Well, that was a freaking disaster.
The Cleveland Browns opened their 2015 season with a major dud against the New York Jets, going down 31-10. All 10 points came in the second quarter.
Josh McCown left at the end of a beautiful opening drive when, attempting to get into the end zone, he got hit by about 27 guys and coughed up the ball before crossing the goalline. He also ended up with a concussion.
There's been a lot of getting on him for not sliding, but I think a lot of that is hindsight. Had he scored and stayed in the game, I doubt people would have been so critical of his decision.
At least someone on this team is fighting to score.
Johnny Manziel came into the game and hit Travis Benjamin for a 54-yard score. If we could just stop the game right there, what a wonderful world this would be. Unfortunately, it was only the second quarter. They added a field goal before halftime. Unfortunately, by the half, the Jets had added two touchdowns.
And the second half possessions?
Interception, punt, fumble, fumble, turnover on downs. The Browns ended this one with 12 penalties for 109 yards, 5 turnovers, and 3 sacks allowed.
Yep, the Browns are back.
This loss set the fan base on fire, and rightfully so. They (we) are so tired of watching this team be lousy, being pushovers, being the doormat and the butt of jokes in the NFL. While no one was expecting too much from them this year, them coming out and absolutely laying an egg in Game 1 just didn't sit well.
Browns fans, I know nobody wants to hear this because we love our Browns, but......expect this until you see otherwise. This team can't be trusted to win.
No matter how much the personnel (and coaches and general managers and team presidents) change, the product remains the same. Getting pumped up for a season of Browns football is setting oneself up for some major disappointment. Better to see them win before you start expecting them to.
BUT.....
Now people are saying that this team is going to go 0-16. Guys, it's one game. Yes it was ugly. Yes it was a splash of cold water in the face. But it's the first game of the season.
I have a rule when it comes to the NFL: Expect the unexpected for the first 3 games of the season. These teams are, for the first time, executing a game plan and running real plays. Who knows what can happen?
Am I saying that the Browns are going to turn this around and have a delightful season? Hahahahahahahahahaha...no. I'm not saying anything of the sort.
But I'm also not backing down from what I said a few weeks ago: I expect the Browns to be a better team than they were last year, though that may not be reflected in the standings.
If this is the beginning of a disaster, and the team for four months can't figure out how to make anything work, then definitely they need to clean house. Not because they are bad but because they have a coaching staff that doesn't know how to make adjustments.
And that really could end up being the case. But I'm not ready to say that yet, not after only one game.
Next week your beloved team comes home and faces the Tennessee Titans. We'll see what adjustments are made. You're probably going to see Manziel start, as indicated on Monday by head coach Mike Pettine.
Hopefully we'll see wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. Hopefully we'll see the running game find it's legs and move the ball downfield. Hopefully they will at least slow down Titans' running game Hopefully the team will clean up all those penalties and turnovers. Hopefully we'll see a different team than the team that stunk up the place on Sunday.
And at this point, that's all we can do is hope. Because for the past 113 games since the end of 2007, they've done nothing to earn our trust.
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