Browns Schedule: Do Results Matter Last Two Weeks?
The Cleveland Browns schedule was/is brutal to start and end the season. They started the season with battles against the Pittsburgh Steelers, New Orleans Saints and Baltimore Ravens. They were competitive and barely lost two of those games, and barely beat the Saints.
Their ending schedule was seen as a difficult 4 game stretch with the Indianapolis Colts, Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens. The Buffalo Bills successful season, which includes beating the Green Bay Packers last week, made it a tough 5 week stretch.
It leads to what seems like a simple question: Do the results of the last two weeks of the Browns schedule really matter?
Simple question, not a simple answer.
Browns fans are used to thinking about the end of the season in relation to draft positioning. Normally this starts much earlier than in Week 16. This year has been different. The Browns are technically still in the playoff hunt, although the chances are very slim.
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Fans know that late season victories, while fun, can greatly impact where they draft the following year. Right now there are 3 teams with 6 wins and 5 teams with 5 victories. Those one or two wins are the difference between a pick #7 overall and pick #17, the Browns are tied with three other teams with 7 wins.
So victories in the last two weeks could greatly impact where the Browns are drafting. The worst non-playoff draft pick is #20, while the best the Browns could possibly draft is #7. Those 13 picks could be huge.
On the other hand this season has raised expectations greatly in Cleveland. The team was expected to win 4 or 5 games by most. After a solid start, fans have turned sour quickly. The culture in Cleveland has been one expecting problems, expecting losing and drawn to it.
(Side note: One interesting fact related to this: Our site traffic is much, much higher when things are not going well for the team.)
While a .500 record may seem like a losing season to many teams, for the Browns it could be a stepping stone season. Winning both of the remaining games, a winning record in Cleveland “Oh My,” would be game changing both for attitude and expectations for the future. Beating division rivals like the Ravens is reason enough to want victories.
A winning, or .500 season, also makes the Browns far more attractive to free agents. For years the Browns seemed to have to overpay free agents to get them to Northern Ohio. Some of that is due to weather and the constant turnover of those in charge. With all things being equal, players want to win. A young, developing team coming off a solid 9 – 7 season, with 10 draft picks to continue to improve, seems much more enticing than a team with a losing record.
Winning, whether it is one or both finishing games, puts a capstone on the changes that Ray Farmer and Mike Pettine have made. They discussed wanting players who play like a “Brown.” That is a cute saying but is meaningless if that mantra doesn’t lead to victories. With leaders like Donte Whitner, Karlos Dansby and Joe Thomas setting the culture other players are more likely to buy in. New and young players can blow off a losing team’s culture but have to respect and buy in to it when it is successful.
Wins would also mean that Johnny Manziel was successful, at least a little bit. Any bit of clarity about the Browns quarterback position would be great. Victories, especially against two teams still in the playoff hunt, could give confidence in moving forward with young Manziel and building around him. As much as possible, the Browns have to hope to know for sure what they have in Manziel by the end of the season. They likely won’t, but victories could help the confidence level inside and out of Berea.
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So while many, including yours truly, are interested in getting the best draft picks possible, could the best thing for the Browns long term to win one or two of their last two games? Could the benefits that a non-losing season could have be far greater than a few notches on the draft ladder?
Obviously the players are going to give their all to the games but could this debate impact who Pettine decides to play, and who maybe sits out to heal up instead of risking further injury? A complex issue for sure. The Browns are not yet eliminated, until they are expect Pettine to put his best team on the field.
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Which are you wishing for to end the season: Better draft position or a non-losing season?