Cleveland Browns: Don’t overreact about 0-4 preseason record
The Cleveland Browns finished up the preseason with an 0-4 record after a 21-7 loss to the Chicago Bears Thursday night.
The preseason came to a merciful end Thursday night when the Cleveland Browns lost to the Chicago Bears, 21-7.
The Browns finished the preseason with a record of 0-4, and were outscored 92-44 in those four games. Brutal.
While going winless and never putting up more than 13 points in a single game is not a great sign when preparing for the regular season, it is important not to assume an 0-16 season is on the way. That could still happen, but it’s too early to deal with that troubling thought.
It is hard to gauge the Browns’ regular season potential based solely on the preseason games. The starters maybe played one total game when adding up all the playing time throughout the four games, leaving us to judge only a few drives a game as evidence of improvement each week.
The Browns did not look great in Thursday’s game, going up against the Bears’ second-team, but there were positive signs on both sides of the ball.
The offense struggled to get going early, but were able to punch in an Isaiah Crowell touchdown on the third drive of the game. Sure, it came after a muffed punt by the Bears, but the first-team offense was able to finish off a red zone drive for a touchdown.
On defense, the play of rookies Carl Nassib, Emmanuel Ogbah, Joe Schobert and Scooby Wright was a sign that the young players are going to be leaders in 2016, and hopefully for years to come. As much as fans want to hope for the playoffs every season, this year is focused on player development. Wins may be scarce, but great play from these rookies and the rest of the defense will only improve the playoff chances in years to come.
2016 is expected to be a tough year, but Browns fans are used to the team failing to reach the six-win mark, only doing it once since 2007. But the difference this year is that the team seems to be on the right path. The front office committed to building through the draft and the early returns from the rookies seem to point to a successful 2016 draft, although we must see them play in the regular season before making too bold of judgments.
Next: Starters play, Browns lose to Bears
The team has low expectations, but could surprise fans and actually reach or surpass that six or seven-win mark. It may not seem possible after an 0-4 preseason, but the constant positivity from Jackson and the play from the younger members of the team should give the fans and players alike some sense of optimism heading into the September 11 opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.