Browns in the midst of another losing season
Oct 25, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams defensive end William Hayes (95) sacks Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown (13) during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Browns, an NFL team beloved and hated by so many, failed to score a touchdown in a game against the St. Louis Rams on Sunday.
The 24-6 loss dropped the Browns to 2-5. Hey, at least the Baltimore Ravens are 1-5 am I right?
But the defeat did more than just add another number to the loss column. It signaled an early end to another season in Cleveland.
The goal of any professional sports team should be to win a championship, or at least make a visible attempt to win in general.
The way the Browns’ front office has drafted and signed free agents since 1999, this does not seem to be the goal. Whole articles could be devoted to just how much of a waste of money the Dwayne Bowe signing is, but it will do nothing to change the fact he is collecting millions to be inactive every week.
This is the same old story, but it seems to hurt that much more when the losses pile up to eliminate the Browns from a playoff berth. Yes, they could still qualify by winning out or going 8-1, but that is not realistic.
A win over the Denver Broncos and this team is 3-4, which is not ideal for playoff chances, but provides a much more probable chance. A win over the San Diego Chargers and…one can only dream.
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So as usual, the middle of the season is about to roll around and the games are meaningless from a standpoint of playoff implications.
This means many things, but the spotlight this season will be on the quarterback situation. More specifically, it will be on when Johnny Manziel will start.
Manziel entered Sunday’s game at the end of the fourth quarter to relieve a banged-up Josh McCown, but McCown was more hurt than injured. No signs point to him being held out this Sunday due to injury.
But how long will McCown continue to start if the Browns do not win?
Blaming the losses on him is unfair, but that is just the way the NFL works. He is the leader of the team, at least in the eyes of most fans and media members alike, so the losses fall heavily on his shoulders.
Another loss this Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals would not be great for McCown’s chances of starting moving forward. The only thing that would save him is the short week leading up to the Thursday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 5. Starting Manziel during a short week would be an awful move by the coaches, but one I would not put past them.
The calls for Manziel to start died down a bit after McCown had his historic performance against the Ravens, but the game does not look as impressive now that the Ravens are 1-5.
I do not mean to say that McCown’s 457-yard game was not spectacular to watch, but it would mean more if the Browns had a winning record. It would show that he was leading them to great things, instead of just having one great game through the first seven.
But that is how things seem to go with the Browns. Colt McCoy provided hope, and so did Derek Anderson, but neither could lead the Browns to the playoffs. Josh McCown will join that group, making way for Johnny Manziel to come in and hopefully turn things around in Cleveland.