Cleveland Browns fans need not be in awe of Tennessee Titans

If the Bengals can beat the Titans, why can’t the Cleveland Browns?

Nobody knows whether the Cleveland Browns will pull off the upset and beat the favored Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville but this fan is pretty much tired of hearing about how awesome the Titans are. Many of us don’t know how to behave when the team is 8-3 and feel the need to apologize for having some good fortune come our way.

Listening to the post-game call-in show hosted by Jerod Cherry and Jeff Phelps on the Browns Radio Network after the Browns victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, caller after caller expressed anger and frustration with the Browns and especially quarterback Baker Mayfield. It was at least as bad as in the Hue Jackson era. “We haven’t beaten anybody yet,” was the standard confession, like the other teams in the NFL are automatic victories.

In particular, one self-proclaimed knowledgeable fan called in to clarified the naivete of the casual fan, and seemed to take it as a point of pride that he is discerning an intelligent enough to realize all of Baker’s flaws that are not obvious to casual dumb fans like the author. Bemoaning the fact that there were three or four relatively easy passes that Mayfield missed on Sunday, the knowledgeable fan pointed out, “even I could have made those throws.” However, Baker missed those throws because he’s inconsistent and beyond redemption. Knowledgeable fans evidently understand that Baker has got to go. Casual, naive fans like the author of this article, are misled by the Browns 8-3 record.

Okay, let us get this straight. Mayfield can never be taught to make easy throws. Do you realize what you are saying? Mayfield has all the talent to make all the throws an NFL quarterback needs to make, but he can never mature and learn to throw the ball twenty yards to an open receiver? Throws that callers to the Browns post-game show can easily make? Maybe the Browns need to give tryouts to these callers after they fire Mayfield. Time to blow it up and start over, and it is doom and gloom starting with the Tennessee Titans, who are a real football team.

Oh, come on. First of all, don’t forget that Ryan Tannehill, who you guys believe is invincible now that he is a Tennessee Titan, was run out of Miami because he missed easy passes, was not a leader, held the ball too long, was immature, was never going to develop, blah, blah, blah. Cleveland fans may get a laugh from Tannehill hater Ryan Yousefi’s rant that the Dolphins should have traded up for Baker Mayfield:

"“The Dolphins need a quarterback who can overcome adversity and make an average team look well above- average. Tannehill isn’t capable of doing this.The Dolphins fell in love with Baker Mayfield during this year’s NFL Draft before the Browns took him first overall. This offseason, if the Dolphins have their eye on any particular young gunslinger they must act, for now and the future. They should pay whatever is necessary to get a new man.” — Ryan Yousefi, It’s Time for the Miami Dolphins to Move on From Ryan Tannehill, Miami New Times, October 25, 2018"

Miami got rid of Tannehill because they needed to find a convenient scapegoat, but it turns out he can really play. Now the enlightened fans believe Cleveland should follow the Miami example. Okay, fine. But that will have to wait till the off-season. Right now, they are still playing football.

Now let’s take a look at the record and compare the invincible Tennessee Titans that fans seem so in awe of,  to the Cleveland Browns. First of all, it’s true that oddsmakers have installed Tennessee as a -5 1/2 point favorite, meaning that the Titans have a slightly better team, and they have the home field advantage. The smart fans do have a point. However, this is not like Notre Dame favored by -33.5 points over Syracuse. The Browns have a puncher’s chance to score a knockout.  Upsets happen all the time in the NFL.

Do you even know the difference between your team and their team? For example, which team lost to Pittsburgh this season, and was outgained on the ground and through the air, even though Ben Roethlisberger threw three interceptions? Which team fell behind in that game 24-7 in the first half?  Wow, that sounds really screwed up. That would have to be the Browns, right? Well, it wasn’t. That was the Titans. They made a game of it in the second half, but they were dominated in the first half

Which team struggled against Jacksonville earlier this season, winning by only three points, 33-30? Easy, that was the Browns’ last game, right? No, actually,  the Browns won their game by a similar score of 27-25. Those invincible Titans staggered to a three-point victory over the same Jaguars earlier this season.

