 and couldn’t tell you who Rothlisberger replaced at QB. I’m talking about people who actually stop liking one team and start rooting for another. Yeah the Browns suck and I can barely watch them anymore but I couldn’t just become a Packers fan. I don’t know how Lambeau field bathrooms smell, like I can still remember the odor of the troughs at the old Muni. I never stood at the edge of a section of their stadium in dread and awe like I did whenever my old man would let me get close to the old pound. And I never felt heartbreak when Majikowskis one year wonder fell flat, but I can always look at a picture of me and my little brother with rubber dawg noses and headband floppy ears screaming wildly moments before the fumble, and yeah I never cried when any other team lost a heartbreaker.
    I dunno I spent my whole childhood having my Pittsburgh born grandfather try to convince me to convert and I secretly think he was proud that I never did, his town his team, my town my team.
    Flip the script and imagine the Browns go on another 20 year run of success. How will people jumping on that bandwagon feel, when we start talking about Dwayne Rudd, the Jacksonville Bottle game, Zeus losing an eye, the “Run away freight train”, the Butch Davis suicide watch, or losing a 21 point to Pittsburgh in the wild card game. Will they take huge gulps of beer to mask their silence when we talk of “The Quiet Storm” or “Big Money”, or the countless foolishly brave young men who dared call themselves Quarterback cut down like wheat at harvest time. Yes, we’ll be there when it happens and we will be able to spot imposters faster than you’d spot Bronson Pinchot infiltrating the Crips. Yes it will happen for us one day… Or we’ll die and then the misery will be over.

  • Voodoora

    @The Porkchop Express: Wow, that was poetic.

  • JM

    Browns fan deserve better.

  • mgbode

    @TPE – FTW

  • stin4u

    @TPE – very nice. I’ve seen tons of people on my facebook referencing the “real Browns” and I’ve given most of them a tisk-tisk. Sure, this team sucks, but there is no way in h-e double hockey sticks I’m going to turncoat and head for greener pastures.

  • stin4u

    @1 – Absolutely I can. Don’t let the door hit you on the rear.

  • Scotty

    @TPE – I started to hear patriotic music and saw an American flag come into the background while reading that

  • Cooley Ford

    Maybe this is because I was about 5 when Modell stole the team, and I spend every Thanksgiving and Christmas around my obnoxious, yinzer family, but I just can’t muster up quite the same visceral hatred for the Ravens as I can for the Steelers. Don’t get me wrong, I hope they’re terrible for the rest of time, but when I watch them, the whole “These are the real Browns” thought crosses my mind every now and then.

    Maybe it’s just a personal thing, but I feel different emotions when I watch the Stillers and the Ratbirds. The Steelers just make me really, really mad. It’s more a longing, wistful sadness with the Ravens; like there’s a hole in my heart.

  • Foghorn Leghorn

    So when Modell takes the team from us they’re, “Not the Browns. THey can be anyone but the Browns. The Browns live in Cleveland!!!!” Yet here we are, what, 16 yrs later and a lot of losing in between and now those guys are the real Browns?!? Get real. I hate the Steelers. I hate the Ravens. Neither has anything to do with this current team, and you better all suck it up if you want to be a Browns fan or move on to the Ravens or whoever. This “they’re supposed to be us, ‘stuff’ is garbage. When did Browns fans get soft?

  • Gbwoy

    I guess I’m alone here, but I just can’t change how I root. I can’t just “jump ship” for another team. I’m a Browns fan.

    I’m mad that they consistently suck. I think it’s ridiculous, and I don’t understand it at all. But I’d rather just not watch NFL football as opposed to rooting for another team.

  • DonFelder

    I don’t see ANY hope on the horizon.

    But at the same time, in the back of my mind, I have an apocalyptic scenario: the Browns FINALLY become perennially solid in another decade. At the same time, the NFL just happens to be expanding its business to London in earnest. And the Lerner family decides to move the team there to consolidate its teams. God help my sick mind.

  • Matt

    @DonFelder #22

    Don’t say that stuff out loud!

  • Mike from Canton

    @12 I couldn’t agree with you more. I don’t think you pick a favorite team…..it picks you. I grew up in the 70′s and my dad had season tickets. In 1985 I joined the Army and away. I’ve lived in many cities and counties over the next 25 years rooting for the home team of the city I was in. But one thing never changed…..My love for the Browns. I get frustrated every year, this year being one of the worst. But even if I wanted to change teams, I couldn’t. The passion just wouldn’t be there. So for now it’s like the color of my eyes or skin….even if I wanted to change it, I couldn’t.

    Born into a Browns family, raised as a Browns fan and swallow the frustatration every week as a Browns fan.

    I raise my beer in a toast….”Here’s looking to next year’s draft!!”