Top 5 Cleveland Browns storylines to watch in 2020
By Randy Gurzi
1. Can Jimmy Haslam stay patient?
During his tenure as the owner of the Cleveland Browns, Jimmy Haslam has been a bit of a loose cannon. He wants to be a football guy more than anything and that desire has led to some rather impulsive moves ‚— and a whole lot of firings.
Last season, an article from Seth Wickersham of ESPN shined a light on just how bad things are behind the scenes with Haslam. According to Wickerham, Haslam often sets up the power structure so that everything goes through him and that leads to him pitting members of the staff against one another.
"“If you’re a position coach, he’ll ask how you rate the talent the scouts have drafted. If you’re a scout, he’ll ask how the coaches are developing talent. You realize he has no true football compass and is pitting you against your peers, sometimes even your boss, but in the moment it feels like you’ve got the owner’s ear.” — Wickersham, ESPN"
It feels like the front office is in a good place now with Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry on the same page. The only worry is whether or not Haslam can be patient.
There are sure to be bumps in the road for the Browns as they install a whole new system and have to do so with the uncertainty of COVID-19 hovering over their heads. That’s going to limit the contact coaches and players can have which will also mean Haslam will have to exercise even more patience than normal during a staff change.
Next. Bold predictions for Browns draft class. dark
It won’t be easy for him and if the Browns start out on a losing streak, the rumors of firings and anger from the owner’s box could once again surface. That makes this the top storyline to watch this year as Cleveland will never have success until Jimmy Haslam learns to have some patience.