Cleveland Browns: Moving on from the 2014 QB decision

Kyle Shanahan’s presence at the Super Bowl has led the media to ask him about his time with the Cleveland Browns back in 2014.

If you haven’t heard, there are several former Cleveland Browns taking part in this Sunday’s Super Bowl.

From Alex Mack and Taylor Gabriel to Jabaal Sheard and Dion Lewis, Browns fans can ponder just what went wrong while watching these players play for a championship.

Perhaps the most notable former Brown involved in Sunday’s game is Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator, Kyle Shanahan. He spent 2014 in Cleveland before bolting for Atlanta, where things have worked out well for the young coach.

Because it is Super Bowl week, members of the Cleveland media are down in Houston and have the luxury of asking Shanahan about his time with the Browns. How fun for him.

A recent article by Mary Kay Cabot on cleveland.com explains how Shanahan would have preferred to draft Derek Carr or Jimmy Garoppolo instead of Johnny Manziel back in 2014.

There were rumors of this being the case back in 2014, and the decision to draft Manziel was likely why Shanahan left after just one season. That, or he saw the direction the franchise was headed and left for the greener pastures of Atlanta.

But does it matter anymore? This is an obvious point for the Cleveland media to focus on, as the Browns have no stake in the Super Bowl, but it just seems pointless to focus on these past decisions made by people no longer associated with the team.

It is frustrating to know that some of the coaches wanted Derek Carr instead of Manziel, yet it won’t change anything. Shanahan may have even been surprised he had to answer questions about his time with the Browns, although Super Bowl media days often see countless questions asked that have nothing to do with the game itself.

These questions still exist because of the draft misfortune in Cleveland since 1999, and it will take a great quarterback in town for the “what ifs” to go away for good.

Next: Browns mock draft: All defense edition

So don’t watch the Super Bowl and get angry about seeing so many former Browns succeed. The team is moving forward in what seems like a positive direction, and those no longer on the team have already moved on.