Cleveland Browns: How to root for a rebuilding team
The Cleveland Browns are undergoing a massive rebuild and fans must be prepared for a rough season in 2016.
The Cleveland Browns are being praised for how they have acquired a great deal of draft picks as of late. That is great news, except making trades to acquire draft picks usually means a team is trying to revamp the roster.
The Browns are doing exactly that, which means it may be awhile before the team finds itself with a winning record.
But Browns fans are used to the constant struggles and disappointment, except things are different this time around.
The front office has committed to undergoing a systematic rebuild, and not just bringing in a few players and expecting them to fix a Lake Erie sized problem in one season.
By focusing on building an entire team the front office is doing its best to make sure the Browns are built for consistent success in the future. Future is the key word there, as the 2016 season may be a brutal one for Browns fans.
With 12 draft picks in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Browns are not hiding the fact that winning may be set aside in favor of player development.
This process is not guaranteed to work, but if it doesn’t expect the front office to be run out of town. That will happen because the on-field results may be even worse than what fans have seen in the past.
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Instead of going through the schedule and picking out possible wins, fans must realize that any win in 2016 is a bonus. Vegas odds have the Browns as underdogs in every game this season and that is a fair move by the odds makers.
Watching games in 2016 will mirror what Philadelphia 76ers fans have been going through for several years, where the coaching staff is working with the younger players to fix mistakes so they aren’t made in the future.
There is the possibility that the Browns may pull off some surprising wins, but the results may still be grim.
Robert Griffin III was brought in as someone to hold down the position until a new, permanent option is found through the draft. He can be the long-term option if he comes out and plays like he did in 2012, or leads the team to a winning season in 2016, which would be a miracle in itself.
The key for fans in 2016 is to come in with low expectations, which shouldn’t be a problem after years of losing records and poor performances.