Which team played the Bengals later this season, winning by five points, with Joe Burrow throwing for 316 yards to only 219 for the team’s quarterback? Well, that would be the Browns in their first meeting against the Bengals, which the Browns won 35-30. Had it not been for a patented Myles Garrett strip-sack and fumble from Burrow, the Bengals could have won that game.

Well then, which team had an interception and fewer passing yards Burrow, with the Bengals winning decisively, 31 to 20? That must have been the rematch against Cleveland, eh? No, that was the Bengals versus Tennessee. The Bengals beat Tennessee, gang, that should absolutely end all talk about the Titans being impossible to beat (but it probably won’t).

Which team struggled against the lowly Houston Texans this season, winning a shootout in overtime, 42-36, with Deshaun Watson having a huge game, throwing for four TDs? You may remember the Browns playing the Texans a few weeks ago, but this overtime game was against Tennessee, not Cleveland.

Which team lost to Indianapolis 34-17?  That would be the Titans, though they won the rematch 45-26. Indy has a very good team this year. But the Browns beat Indy  32-23. Why does that not count?

By the way, which quarterback threw two interceptions against both Pittsburgh and Baltimore this season? That actually would be invincible Ryan Tannehill. No wonder Miami ran him out of town!

Mayfield had two interceptions versus Pittsburgh and one versus Baltimore. Not great, but one fewer than Tannehill. Maybe those AFC North teams aren’t pushovers, especially on defense. If your criteria for firing quarterbacks is to fire everyone that cannot beat the Steelers so far this season, there are a number of quarterbacks who would be looking for work including Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes. If it’s so easy to beat Pittsburgh, why hasn’t someone done it yet?

By the way, the Browns beat Pittsburgh and Baltimore last season but finished 6-10, and nobody gave them special accolades for beating good teams. Nobody said, “Gee, the Browns and coach Kitchens beat Pittsburgh and Baltimore so we respect them despite their losing record of 6-10. They proved they can beat good teams!”

What, are you crazy?  Bill Parcels said, “you are what your record says you are,” and the Browns’ record said 6-10. End of story.

The Titans have beaten three teams over .500 in Baltimore, Buffalo, and Indianapolis. That’s a very respectable accomplishment.  But they were taken to the wire by the likes of Denver, Chicago, and Minnesota. A win is a win, but Tennessee’s resume is not that much more impressive than Cleveland’s.

There’s no reason for fans of the 8-3 Browns to think that playing  8-3 Tennessee has to be a disaster. If the Bengals can beat Tennessee, it’s wrong to think that it is impossible for the Browns to do the same thing.

Browns fans, if you want to be negative, fine, but do not embarrass the rest of us by quaking in fear over the Tennessee Titans or any opponent. Respect them, sure. Those guys get paid, too, and they are a tough team and Mike Vrable is a class act from The Ohio State University via the New England Patriots. The Titans are playoff-tested winners. They deserve respect, but not fear.

The Cleveland Browns are a young team. The Browns have been lucky to some extent so far, but there is no need to apologize for that or give back any wins, okay? Nobody gave the Browns any free wins when they were spectacularly unlucky in 2017, going 0-16 when they could have easily won 3 or 4 games.  This year’s team is getting better week to week. That’s obvious. Let’s just watch and see what happens. It’s a normal football game and our team isn’t favored, but an upset is possible.

If the Browns do not win, so what? On to the Ravens next week.

Cleveland fans are not used to winning, and that is understandable. Our ritual is to go quarterback shopping in November and start talking about the NFL draft, and how to best tank for draft position. But this is not a typical year. It’s December and the Browns are playing meaningful football. With all due respect to the so-called knowledgable fans that want to give up right now on Mayfield and the Browns, this is football. There is no giving up in football. 

Let’s turn down the volume on the radio talk shows, and the rest of us, who are maybe not so sophisticated as the knowledgeable fans, are going to watch some football games this month and next, starting with the Tennessee Titans.

So, this Sunday, how about pierogis and cabbage rolls as tailgating food? Some country-western music in the background would be appropriate since the game is in Nashville. Wish we could all be there in person because it is an awesome town and musical venue.

Let’s see what coach Stefanski and staff have cooked up for Vrabel & Co., shall we?

GO BROWNS! GO BAKER!