NFL: Cleveland Browns: Future Plan?

In the 2017 season, the restructuring of the Cleveland Browns squad should be the first to bear fruit. But there is little to be seen of improvement. The Browns act hopelessly as they have always done, and internal inconsistencies are added. Does the front office’s strategic plan still have a chance?

Normally, we only know such stories from football.

The Brown’s defeat was yet another big laugh for the league, but this time not on the pitch but on the trading floor. In an attempt to talk to A. J., McCarron to land the backup quarterback of Cincinnati Bengals, the Brown’s leaders failed to inform the NFL of the deal on time. The trade broke.

It fits well into Cleveland’s bankruptcy, bad luck and breakdown series. The Browns’ front office led by Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta and Vice President Sashi Brown had drawn up a long-term plan to make a rebuild over several years into a serious contender. This is to be supported in principle, but he simply does not want to take effect.

Expensive veterans such as Paul Kruger, Karlos Dansby or Donte Whitner were mercilessly disembarked, while those in charge wanted to build a young squad full of outstanding talents in the Moneyball style.

Cleveland are expected to have the most draft picks of all teams available next year, as in 2016. In 2016, Cleveland was also deliberately accepted as a hopeless year to generate large lots.

In the current season, the first crop of this effort was already being sown. Defensive End Myles Garrett was to enliven the pass rush as a number-one pick, and Emmanuel Ogbah would be another talented defender at his side.

On the other side of the ball, the Free Agents J. C. Tretter and Kevin Zeitler for the offensive line to ensure that Cleveland will manage with less than six quarterbacks in 2017. That’s how many were there in the previous season.

This season’s passports should come mainly from DeShone Kizer, who has been said to be properly prepared for the summer,”We feel good with the current staff,”said head coach Hue Jackson during the Browns training camp.”Really good.”

But the Rookie Kizer was expected to perform miracles that he does not (yet) have in his repertoire. After four and a half games, Kizer was put on the bench for the first time by Jackson, who was controversial on the board of directors. Kevin Hogan and Cody Kessler got their chance, but they also only used it to a limited extent.

Since Week 7, Jackson’s been counting on Kizer again.”I think the observer role opened his eyes,”Jackson justified the staff rochade.”It was a good experience for him.”

The 52-year-old was repeatedly criticized for his rotation. He gives Kizer the feeling that after every mistake, he immediately threatens to send Kizer to the bench with a penalty. It may be that Kizer doesn’t have what it takes to be a superstar passer-by, but with Jackson’s devastating coaching, he couldn’t build up any confidence. The question arises: How does Jackson hold up with his quarterback?

In view of the offer for McCarron, it doesn’t seem to be too rosy about trust in Kizer.

The Brown’s have been struggling to win Jimmy Garoppolo, Jackson’s alleged desirable candidate, after the season has come to an end. He switched to San Francisco for a ridiculously cheap second round pick. A commandment that the Browns could have outdone once and for all.

Instead, the Browns focused on a McCarron commitment on the very last day before the trade deadline. In return, the Bengals would have grabbed an extremely generous package of a second and third round pick. This seems a bit like an act of despair, after having to look through your fingers on the Garoppolo-Trade, you wanted to force an alternative.

Wildest theories circulated about McCarron’s missed trade. One thesis is that the Brown’s have already focused too much on celebrations, and too late realized that necessary formalities have not yet been completed. The official interpretation of the Browns, in turn, says that all documents were sent to the Bengals, believing that Cincy had signed the forms and forwarded them to the NFL.

The fact is, the Browns are a professional football team that didn’t want to hire a player for the first time. Relying on another team and not asking the league for confirmation of the deal before the deadline, however, almost screams for too much slapstick. Many experts believe that the Browns decided against McCarron at the last second.

In addition, the Browns have decided against Carson Wentz, DeShaun Watson or Jared Goff in past drafts, and Kizer confirmed comparable potential. It seems as if Kizer Jackson was simply dished up, but he would much rather work with another quarterback. The fact that even draft picks (which in Ohio are apparently the world’s most valuable merchandise) would be abandoned for McCarron is also an argument against a good standing for Kizer in Cleveland.

The situation at the Browns has become so disgusting that even college quarterbacks like Sam Darnold admit they’d rather stay on the university team than be dragged into the NFL by Cleveland.

The tense relationship between Jackson and the team’s owners is certainly not good for the team as a whole, even though Jackson doesn’t want to know about it,”I have the fullest support from Mr. and Mrs. Haslam,”Jackson said last Sunday. Since December 2015, Cleveland has lost 26 out of 27 games, Jackson himself is trailing 1-23. The Browns would certainly benefit from a change of coach.

After the London game against the Minnesota Vikings, the Browns enjoy their Bye-Week. We still have eight games to go,”Jackson said at a press conference:” We have eight weeks to figure out problems and make them better.”

Injury worries such as Garrett, Jabrill Peppers and Trevon Coley should be a thing of the past after the time-out. Kizer is expecting “that we take a step back and evaluate everything that’s happened so far.”

Some young players have already shown their potential. Garrett leads the Browns in Sacks. He has so far achieved four – with just three outreaches. Ogbah also performed well and has been able to collect two sacks so far. The rookie tight-end David Njoku has scored three touchdowns so far, and could finally take on the aggressive role of a Gary Barnidge next year. In addition, the team has recently also shown an upward trend in defence.

In the past, half of the teams that started the season with 0-8 in the first half of the season were playoffs within the next three years. With Josh Gordon, they could even get an unexpected reinforcement for the offense at the end of the season.

This team still has potential. And with good, meaningful reinforcements in next year’s draft, the Browns should continue their rebuild. Because so far not much of the renewal can be seen. There is a new plan, but the results are still the well-known ones. Maybe the Brown’s plan will soon include a new head coach.