Cleveland Browns’ Struggles Against Eagles Nothing to Worry About
The Cleveland Browns lost their first preseason game of 2012 on Friday night, a 27-10 drubbing by the Philadelphia Eagles. Most
notably, the offensive line was pushed around throughout the first half, leading to stalled drives and, more frustrating, turnovers deep in the Browns’ own territory.
It’s easy to get carried away with the loss. This was the first opportunity for Browns fans to see this year’s team in action. Plus, they were finally, finally, wearing the brown jerseys.
But, like every preseason game, this loss to the Eagles means just as much as the blowout win against the Green Bay Packers – absolutely nothing.
There is no denying that the first-team offense had some issues, led by the aforementioned offensive line. And while the game did have its cringe-worthy moments, there were plenty of good things to point out as well. The fact of the matter is, it’s almost impossible to gleam too much from a game like Friday’s, especially when it was laid out from the start that the entire game plan would be watered down.
Why bother looking too much into it, then? Can you say that the offensive line has plenty to work on? Of course. You can say that about the entire team. But, as always, it’s important to remember that this is the preseason. It’s a broken record at this point, but that has to be stressed.
And before anyone flies off the handle about the loss to the Eagles, keep in mind that these two teams will be playing in two weeks in the regular season opener. While that doesn’t exactly explain some of the poor play, it means almost everything in this game should be taken with a Cleveland Browns Stadium-sized grain of salt.
There is still plenty about this team to keep fans excited. The preseason just needs to end soon before everyone forgets what those things are.