Daily Dawg Tags: Time to stop being the national punchline

The Cleveland Browns continue to be a national punchline and that will not change until the franchise starts winning games on a regular basis.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar once said that “You can’t win unless you learn how to lose.”

If that is true, then the Cleveland Browns are well on their way to being winners because they certainly have the losing part down.

Winning will do a lot, obviously, as it will validate the plan set out by the front office, as well as bring down the anxiety level of a frustrated fan base.

It will also help quiet much of the noise that surrounds the team, including national and local media members that use the Browns as an easy example of a bumbling franchise, as well as fans of opposing teams who believe they know everything because the team they followed lucked into a franchise quarterback.

The losing is the easy part and the Browns have that down to a science.

The time is coming, however, for the team to end the lessons on losing and start working on the winning part.

Cleveland Browns news:

Jimmy Garoppolo trade only makes sense at the right price

The Cleveland Browns should trade for Jimmy Garoppolo – only if the deal is right. The recent hype surrounding Garoppolo needs to be a non-factor in any trade negotiations. When a fan base rallies behind a player, it could force the hand of the front office into doing something that may not be in the best interest of the team. Worse, actions of the fan base can be used as leverage against the team’s front office in negotiations.

The jokes will stop when the Browns start winning

The Cleveland Browns continue to be the punchline of jokes from national media outlets, and that will continue as long as the team keeps losing.

Browns sign Charley Hughlett to a new deal

The Cleveland Browns started to splash some of their copious amounts of cap space on Thursday by inking long snapper Charley Hughlett to a new deal.

Joe Thomas committed to the Browns (ESPN)

For Green Bay Packers fans holding out hope that All-Pro left tackle Joe Thomas’ likely Hall of Fame career might someday include a tour of duty in his home state of Wisconsin, it appears the closest the Packers will ever come to having him on their roster will be having an inside linebacker who shares the same name.

Patriots really keeping Jimmy Garoppolo or just driving up price? (cleveland.com)

It’s like Jimmy Garoppolo has already been added to the bottom of the infamous Browns quarterback jersey. Cleveland fans are on board with Jimmy G. Uncertainty about the draft class of quarterbacks, the picks gathered by the Browns and the belief that Garoppolo might not cost the Browns a first-rounder has led to a lot of Garoppolo talk. Now it’s bouncing back the other way. Bringing Jimmy to Cleveland might not be so easy.

NFL news:

Cowboys’ free agency decisions complicated by bad salary cap procrastination (Sporting News)

With more than $125 million in cap commitments for just the top 10 players on their roster, the Cowboys have some work to do as they prepare for the start of the new league year. They are one of only two NFL teams that project to be over the 2017 salary cap. With a large number of free agents, the Cowboys will have to make a number of difficult decisions to start 2017.

The scouting combine’s biggest snubs (SI.com)

This week the NFL released the list of the 330 draft prospects who have accepted their invitations to the 2017 scouting combine, which begins on Feb. 28 in Indianapolis. But even though there will be just 256 selections made at the draft itself, the league still left several worthy candidates off its combine list. Here are 10 of the noteworthy snubs.

Jets Darrelle Revis charged after altercation (NY Daily News)

Darrelle Revis charged with aggravated assault, robbery, conspiracy and terroristic threats after fight in Pittsburgh.

Steelers GM: Ben Roethlisberger expected to return next season (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

The Steelers would like to re-sign backup quarterback Landry Jones, but it doesn’t sound as though they intend to start looking just yet for another quarterback who could eventually be Ben Roethlisberger’s replacement. General manager Kevin Colbert said he and the rest of the organization are planning on Roethlisberger returning next season, despite the two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback saying he will take time to evaluate if he wants to keep playing.