Browns New Year’s Resolution No. 1: Eliminate the noise
One thing that has been constant for the Browns over the past couple of seasons is the deafening noise surrounding the team — which is usually not about the actual game.
In 2021, there were locker room concerns between Odell Beckham, Jr. and Baker Mayfield. While neither player ever came out and bad-mouthed the other, teammates later admitted the tension was a “distraction.”
All of that culminated in Beckham’s release, which came after his father posted a video of OBJ running wide-open while Mayfield failed to get him the ball. Players then openly expressed their love for Beckham, while some such as Jarvis Landry took a passive-aggressive approach to call out the offense — or at least to ask why he doesn’t get the ball more.
Landry was also gone before 2022 as was Mayfield. Of course, Mayfield’s departure made a lot of noise since Cleveland went after Deshaun Watson who had a myriad of off-field concerns. Naturally, this led to even more noise around the team.
While they knew they would take a PR hit for adding a controversial player such as Watson, the noise didn’t stop there. Myles Garrett, a supposed leader of the team, continued to take veiled shots at the coaching staff. He also recently found himself getting benched for a series as he reportedlty broke team rules after calling out others, such as Perrion Winfrey, for not abiding by the rules.
Looking around the NFL, it’s hard to find a winning team that has such noise. Leaders on Super Bowl contenders might question their coaches, but they do it behind closed doors and not through the media. They also don’t have to typically punish their top players, or be without them for 11 games due to inexcusable actions. And they sure as heck never have player’s only meetings, especially just two weeks into the year.
In 2023, the main resolution for the Browns needs to be an elimination on all this noise. Watson has to continue to stay on the right path, Garrett needs to keep issues with players and coaches in the meeting room, and they have to find a way to get everyone on the same page.
If they can do this, there’s enough talent to make the right kind of noise — which would be winning meaningful games.
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