ESPN’s Over/Under for 2019 Cleveland Browns wins, hogwash
By Mike Lukas
Bill Barnwell is not a fan of the Cleveland Browns, and he shows as much by giving them no respect whatsoever in an ESPN Over/Under piece
You can tell ESPN staff writer Bill Barnwell is no Cleveland Browns fan.
In a recent article of his, he tried to estimate what the Las Vegas oddsmakers will set as the “average expectation” for each one of the thirty-two NFL teams for the 2019-20 season, and his projected over/under for Browns wins is not exactly promising. Or flattering.
Barnwell thinks Vegas will set the 2019-20 Browns over/under for wins at 7.5.
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And get this, he believes the over will be even money and the under will be -120.
For you non-gamblers, that means Billy Boy doesn’t believe the Dorsey-Baker-Kitchens Browns will do better than a 7-9 win-loss record in 2019, meaning they will not improve on last season’s 7-8-1.
See that? Not a Browns fan.
There are three reasons given for Barnwell’s doubtful prediction:
- Browns will be facing a tougher 3rd place schedule
- Browns won last season with an unrepeatable turnover ratio (+7)
- The inevitable consolidation year after such big improvements
I agree that his number one will be a factor, I’ll even concede his number two as possibly true, but his number three is complete and utter hogwash.
According to Barnwell’s calculations, 75 percent of the NFL franchises that have improved by five or more wins since 1989 have actually declined the following season. By at least a win.
Seriously, Billy Boy, you really think that with Baker Mayfield starting all sixteen games this time and with Freddie Kitchens as his head coach, the Browns will only go 6-10 or worse next season?
If you’re a Browns fan, no way you take that bet.
Especially given that the franchise might be just four major players away from the 2019 playoffs: a blindside tackle, an effective pass rusher, a shutdown cornerback and a deep threat receiver.
You want to bet $100 that if we know that, then Dorsey and company probably figured it out, too?
My money is on the 2019-20 Cleveland Browns getting better and winning more next season, not less, because they’re no longer preoccupied with the Hue-centric drama that kept them unfocused and poorly led for two-and-a-half seasons.
My money is on Baker Mayfield doing his job even better now that he’s no longer a rookie required to spend his entire offseason getting combined and drafted and playbooked and otherwise mentally exhausted figuring out all the little things like teammate names and who’s the best sideline Gatorade guy and where all the bathrooms are.
My money is on general manager John Dorsey continuing to make the opposite of the bad moves fans of the team prior to him almost got used to.
You can tell ESPN staff writer Bill Barnwell is no Browns fan because he thinks what’s happening to Cleveland football these days is somehow typical.
Ask any of us who’ve been along for the ride – these new guys are the exception.
By your numbers, Billy Boy, 25 percent of the NFL franchises that have improved by five or more wins since 1989 like the Browns just did have actually improved even more the following season.
Next. Do Browns believe in Dontrell Hilliard?. dark
If you’re a Browns fan who gets where this team is heading, then by Dorsey, you’re going to take that bet every time.
And be sure to ignore any and all hogwash along the way.