Well, the 2019 season of hope is officially over and it came to a crashing end at that. Here we are at the start of yet another offseason where the team have fired their Head Coach and their General Manager. Many other firings and hirings will soon be announced and once again the Browns are in full throttle rebuild to try and get this program functional.
At the start of the 2019 season who would have foreseen this mess? Maybe Colin Cowherd? No, not even he would have foreseen what took place. But, the signs may have been there from the beginning. Last August, I had the pleasure to attend Training Camp and the Orange & Brown Scrimmage with club founder, Kevin Herbst. I didn't have anything to gauge it on, but I remember flying back to Portland talking to Kevin and we both said we were not impressed with the scrimmage. There were other signs, I have long questioned the drafting of Austin Corbett (at #33), but Dorsey had also made many other seemingly amazing draft picks and free agency signings so one miss seemed to be acceptable. However, we never addressed that miss and it was clear going into the season that the Offensive Line were a huge question mark. Sadly, it haunted us and Baker Mayfield all season. After much hype and excitement week one finally kicked off and we took the field against the Tennessee Titans who we all perceived as inferior team and a sure win. However, as I type this the Titans are preparing for their playoff game against the Patriots and the Browns are once again at home. What later transpired was also a full throttle beat down of embarrassing proportions and the Browns were also penalized 18 times and Greg Robinson was ejected. The alarm bells were ringing loudly, but as fans we all said to ourselves "Keep Calm, it's only Week One". Yes, there were some wins along the way, most notably our thrashing of the Baltimore Ravens. But, what kicked off against Tennessee never seemed to go away. We were top three most penalized team, Coaching on game day was horrifically bad and never seemed to get better as the season transpired, there were weekly dramas, Baker Mayfield got angry with the press and stormed out of a media conference, Jermaine Whitehead threatened on Twitter to kill a Browns journalist and used racially heated language, which later led to him being cut from the team, Myles Garrett got into a tussle on the last play/final seconds of the game with Steelers QB Mason Rudolph, which ended in "the helmet whack" and Garrett's indefinite suspension. Even when we won, we seemed to lose. And, on top of it all...we seemed to give up against inferior teams and lost badly. In the end, the arguably most talented squad in the NFL finished a lowly 6-10 and here we are in the midst of a coaching and general manager search.
That isn't to say there were not positives. We beat the Ravens, Steelers and Bengals and went 3-3 in the AFC North for the first time in years. Running Back, Nick Chubb, was nearly the top RB in the league and only finished 2nd after Tennessee ran Derrick Henry 30+ times in their final game of the season, which secured him the top prize. Both Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. also finished with 1000+ yards and Chubb and Landry are off to the Pro Bowl.
I will never give up my loyalty nor my love of the Browns. For better or worse, they are with me forever and are my team. That said, I was so glad when the season came to an end and am not surprised by the firings that came quickly. What I have learned along the way is that I must not allow myself to believe the hype that the media stirs. I must allow myself to be patient and allow the team to prove to me that they are finally going to field a winning product. Anything otherwise will set me up for disappointment and after this season's fool's gold...I don't want the bitter taste of disappointment again.
On a club note...after four years, I have decided that it is time to step down as your President and welcome fresh ideas and leadership to take us forward. The obvious person to succeed me is Mark Robert Esmont. Mark has been a member of the club for many years and has worked as the Treasurer and also brings in all of our merchandise that we raffle away. I am excited and pleased that Mark is now the President of this club. In terms of the football product on the field, during my tenure as President haven't been the easiest to endure. We went 1-15, 0-16, 7-8-1 and now 6-10. The second half of the 2018 season being the highlight and most fun. The difference now is we have a talented squad in the locker room that need the right leader. I hope the Haslam's finally get it right and hire somebody that can take the team to the next level. As a Browns Backers club, we are a large group and we have a very good thing going. Every time out of town guests or members of other Browns Backers clubs visit they always comment on how great and welcoming our club is and for that I am grateful and honored. I will also still watch games with you all...after all, misery likes company and I enjoy the camaraderie and "home away from home" community.
