Daily Dawg Tags: Browns and paranoia go hand in hand
By Thomas Moore
The Cleveland Browns may be on the right track with their latest rebuilding efforts, but that doesn’t mean that storm clouds are not forming on the horizon.
It’s not easy being a fan of the Cleveland Browns.
The team has only given its fans the occasional bright spot since returning to the NFL in 1999 – a playoff berth in 2002, a winning record in 2007, a few weeks of hope in 2014 – but otherwise it has been 16 weeks of dreary Sundays each fall.
Along with the non-stop losing has come the seemingly never-ending cycle of reboots as head coaches and front office personnel come and go.
Which is why it is has become easy to be paranoid if you are a Browns fan, especially when it comes to the latest franchise restart.
On one side is general manager John Dorsey, who has spent the past week filling the front office with allies – Alonzo Highsmith and Eliot Wolf from the Green Bay Packers, Jimmy Noel, Matt Donahoe and Dan Zegers from the Kansas City Chiefs.
All five come from winning organizations, but all five also have one thing in common: they are loyal to Dorsey.
On the other side is head coach Hue Jackson, he of the historically bad 1-31 record with the Browns.
Cleveland Browns
Since the end of the season, Jackson has slowly been reshaping the coaching staff. Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor, who has been with the Browns since 2011, is off to the Chicago Bears. On Thursday the news broke that Adam Henry is joining the staff as wide receivers coach.
Jackson is also reportedly looking for an offensive coordinator, with one of the names on the list being Ken Zampese, last seen being fired from the same role with the Cincinnati Bengals amid a player revolt.
Henry, in Oakland with the Raiders, and Zampese, in Cincinnati, both have a history with Jackson, so it is easy to see where their loyalties lie. The same with Al Saunders, who is being shifted into the role of senior advisor to Jackson.
It may mean nothing, but after the past two years it is hard to not be just a wee bit paranoid about the moves, especially after what has gone on in Berea the past two seasons.
Jackson joined the Browns in 2016 knowing full well that the franchise was about to undergo a massive rebuild and he spent the last two years doing everything he could to undermine the efforts of the front office.
Dorsey was hired in December and he has to have known what he was walking into before he took the job.
A showdown could be on the horizon, although Browns fans have to hope that everyone is finally working together to fix the league’s most-broken franchise.
Of course, as author Joseph Heller wrote, “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after you.”
Cleveland Browns news:
Exploring the Case Keenum option at quarterback
The Cleveland Browns need a new starting quarterback in 2018, so even though it may be unlikely, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Case Keenum could be a possibility.
Browns reportedly hire Adam Henry as wide receivers coach
The Cleveland Browns made another coaching change on Thursday, hiring Adam Henry as wide receivers coach and reassigning Al Saunders.
Alex Smith could provide veteran option for Browns (ESPN)
"New Cleveland Browns general manager John Dorsey concedes that the NFL is a quarterback-driven league. In past years, the Browns have driven the position into a brick wall."
Spergon Wynn more than just a guy drafted before Tom Brady (cleveland.com)
"Spergon Wynn was a sixth-round pick by the Browns in 2000. He is now 39 years old, a husband to Joslyn and father of two boys. He lives in Houston where he is a broker for natural gas and energy products for Amerex Energy Services."
NFL news:
AJ McCarron on Tua Tagovailoa, the botched Browns trade (al.com)
"AJ McCarron and Tua Tagovailoa are now part of the same fraternity, that limited number of men who have quarterbacked Alabama to a national championship."
How Titans are preparing for Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski (tennessean.com)
"How in the world are the Titans preparing to face Patriots superstar tight end Rob Gronkowski, one of the greatest at his position in NFL history, when the teams meet in the AFC divisional playoffs on Saturday night at Gillette Stadium?"
Do the Redskins need to upgrade at running back? (Washington Times)
"Redskins coach Jay Gruden’s father, Jim, passed down some wisdom when it came to evaluating the running back position. Jim Gruden, after all, had years of experience as a regional scout and a running backs coach in the NFL. “He always said that durability is the most important trait,” Gruden said."