Browns Season in Review: Paul’s Thoughts
By Paul Noel
As the 2014 NFL season draws to a close, the Cleveland Browns’ chapter of its story is finished. From the moment that Rob Chudzinski was fired following the 2013 finale to the hiring of John DeFilippo as offensive coordinator this past week, the team has seemingly experienced some of the highest highs and lowest lows of the expansion era. As we begin Super Bowl week, the Dawg Pound Daily staff is taking the time to share their thoughts on the 2014 Cleveland Browns.
Thoughts when Mike Pettine Was Hired
The First thought that came to mind when the Browns hired Head Coach Mike Pettine was “Who the expletive is Mike Pettine?” I know that I was not alone on that island and after hearing the announcement I did some research of my own. I went out and watched both documentaries that featured Pettine, “The Season,” which chronicled North Penn High Schools 1999 season and ESPN’s “The Last Game” which focused on his father’s (Pettine Sr.) final season at C.B West High School. It was refreshing to be able to see his roots in football and get a feel for who exactly he was and what type of coach the Browns were getting. The key moment that sold me on the coaching hire was his introductory press conference (Jan 23.) where he said “To compete in the AFC North, you have to be willing to bloody your nose a little bit.” After that I didn’t need anymore convincing that this was the guy that the Browns needed, and of course after the first year the results speak for themselves.
Thoughts when Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi Were Fired
This video sums it up for me.
But on a serious note when news broke that Banner and Lombardi were fired I was concerned for the direction of the team. All of this took place in a relatively short period of time and I was concerned that all the work being performed by the front office in preparation for the draft would be scrapped. Thankfully as far as we know that never happened and aside from the first round picks and the off season additions this team looks to be in relatively good shape.
Feelings About Drafting Johnny Manziel
When Manziel was drafted I was a good quarter of the way through my draft notes and a 40 oz of Miller High Life; and to be completely honest the only thing that crossed my mind was this report:
"According to Sal Paolantonio of ESPN, the Browns commissioned a study of the quarterback position that cost $100,000 and entailed a great deal of research into which qualities go into success at the most important position in football. The study began under former team President Joe Banner and was only recently completed, after Banner left. The study, which used advanced analytics to examine every quarterback who has played in the last two decades, concluded that the best quarterback in this year’s draft is Teddy Bridgewater of Louisville."
After a few minutes went by I was still at a loss for words, which should come as no surprise to any life long Browns fans. I am still unsure how you dish out that kind of money for people to tell you the best choice and yet you still got with the alternative.
Thoughts About the Off-Season In General
The off-season in general was an interesting one; aside from the free agency acquisitions and the draft, I was in disbelief that the constant news about players. The J. Gordon failed drug test loomed like a dark cloud for much of the off-season and then the DUI came. The only bright spot (kidding) was the fact that the star QB in the draft was talking to a “money phone” and swimming with blow-up swans.
Before the Season, Favorite Off-Season Acquisition
My favorite off-season acquisition would have to be wide receiver Andrew Hawkins. Hawkins was a restricted free agent for the Bengals, and the Browns made an offer that the Bengals would not match. Hawkins is a speedy receiver that I thought had the potential to catch allot of passes out of the slot due to Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron coming off big pro-bowl season for the Browns. Turns out I wasn’t wrong and Hawkins lead the team in receptions during the 2014 season
Before the Season, Biggest Concern for Team
Could the Browns get through the season with all of the distractions.
Favorite Moment of the Season
Hands down my favorite moment of the season was the win against the Steelers at home.
Worst Moment of the Season
Also another run away ‘worst moment’ has to be the 30-0 loss to Cincinnati at Home. (Manziel’s First Start)
Team MVP
Tashaun Gipson finished the Regular Season #2 in the NFL with 6 INTs. Tashaun was able to accomplish that in 11 games, but was sidelined for the final 5 games due to injury.
After the Season, feelings about drafting Johnny Manziel
After the season came to a close my stance on the drafting of Manziel hadn’t changed much. I thought it was a high risk when he was initially drafted and I wasn’t prepared to completely write him off after 7 quarters of football. Of course it didn’t take long for the off-season to begin for the Browns and the nuclear bomb went off:
"Interviews by ESPN.com with nearly 20 Browns sources, both on the record and on condition of anonymity, along with several NFL personnel sources reveal the Manziel-related problems run deep. Those who spoke talked of a yearlong pattern that showed a lack of commitment and preparation, a failure to be ready when given a chance in his first start against Cincinnati and a continued commitment to nightlife, which affected his preparation and work while in the team facility. But readiness became an issue once Manziel got the starting job the following week. Several sources said Manziel either didn’t know the plays in the huddle or didn’t call them correctly. The Browns tried to get him comfortable by using shotgun and pistol formations on about 80 percent of his downs and by simplifying the offense. But more than once, teammates corrected the play call in the huddle, or headed to the line hoping things would work because the call was wrong. Sometimes, the offense would get lined up wrong because Manziel forgot to read the whole play or got the verbiage wrong (saying “left” instead of “right,” for example)."
More from Dawg Pound Daily
- 3 Cleveland Browns players who don’t deserve another season in 2023
- How the Browns could maximize Nick Chubb in 2023
- Can Deshaun Watson get to Patrick Mahomes level for Cleveland Browns?
- 3 Cleveland Browns who should see an expanded role in 2023 and 1 who should not
- Is Marcus Davenport on the Browns radar in 2023?
Once this report came out and everyone got a long hard look at what the situation was real like behind the doors at Berea my opinion went south on Manziel. At this point I wouldn’t object to camp opening next year with the same three quarterback, but with Shaw as the backup and Manziel on the practice squad.
After the Season, Favorite Off-Season Move
The signing of Karlos Dansby was a steal in my mind. The Browns need some maturity and someone who could step-in from day one and lead the defense and be Pettine’s voice on the field. Dansby was able to do just that and it paid off for HC Pettine and the Browns on defense.
Thoughts about the team moving forward after 7 – 9 Season
As a lifelong Browns fan I am always optimistic but the 7-9 record combined with the draft picks and sizable cap space makes things look like they are on the up and up for the Browns and the front office. The cherry on top was the recent report from ESPN and PFF that analyzed all the NFL teams rosters and gave a grade on how far they are from the Super Bowl. The Browns according to this study are only 5 players away. That is good enough for 7th best of the 30 teams that are not in the Super Bowl.