It's contagious, bruh. Those words encapsulate the sentiment former Cleveland Browns standout receiver Jarvis Landry was preaching about when he went on an epic tirade captured by HBO's Hard Knocks back in 2018.
Despite the fact that he hadn't won all that much in Miami, he likened his ouster to Adam Gase sending him "to Cleveland to die." Instead of letting his career fade, Landry continued to ball out, and he made sure his teammates followed his lead come hell or high water.
Seven short years later, the message remains the same. Sure, the names on the back of the jerseys have changed, coaches have changed, but the sentiment hasn't. Back-to-back middling records in 2021 and 2022 gave way to a miraculous 2023 season for the Browns. While it was a thrill ride to be sure, most knew the winning was only temporary. A 38-year-old quarterback coming off the couch and leading the team to a 4-1 finish and a playoff berth is not sustainable.
Since then, things have gone downhill, and that losing mentality has crept back into the Cleveland Browns' identity. 2024 was about as disastrous a season as one could imagine; a 3-14 record is certainly a stain that isn't easy to get out, no matter how much Shout you use.
But here we are, one year later, and the only constant for the Browns has been losing. Sitting at 3-9 through 12 games is hardly a success story.
Building a winning culture should be priority No. 1 for the young Cleveland Browns, starting with the Titans this week
I know, I know. In this era of sports, "trust the process" has become analogous to "lose as many games as possible, get high draft picks, and..." win?
The problem is, there's no evidence of that working in the NFL. Sure, the Oklahoma City Thunder put their fans through misery for years and years before building a juggernaut. This isn't basketball, nor the NBA, though. In the NFL, there's a 100 percent injury rate and there's 11 starters on each side of the ball.
While you may be tempted to root against your beloved Browns this week in hopes that the abysmal Titans pick up another win or two down the stretch, netting the Browns the top pick in the draft, at least consider what winning NFL games feels like and means to the team's youngsters. A culture of losing is persistent and incredibly difficult to get rid of — as fans of this team, you are well aware.
The Browns finally have an encouraging nucleus of young players who will lead them into their next era. Quinshon Judkins, Harold Fannin Jr., Mason Graham, Carson Schwesinger, Ronnie Hickman, Denzel Ward; these guys are the future for this franchise. Continuing to lose, getting used to that feeling, will only hinder future Browns teams. It's contagious.
While I can level with fans who are looking ahead to the 2026 NFL Draft, the view here is that any kind of positive momentum will lead to good things for the Browns. A win against the reeling Titans could jump-start some momentum, leading to a win over the rival Steelers or Bengals in the remaining games on the schedule. When draft day comes, the Browns will be able to make the necessary moves because of their draft inventory.
The best thing for the Cleveland Browns franchise is establishing a culture unlike what's gone on over the past two seasons. That could start with a victory on Sunday.