Cleveland Browns: 4 scapegoats if things go wrong for team in 2022

Cleveland Browns scapegoat No. 1: Defensive Coordinator Joe Woods and his defense

Last season Joe Woods and his defense got a lot of slack for their poor performances, especially in the first half of the season. While the defense rebounded a bit in the second half of the year, they will again be under the bright lights early and often and they’ll be an easy scapegoat if things get ugly.

I sense the defense knows this and will be much more prepared and ready to compete and shut opponents down. With this entire Browns coaching staff, this is the first time that the team has had a staff enter year three intact since the 1990s Cleveland teams — which was led by Bill Belichick and his staff.

So, with that continuity, I expect early success from all parts of the team. It’s easy to blame the defense though in losses because usually, the defense wasn’t able to do enough to hold their opponents at bay.

We could also blame the offense of the Browns from a year ago and quarterback Baker Mayfield for not doing enough and forcing their defense to shut the other team down because their own offense was awful.

Hopefully, the Browns have a fantastic start to the season. The team stays on the same page. The players praise the coaches, and the coaches give props back. It could be smooth sailing, or it could be a bumpy road. My money is on the smooth sailing.