Browns 2023 Preview or "It's Time For That Again? Already?"

 

The differences in how Browns fans approach a season versus the rest of the league's fans are distinct.  For example, in Philadelphia fans are excited after their competent ownership/front office have reloaded the team for another legitimate chance at winning the Super Bowl.  Home games are celebrations of joy where at worst the team might go 6-2.  Game days are FUN.  Let's contrast that with being a Browns fan.  In Cleveland the season looms ahead like an oral surgery appointment.  It is going to happen if you want it to or not, and it's going to be unpleasant.  The best hopes are for an experience that's not as bad as you feared.  

Browns fans can be divided into two groups.  One group enters into each year absolutely positive that THIS is the year.  The Browns have brought in players that will fill the previous years gaps.  Each incoming player will be a vast improvement over the failed ex-player, who they have already forgotten that they felt the same way about 365 days ago.  These fans are quick to talk about "how much talent" the Browns have on the roster as they have done for most of the last five years.  Of course, this flies in the face of logic as the team can be counted on to have a losing record, but that fact is usually waved away as skewed officiating, unfortunate turnovers, and other woulda coulda shoulda events.  This year the Browns will have all the breaks.  This year the team has an answer for those pesky Steelers, bully Ravens and high flying Bengals.  Winning the AFC North is a given.  The only question is if they can win the 50/50 shot against the Chiefs to go to the Super Bowl.  

This brings us to the other group of Browns fans, the overwhelming majority.  I count myself amongst these Browns fans, more observers than enthusiastic supporters.  We know that the team will shoot itself in the foot.  We just don't know how.  There is no chance the team will win the AFC North.  It's not because of a gap in talent necessarily.  The Browns failure is rooted in a deep set culture of ineptitude.  Sure, they don't appear to have as good of a roster as the other teams, but their upcoming failure is more a product of the DNA of the organization.  It's what they do.  The carousel turns and brings NE Ohio new coaches and front office people, all of whom come in with the speech of "We know that Browns fans have suffered and we feel your disappointment too.  There is a legacy here and blah blah blah".  Go fuck yourselves.  You'll be gone in a few years and we'll be stuck here with this shit team and whatever mess you left behind.  

That brings us to the 2023 season.  Is it just me or is there a malaise about this team?  Last season was all about trying to figure out how to root for the most unlikeable QB of his generation and then discovering that he sorta sucked.  Mayfield sucked but at least he was our guy.  Mayfield sort of seemed like a new Bernie Kosar in that Baker's physical limitations made it appear like the gap between you and Baker was less than Baker and the Ravens defensive players.  Watson is undeniably athletic, but he might have forgotten or doesn't care anymore how to play football.  This could be a drag because we are all stuck with each other for the next half decade.  If Watson had come on in those last six games and lit it up, Browns fans would be jacked up.  Instead Watson sucked and now we all have warm feelings about Jacoby Brissett.  Not exactly how the plan was supposed to work.  If Watson sucks, the team has no chance.  He doesn't even have to be great.  If he's "pretty good", the team has a shot at relevance.  It's just hard to get fired up about the Browns hoping that the disappointing sex predator the carpetbagging grifter owners brought in is "OK" this year.

The Browns offense has some excellent players in the skill positions.  Chubb is the second best running back I've ever seen in person (O.J. Simpson is #1 by the way.  He ran into a little domestic situation you might have heard about.).  Amari Cooper is rock solid.  Njoku and Peoples-Jones have undeniable upside.  The line is in the top quarter of the league.  The questions are primarily are 1) Can Stefanski effectively call plays AND craft vanilla corporate speak press conferences at the same time and 2) Can Watson play as well as a Top 15 quarterback?  I have no idea what the answer is to those questions.  It feels like the offense will be "OK".  If the Browns offense was a restaurant, it would be Applebee's.  

Defensively the argument for the Browns is that ANYBODY is better than Joe Woods and NFL vagabond Jim Schwartz will whip that side of the ball into shape.  I again have no idea.  I'm on board with the concept that Woods sucked.  Nobody seemed to know who they were supposed to cover, which after 12 weeks or so you'd figure would be kinda clear.  The Browns cleaned house on that side of the ball and brought in five new starters.  Browns super fan thinks these players will all be stars.  On the other hand, I think there is a reason all these guys were available in the first place.  The only real upside is Takitaki is still a starter and I will have joy in yelling out "TAKITAKI!!!" whenever he tackles a running back after a six yard gain.  

The biggest disappointment for me was cutting Wonder Kicker.  It's amazing to me how cocky and trash talking York was in his brief Browns tenure despite folding under game pressure time and time again.  I thought for sure the Browns would keep him in the faint hopes he would justify their picking him in the 4th round but that little SOB blew that kick in the last preseason game to seal his fate.  Now he's in Tennessee on their practice squad chasing around bachelorette parties in Nashville.  "Oh me?  I live here.  Where do I work?  Have you heard of the NFL?  Yeah, I'm on the Titans.  Well, no... I don't start exactly.  Nick Folk is the starter.  There's this thing called the practice squad and... Hey... where you going?".   

The Vegas line for the Browns is 9.5 wins.  I am on the UNDER.  Can the Browns win 10 or more?  Of course they can.  Pittsburgh is still rebuilding the offense.  The Ravens are trying to install a traditional passing offense with Lamar.  Burrow is one calf tear away from the Bengals going 5-12.  But let's be realistic.  The Browns are going to blow a bunch of winnable games at the end just like they did last year.  They will come up with ways to lose you can't even imagine yet because that's what they do.  We all know it.  It's just a question of the details.  

Go Browns.