I love the Cleveland Browns, but hate this team

Sep 27, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown (13) during the second quarter against the Oakland Raiders at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

I read something the other day that asked the question, “can I be Cleveland Browns fan and just hate this team?”

I stopped, thought about the question, and before reading any further I answered with little doubt in my decision with a big … “Yes.”

This version of the Browns seems hopeless and hapless. Let’s be honest, we all watched the game this past Sunday versus the Chargers right? So when San Diego kicker Josh Lambo missed a field goal to the right and you saw the yellow flag on the field, you couldn’t help but laugh it off, right? I mean, we are Browns fans and have grown accustom to finding new ways to lose over the years.

If you don’t laugh you’ll cry, as they say.

In most years, you still have hope for most teams through four games. This Browns team, on the other hand, looks lost. Is it the management? Is it coaching? Is it the group of players assembled?

Unfortunately, it seems to be all of the above.

The front office seems to be a mess and shows no sign of cleaning up anytime soon, even with general manager Ray Farmer returning from his four-game suspension.

Two of Farmer’s five big free-agent signings, Randy Starks and Dwayne Bowe, have been awfully overpaid and underwhelming. Bowe, in particular, has yet to do anything on the field to warrant the $9-million payday he received in the offseason from the team.

Farmer has a lot of questions to answer about the moves made before and during his suspension, as the Browns seem to be trending down and not playing, by any means, to the level we expected through the first quarter of the season.

Head coach Mike Pettine and defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil have a deer in the headlights look on Sundays as their defense has been burned week in and week out. These guys came in here regarded as defensive specialists and are struggling to get these guys to play as a unit and with fire.

The secondary, a supposed strength, has been getting scorched for 265 passing yards per game and is ranked 22nd in passing defense. The run defense is ranked 31st in the NFL this year and is giving up an alarming 141.5 yds per game. This is after the team went out and drafted Danny Shelton and signed Starks to help shore up the middle of the line.

But that hasn’t helped the cause as Paul Kruger, Karlos Dansby and the rest of the front seven have been virtually non-existent, lacking the ability to tackle and getting limited pressure at the line of scrimmage.

This is alarming.

Pettine also comes off as stubborn in his ways. He seems unwilling to bench underperforming veterans for hungrier young players at their respective positions. Pettine needs to take a good look at things as we move forward. The schedule does the team no favors with upcoming games versus Baltimore, Denver, St. Louis, Arizona, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh before the bye week. Pettine better get the supposed strength of the team together or risk the wrath of an impatient owner at season’s end.

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Let’s be honest. The players assembled seem like square pegs going into round holes. Now I know that there is scheme and such involved, but I’ve never felt as blah about a team assembled here since 1999. This group just provides little hope through the opening weeks of the season.

The defense is a mess, as mentioned above, and let’s not talk about the Joe Haden drama from not suiting up versus the Chargers. The offense severely lacks playmakers. Yes, they performed well against the Chargers, but Josh McCown is a journeyman that, in the end, is taking you nowhere. Granted, he played well this past Sunday, but overall his career record in the NFL is 17-35 overall as a starter.

The Browns have no power running game, despite advertising one all off-season, and they have coupled that with no playmakers at tight end or wide receiver outside of Travis Benjamin.

And do I have to bring up Bowe again? I didn’t think so.

At 1-3 the Browns are a quarter through their season and are giving the fans little hope as they embark on the toughest stretch of their schedule. This team can decide to rein it in, bury the football and plow forward as a unit, or they can lie down and get pummeled for the next 12 games.

We all hope it’s the former rather than the latter. Otherwise, the Browns risk becoming irrelevant in a city they once dominated as the Cleveland Cavaliers are preparing to embark on what looks to be championship run come the end of the month.

Next: Cleveland Browns: Facts & Stats from Week 4

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