But for most fans (I think) it's not really about the Browns making the playoffs, or even winning a playoff game. Maybe what we really want as fans is for the Cleveland Browns to be relevant, to be considered a legitimate team in the National Football League. Since 1999 that has not been the case, not even for the span of three or four weeks. The Browns are an afterthought in the league, and not an organization that other teams have to take seriously. Some fans will point to the win in Baltimore as a bright spot in the season, and make the claim there is evidence that Cleveland can be competitive in this league.* For me, I just want a team that doesn't reek of dysfunction, a team that makes more headlines on the field than off it, and a team that looks prepared on Sundays. We were none of those things this season, and I think the clear lack of leadership is the reason why.
Freddie was clearly a disastrous hire. The game plans were terrible, there were no second half adjustments, he insisted on calling the plays, which he stunk at doing. With all the talent on offense, we had eight games where we scored less than 20 points. That's tough to swallow considering that Freddie got the job based on his relationship with Baker and we even added OBJ and Kareem Hunt. Had he allowed Monken to call the plays, maybe he could have spent more time coaching up the players on the sideline during the game.** The Browns were also regarded as one of the least disciplined teams in the league, accruing penalty yardage at almost an historic rate, and routinely having players fined, ejected, and suspended. Cleveland in the red zone was atrocious, particularly with goal to go. Other teams run those scenarios dozens of times during the week, and it looks automatic on game day. For the Browns, the players on offense didn't look like they had any idea what play was coming when they were near the goal line. Once again, that's coaching. Freddie never seemed to have created the right atmosphere, and that stretches all the way back to the preseason. Long story short, the job was way too big for Freddie, and he was woefully underprepared to be a head coach in the NFL.
In the end, Kitchens wound up being a big part of the demise of John Dorsey as well. It's difficult to inventory the effect that Dorsey had on this franchise. There is some tremendous talent on this team (Chubb, OBJ, Landry, Garrett, maybe Baker) but that's all for nought when you make the decision to hire Freddie has head coach. I think a lot of people were pretty surprised that Gregg Williams wasn't brought back as the head coach when the season ended last year. Mayfield has just set the record for touchdowns by a rookie quarterback, and they finished the season by winning five of the last seven games. Since 1999, there hadn't been a coach with those accomplishments, but apparently that wasn't good enough for owner Jimmy Haslam to bring him back. Instead he promoted Kitchens, turned over a lot of the coaching staff, and with all the expectations in the world looming over them, they went out in week one and got smoked by 30 points. Things never really got better after that, and the Browns continued to heap more misery on their fans the rest of the way. Unsurprisingly, we find ourselves on a rudderless ship once again, as Jimmy Haslam desperately searches for the right person to try to reign in a locker room of volatile personalities, to handle the intense scrutiny of this particular NFL job, and to give the fans a few things to be proud of next season.
Go Browns.
*I don't see it that way at all. I think the Browns snuck up on the Ravens, and Baltimore quickly realized that there are bigger fish to fry than the Cleveland Browns. (Worth noting that the Baltimore Ravens haven't lost a game since that day) I guess the other win you would point to is beating the Buffalo Bills. However, the Bills are the biggest fraud in the playoffs with wins over the Jets, Giants, Bengals, Dolphins (twice), Redskins, Broncos, Steelers. Eight of their ten wins are against garbage teams, I expect the Texans to win their playoff game going away, something like 27-16.
** When you watch the Ravens or the Steelers, Tomlin and Harbaugh are constantly up and down the bench coaching up players whereas Freddie is just standing there with glazed over eyes as yet another running back runs roughshod over our defense.
