This was a particularly tough week for the Cleveland football faithful... While lamenting a tough primetime loss to what was once our Cleveland Browns, the NFL Network debuted a new installment of their 'slice-of-life' documentary series, "A Football Life" which relived eloquently the painful memories of what could have been for a city starved for a winner, having endured more than its fair share of heartbreak... Such was the story of the 1995 Cleveland Browns.
While the documentary certainly opened up old wounds, the core theme of the film reveals a key lesson that, relative to our recent history and current state of affairs, has quite clearly not yet resonated.
At that moment in history, it appeared the Browns had turned the corner. Under Belichick, progress was evident in each of the four seasons ('91-95) under his direction, yet the fan base and media could not seem to embrace his subdued demeanor and meticulous approach. Despite taking the team from 6-10 in his first campaign in '91, to 11-5 with a playoff win in '95 (the last playoff win for the franchise), he constantly remained a target. His highly unpopular decision to part ways with quarterback Bernie Kosar after the 1993 season forever cemented the perception that Belichick was part of the problem.
Unfortunately, for the long-suffering fan base, their wish for Belichick's departure was granted. However it was not only the coach that was sent on their way. Unthinkably, the entire iconic franchise, after the 1995 NFL season, was uprooted and relocated to Baltimore under the direction of late owner Art Modell.
Now, let's put this in the context of the 2012 Cleveland Browns to illustrate the 'lesson' referenced above, because certainly something can be learned from reliving the events of that infamous period before the Browns left Cleveland...
Later this month, the NFL owners are expected to approve the sale of the Cleveland Browns to Jim Haslam III, former CEO of the Pilot truck stop chain and minority owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, for $1 billion dollars. Many Cleveland fans are of the opinion that this change in ownership is a sure sign that broad-scale personnel changes are justified and imminent. At the forefront of this anticipated wave of firings is head coach Pat Shurmur, who after a dismal 4-16 tenure thus far in Cleveland, remains the primary target of fans and media alike.
Before we get further into the topic of our head coach, I should preface my comments by disclosing the fact that I, like most fans, was utterly disappointed with the hire, as my expectation was to secure a proven NFL head coach, not some "coordinator guy" who undoubtedly comes with far more risk and opportunity cost. However, in order to objectively appraise our current situation, one must separate any inherent feelings of skepticism to do so. And while I have certainly not been overly impressed with Shurmur, I can say with a high degree of confidence that he is not the core issue.
If you revisit each game closely, it's quite difficult to attribute the key mistakes that ultimately dictated their outcomes to the coaches. Drops. Fumbles. Picks. Missed tackles. The number of mistakes one can attribute exclusively to the coaches is enormously outweighed by clear mistakes made by the players on the field (mind you, the youngest players in the league). For the purposes of this blog entry and Greg Little's ego, I'll spare the specific examples, but suffice to say there are many...
A few things about Shurmur... You'll often hear the criticism that he has "never had success in the NFL" and "never won anything", a popular misconception that is continually propagated over Cleveland airwaves. Upon closer inspection of the facts, you'll find that he has 23 years of coaching experience, with 12 of those in the NFL. In those 12 seasons, he has been a part of 7 playoff teams, winning 5 division crowns and appearing in the Super Bowl (Eagles).
Again, let me reiterate, I am certainly not of the opinion that Pat Shurmur is a great NFL head coach. However, this a guy in his second year with a team that is admittedly devoid of NFL-ready talent, and only now three drafts into a new philosophy on both sides of the ball. To use an analogy, if you put Dale Earnhardt in a 1988 Chevy Celebrity and asked him to win the Daytona 500, you might be waiting a while.
As much as we are free to criticize, the reality is that guys like Holmgren have forgotten more about NFL football than fans and beat reporters will ever know. At some point, you have to separate yourself from the knee-jerk reactions and overzealous sports media and let these professionals (players included) earn their money, and trust the judgement of those who have the experience and access to
all of the information, as opposed to only what is disclosed publicly (i.e. fans, media). It is no different then politics on television, as complex issues are 'dumbed-down' into two diametrically opposed points of view that do very little to generate progress and move viable ideas forward. Instead, this type of discourse fosters an environment in which groupthink prevails, and individual ideas that deviate from the popularly accepted truths (in this case that Pat Shurmur is to blame for everything) are cast aside, or in some case met with blind vitriol.
Segueing into the Haslam discussion about "cleaning house"... To be clear, Haslam is a business man, and a good one. That said, much like shares of stock, he sees something in this team that convinced him it was undervalued and possesses significant unrealized upside. Had he felt this team was heading in the wrong direction and required wholesale changes, he simply would not have made the business decision to acquire the team. This isn't Chinese algebra. My hope is that those calling for mass firings had a chance to reflect on the lessons of "Cleveland '95", and can realize that reactionary organizational decisions based on prejudicial opinions of a sensational local sports media and a jaded fan base do nothing to help an organization establish an identity, evolve and ultimately win...
The bizarre irony is that, like the Browns under Belichick, this current team is substantially better than in the previous three seasons, despite the tough 0-4 start, and visibly improving each week, yet the average Cleveland fan refuses to concede this point. They are generally so overwhelmed with anger and frustration they are simply unable to realistically appraise this team.
While my opinion on the Browns' management and coaching staff may be unpopular, it's my hope that the documentary reminds us how easily the fan base can lose faith in a coaching staff and organizational direction without allowing sufficient time to evolve. In our history, the shortsighted view of prematurely reinstalling a new regime has proven to be a sadly misguided point of view, especially considering the not-yet-realized talent on that '95 staff. You can say the same thing after only two seasons under Mangini, who's name I've been hearing quite a bit lately from remorseful fans who can't seem to understand that the key factors in establishing a successful organization in the NFL are time, continuity, and talent. Considering our deficiencies in all three areas, can anyone truly say they are shocked at our current situation? Was the realistic expectation to start this year 4-0? And most importantly, have we learned nothing from history? The smart money says that Jim Haslam has...
BW
Browns
29-year-old rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden showed the home town fans
who attended the last home game of the regular season he still can't
win the tough games. Weeden did something most fans thought he outgrew,
he threw a couple of interceptions in the game that helped the
Washington Redskins in their cause to make the play-offs this season.
