What is going on with the Cleveland Browns?
Image courtesy of clutchpoints.com
What a whirlwind it’s been over the past couple weeks, huh Browns fans? We just can’t seem to catch a break, and the cherry on top is that we can’t seem to find a way to get put into the national spotlight for something positive at any point this season. At what is essentially the half way point of the season, we have been a disaster given what the expectations for this season were, and this new OBJ situation hasn’t instilled much hope for a lot of people. However, despite the conditions, I really believe that we can still turn this thing around and possibly still snag a playoff spot.
While the Odell thing is obviously sad, I really don’t see him sitting as a detriment to the Browns. Yes, he is clearly a superstar and makes any team he’s on better, but I think that with the information we’ve been provided over the past 3 seasons, Baker and Odell just don’t click. On top of this, the offensive scheme of running and play action doesn’t really align with OBJ’s playstyle like it does for Jarvis. Baker’s stats are just worse with Odell on the field, and sadly, our system (which is good by the way) doesn’t facilitate a connection either. In my opinion from what I’ve seen, if the Browns can’t work it out with him, he’ll just be sidelined for the rest of the season. The reason being, most of the teams who could use a receiver hail from the AFC, and the Browns will have to play them this year or again in the future (Ravens, Patriots, Chiefs, Raiders, etc.). If it can be helped, they want to try to send him to the NFC and I agree with this sentiment. I know he is special, and I know he is gonna ball for the next team he plays for and is gonna be extra motivated every time he plays us. If we can minimize how many times that happens in the future I’m on board.
Lastly, lets take a look at the team and where we are in the AFC. In the north, the standings are: Baltimore at 5-2, Cincinnati at 5-3, Pittsburgh at 4-3, and Cleveland at 4-4. With Cincinnati coming up this weekend, a win would still have us behind them (they’d be 2-1 in the division and we’d be 1-1) however it would be a crucial step for us in pushing for the playoffs. Cincinnati has also be playing really good football, and a win can bolster our confidence moving into the second half of the season. The loss to Pittsburgh definitely stings, but we have a lot of football left to play, and I still believe in this team from top to bottom despite everything that’s been said in the sports media the past couple weeks.