Keep the faith? Opener has Browns fans and team wondering what’s next
The sky is falling!
Is it Chicken Little? Nope, just another Cleveland Browns loss in the season opener leaving fans befuddled and heading for the I-480 bridge in droves. Football season is back in Cleveland; maybe someone should tell the Browns as well?
During a Top-5 loss in a season opener for the 16th time in 17 years, the Browns came off as unprepared, unmotivated and disenchanted during the game against the Jets this past Sunday.
Related: Browns drop another opener, fall to Jets 31-10
Time and time again, Browns’ fans have subjected themselves to high hopes going into the season opener. In the case of the Browns, those high hopes are mostly ones of respectability, but fans have their hopes dashed by a less-than-stellar performance by the team on the field.
The 2015 edition of the season opener saw the defense get shredded by journeymen Ryan Fitzpatrick and Chris Ivory, who resembled Joe Namath and Jim Brown on Sunday as they had their way with the Browns defense.
Yes, the defense. The supposed strong point of the team looked like the “Same Ol’ Browns” out there on Sunday as they failed to stop the run, as in years past, and the supposed “elite” secondary got toasted every which way up and down the field.
How about the ground-and-pound, run-the-ball first mentality on offense that the team preached it will pride itself on throughout the season?
Well, glad you asked. Your leading rusher against the Jets was backup quarterback Johnny Manziel, who led the team with 35 yards, followed by Josh McCown with 23 yards. Isaiah Crowell finished the contest for 12 rushes totaling 20 yards for a 1.7 yard per carry average.
Now mind you, the Jets have been ranked near the top of the league in rush defense the last few years, but when your quarterback is your leading rusher and your starting running back struggles for 20 yards on 12 carries, there is plenty of reason to be concerned, especially for a team that intends to run the ball a lot to win games.
But wait, it doesn’t stop there.
The running game is a product of the offensive line and the Browns line was awful against the Jets. Countless penalties against veteran offensive lineman hindered the team multiple times throughout the game. The Browns offensive line, a supposed strong point of the team, was manhandled by the Jets front seven and never showed flashes of the greatness we all expected from the unit going into the season.
Couple all this with five turnovers and you can see why the Browns lost in what seemed like a train-wreck performance.
But, there is a silver lining to this gloom and doom.
It was only Week 1.
Related: Turnovers and penalties ruin another opener
In the NFL it only takes one week to change a team’s fortune. To build up its confidence. To resurrect a season.
One Game. One Week.
Remember the 2007 campaign? The Browns trotted out local-kid Charlie Frye to lead the troops against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Frye came out and laid an egg, getting benched by halftime in favor of Derek Anderson and the Browns stumbled their way to a 34-7 loss in front of the Dawg Pound faithful.
Fans left disgusted, Frye was traded to Seattle the next day, and Anderson was named the starter moving forward. Fans were outraged over the team’s performance, echoing the reactions we’ve seen following this past Sunday’s game.
But that was the only loss the team suffered at home during the 2007 season as the Browns went on to reel off seven consecutive wins, finishing the season 10-6 for the first winning record since 2002. The team missed out on the final playoff spot, but it was by far the best season the team has had since its rebirth in 1999. It was the “Season of Dreams” as fans relished a high-octane offense that scored at will throughout much of the year.
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Granted, the 2015 version of the Browns don’t have the same star power or playmakers on offense that the 2007 team did, but no one expected the 2007 team to bounce back after the 34-7 debacle in Week 1 against the Steelers either.
It’s one week. Keep the course.
This coming Sunday brings a new day and a new challenge. The Jets game is done – wipe it out of your memory and move on. Bring the passion and faith to FirstEnergy Stadium this Sunday for the home opener. One week can only define you if you let it, and it’s on the Browns to regroup and come out firing on Sunday. The same applies for the fans.
Steer clear of the I-480 bridge just yet, Browns fans. Remember, the night is always darkest before the dawn.