Well, it's been a couple days since the Browns were shown the door in the playoffs, and we can look back on the loss with a clearer head. Understanding it's too soon for some, but I think it's time to be honest and straightforward about this team and its future. Last week I wrote an article, The Measuring Stick, and today we can see where we are against the rest of the upper teams in the NFL.
The Browns were beaten by the Texans in every way you can be, 45-14, is no fluke. They were out prepared, out-coached, out played, out physical-ed, out hustled, and out smarted by a great young coach, his staff and a team we helped rebuild from the Watson trade. And that trade has totally re-energized an awful Texans team (3-13-1 last year) and has handcuffed (so far) the Browns and has one more draft to go. This game was lost on the field, in the meeting rooms and the front office. And it was another game where for some reason, the very star players you need to play their very best and get you the win - were no shows.
Also, the Browns out of caution gave most star players the week off against the Bengals last week, while the Texans pretty much started the playoffs last week in a must game. I thought it was a bad decision then and I still do now. You can't plan scared at this level and the Browns did. I think this in the preseason is wrong too, there's a way to do it, figure it out. Saturday you faced a team that was lazer focused, battle tested and ready to go. They were in their regular rhythm, and man did that show.
Social Media was lighting up over a couple of officiating miscues, and the "It's fixed" stuff came up. And the "It's is against the world," sentiments were rampant. Officiating league wide is awful, and yes there were a couple of problems Saturday, but the Texans left no doubt who was better. Sure, we have injuries, but so does every team and even though it seems worse for us to some, it's not. Now what for the Browns? This was a game that I quite frankly was surprised on how badly we played. I thought the Browns had their hands full, but they would figure out a way to win it and move on. I thought we were ahead of the Texans as an organization, I was wrong, we are not.
There is much work to do. And most of it has to do with rising to the level of the game. The Browns had a few really great wins this season. Beating the 49ers was amazing. The Ravens too on the road, and always good to beat the Steelers. Those were their best wins of the year by far, and were highly, highly impressive. But many wins looking back, we have to be honest with ourselves as fans. The Bengals (Hobbled Burrow) , Titans, Jets (No Rodgers) , Colts, Texans (without Stroud) Jags (Lawrence hurting) all wins and that's great. But as time has revealed most of those teams overall were not very good, or were highly compromised when we played them. Sure, you need to beat those guys, but those wins may have inflated our sense of how good we really are.
Their losses are all consistent. The Steelers, Seahawks, Ravens (at home), Rams, Broncos, are all organizations with great football people. Mike Tomlin, Pete Carroll (at the time), John Harbaugh, Sean McVay, and Sean Payton are all great coaches most going to the Hall Of Fame. We just are not in that air yet. These guys and organizations are just better than we are. I know this is hard to hear and it's harder to say, but as good as we can be, you've got to be able to beat these kind of guys if you want it all. There's no way around that. And the Browns do want it all, so that's clearly the next hurdle.
So here are the goals this off season. Learn how to beat the best, and the beat them when it matters. And I have written this for years here. The Browns need to start beating the Steelers twice a year if they really want to go places. Win those games, win the division, get playoff games at home and be the team to chase in the division. Beating the Steelers in week two - and they should have - would have made the entire season different and probably given us the division, or be in a place to win it.
Sure there are off season moves to be made, there will be additions, and guys back from injuries next year. But there will be defections too and new injuries that all teams will face, not just us. This is an organizational thing, admit mistakes and find some players that WILL NOT let you lose big games. And find the formula before games against better football men than you - that put you in that same atmosphere, because that's how you win the really big games. And winning big games is what matters.
As many good players as we have we are not there - not yet.
GO BROWNS!
