5 things the Cleveland Browns must do to find success in 2015
By Thomas Moore
Oct 5, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine pumps his fist as he leaves the field after his team defeated the Tennessee Titans 29-28 during the second half at LP Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
The Browns will be entering their seventeenth season this fall since returning to the NFL as an expansion team.
And it is beyond time to stop the nonsense and focus solely on those things that only matter on the field.
No more suspensions, no more inflatable swans, no more players being suspended for showing up late, no more texting anyone during games.
Related: Mike Pettine Growing More Comfortable in Cleveland
Just stop it already.
“I would rather be functional internally and appear dysfunctional on the outside because we’re going to do things the right way.” – Head Coach Mike Pettine
Much of this is the Browns doing, of course, but it is also perpetuated by a lazy media that uses the Browns as easy fodder for a quick column. Have nothing to write about? Then just type out something about the “dysfunctional” Browns and their mysterious rifts between the front office and coaches, or the coaches and players, or their meddlesome owner who only wants to “make headlines.”
For the most part the Browns have spent the past 18 months getting things in order.
After correcting his own mess by firing Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi, owner Jimmy Haslam has stayed out of Farmer and Pettine’s way. For everyone who wants to paint Haslam as a Jimmy Johnson or Daniel Snyder wanna-be, there is no reality to back it up.
It was stupid for Farmer to text during a game, but the bigger crime seems to be that he was caught doing it. Fences were mended and it is time for everyone to move on.
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?
The best thing the Browns have going for them right now is that Pettine is definitely the guy to put a stop to the nonsense.
“A variety of ways, tough love being one of them. It’s something that I’ve talked about it a number of times throughout the season. I think the staff can only go so far in getting players to do it the right way. I think our veteran leaders have stepped in and understood that we have some talented guys that need to be kind of herded in the right direction,” Pettine said at the close of the 2014 season.
“I think you have to understand what motivated each player and push those buttons to get them going. Like I said, I told the team today that the guys that do it the right way we’re thankful for, and the guys that aren’t that if they want to take it as a warning we’re going to encourage them and coach them hard to do it the right way. If we exhaust all opportunities, all options and can’t then they won’t be here.”
Winning solves many things, and if the Browns can find success in the five areas we’ve outlined here, they have a very real chance to build on last season’s 7-9 record.
What are your 5 keys to the Browns having success in 2015?