You might be thinking to yourself, “Didn’t he say last time that the next article would be about the offense?” or “Why would someone write a report card on the special teams?” or even “Hey, that guy’s handsome, let’s cut him some slack.”

First of all, thank you. Second of all, you’re right to wonder, and the answer is that I can’t bring myself to get sad and write about the ineptitude of the Browns’ offense, so I’ll instead write about something more fun: the Browns’ special teams unit.

The good news is that kicker Phil Dawson is still around. Phil Dawson, in my book, has been team MVP roughly ten times since 1999. Kickers are generally the highest-scoring players on the team because they get a point after every touchdown, regardless of who is scoring it, and then, of course, make their field goals.

Well, Phil Dawson scored 90 of the Browns’ 218 points this season (One touchdown was scored on a punt return. Go special teams!). Last year, he accounted for 97 of the team’s 271 points, although only 253 of those were offensive points. As a point of reference, the Baltimore Ravens, who are NOT known for their offense, have been averaging about 110 points from their kickers, but scoring about 370 total points over the last few seasons.

Note: At times this season, Phil Dawson looked as though he was pretty visibly upset about the team’s ineptitude. How many teams have a kicker as an emotional leader? I like seeing that kind of fire in a player, but I also want it to be from guys who play more than one play per series. Furthermore, did he turn back the clock or what? I didn’t know he could hit from 50+ yards with regularity. That was kind of fun. Anyway, back to the point.

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Even if you didn’t watch the last couple of games, you no doubt have heard about Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy getting knocked into a state of stupor usually reserved for alcoholics and toddlers (which are eerily similar when you think about it).

There is all kinds of attention being paid to what the medical staff did or didn’t do, when he should be allowed to play again, what this means for the future of concussions, and about 900 other things. Believe me when I say that I understand the concerns about players and their safety; I’ve had a few concussions in my day and I am fully aware that they’re not really anything to joke about once they reach the frightening stage. For instance, Ben Utecht had an article in USA Today this week regarding how he’s got patches of non-memories that he attributes to his serious concussions. It’s scary.

But there’s an inherent risk in playing football and all of these guys are aware of it.

I’m not saying I would do it. Being faced with the choice of millions of dollars or the seemingly 50/50 shot that you’ll die young and in a lot of pain is a pretty insane choice, but that’s the pseudo reality of it. These players know exactly what they’re getting themselves into.

At an early age, the parents are the ones who are aware of the risk more so than the kids, but that changes. When kids start getting into high school and see some friends experience pain and injury, their eyes begin to open. Invincibility fades.

Some people don’t go through with it. Plenty of young men see the risks, understand the risks, and say “football is not going to be worth it for me.”  These guys go on to do endless amounts of great things –  after all, 99% of people who played football don’t make it to the NFL.

But maybe we should stop worrying so much about these guys. They know damn well that they’re playing a sport where the most famous coach of all time once said, “Football isn’t a contact sport, it’s a collision sport.” These men are not being thrown onto a full-contact game show where they have to sign waivers beforehand in case they get hurt. They’re willingly signing a contract detailing what the risks and rewards will be of playing in the National Football League.

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I don’t really want to admit it, but it’s true. We’re part of the problem. In the world of instant gratification and “what have you done for me lately?” (where “lately” means “in the last 6-12 hours”) there is no room for any mistake of any kind, period.

Much like millions of others, I’m completely engrossed in the Twitter world and was on it at some point during Mike Holmgren’s presser this week. Twitter was, well, atwitter with rumblings and ribbings (please excuse that phrasing, I’m an aspiring comedy writer) as the team president spoke about various things that won’t change the outcome of what has already happened this season and what will happen on Sunday.

Despite that fact, my timeline was completely flooded with commentary, anger, snark, spite, venom, and all other mean and nasty emotions in response to this press conference that he held.

Again, no matter what he said, it will not change what happened in the previous 13 games, nor will it change what happens in the last three. So can I please get some kind of explanation as to why there’s so much angst right now?

The Cleveland Browns are not a very good football team right now. With three games left, whether all three are won or lost doesn’t really matter, it’s not like they’ll magically leapfrog into the playoffs. Sure, we fans would love to see progress being made, signs of life from the offense, and maybe a win or two to “build on” toward next season, but who are we kidding?

We are part of the problem. Twitter is part of the problem. I didn’t hear any of the presser, but I read people complaining about how Holmgren acknowledged that bloggers are part of the problem. I’m one of those, and he’s right (Note: I personally stand behind the content of this particular site because it’s not emotionally charged, irrational, or otherwise idiotic). While I don’t so much blame the actual bloggers, I blame the internet generation and group of collective idiots who treat every loss as if it is  the worst thing in the world.

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