We also go into the offseason with probably the most support and security from the Ladd Taphouse that I have had in my years as President (and even before that). The current manager, Ron, is very supportive and looks forward to us all coming back in September 2020. If, between now and then, you visit the bar say "hi" to Gigi and Zach. They will no doubt miss us all just as I will miss them. But, I plan to pop in from time to time during the offseason to say my "hello's". There will be plans for offseason get togethers, draft parties etc. Watch this space and if you are on Facebook please follow us there. It's actually more active than this official site is.
In the meantime, enjoy the show coming out of Berea...for better or worse, there is about to be a lot of offseason Browns news.
As always...GO BROWNS!
Forever Orange & Brown!
Michael Fell
Portland Browns Backers Past President, 2016-2019
At the start of the 2019 season who would have foreseen this mess? Maybe Colin Cowherd? No, not even he would have foreseen what took place. But, the signs may have been there from the beginning. Last August, I had the pleasure to attend Training Camp and the Orange & Brown Scrimmage with club founder, Kevin Herbst. I didn't have anything to gauge it on, but I remember flying back to Portland talking to Kevin and we both said we were not impressed with the scrimmage. There were other signs, I have long questioned the drafting of Austin Corbett (at #33), but Dorsey had also made many other seemingly amazing draft picks and free agency signings so one miss seemed to be acceptable. However, we never addressed that miss and it was clear going into the season that the Offensive Line were a huge question mark. Sadly, it haunted us and Baker Mayfield all season. After much hype and excitement week one finally kicked off and we took the field against the Tennessee Titans who we all perceived as inferior team and a sure win. However, as I type this the Titans are preparing for their playoff game against the Patriots and the Browns are once again at home. What later transpired was also a full throttle beat down of embarrassing proportions and the Browns were also penalized 18 times and Greg Robinson was ejected. The alarm bells were ringing loudly, but as fans we all said to ourselves "Keep Calm, it's only Week One". Yes, there were some wins along the way, most notably our thrashing of the Baltimore Ravens. But, what kicked off against Tennessee never seemed to go away. We were top three most penalized team, Coaching on game day was horrifically bad and never seemed to get better as the season transpired, there were weekly dramas, Baker Mayfield got angry with the press and stormed out of a media conference, Jermaine Whitehead threatened on Twitter to kill a Browns journalist and used racially heated language, which later led to him being cut from the team, Myles Garrett got into a tussle on the last play/final seconds of the game with Steelers QB Mason Rudolph, which ended in "the helmet whack" and Garrett's indefinite suspension. Even when we won, we seemed to lose. And, on top of it all...we seemed to give up against inferior teams and lost badly. In the end, the arguably most talented squad in the NFL finished a lowly 6-10 and here we are in the midst of a coaching and general manager search.
That isn't to say there were not positives. We beat the Ravens, Steelers and Bengals and went 3-3 in the AFC North for the first time in years. Running Back, Nick Chubb, was nearly the top RB in the league and only finished 2nd after Tennessee ran Derrick Henry 30+ times in their final game of the season, which secured him the top prize. Both Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. also finished with 1000+ yards and Chubb and Landry are off to the Pro Bowl.
I will never give up my loyalty nor my love of the Browns. For better or worse, they are with me forever and are my team. That said, I was so glad when the season came to an end and am not surprised by the firings that came quickly. What I have learned along the way is that I must not allow myself to believe the hype that the media stirs. I must allow myself to be patient and allow the team to prove to me that they are finally going to field a winning product. Anything otherwise will set me up for disappointment and after this season's fool's gold...I don't want the bitter taste of disappointment again.
On a club note...after four years, I have decided that it is time to step down as your President and welcome fresh ideas and leadership to take us forward. The obvious person to succeed me is Mark Robert Esmont. Mark has been a member of the club for many years and has worked as the Treasurer and also brings in all of our merchandise that we raffle away. I am excited and pleased that Mark is now the President of this club. In terms of the football product on the field, during my tenure as President haven't been the easiest to endure. We went 1-15, 0-16, 7-8-1 and now 6-10. The second half of the 2018 season being the highlight and most fun. The difference now is we have a talented squad in the locker room that need the right leader. I hope the Haslam's finally get it right and hire somebody that can take the team to the next level. As a Browns Backers club, we are a large group and we have a very good thing going. Every time out of town guests or members of other Browns Backers clubs visit they always comment on how great and welcoming our club is and for that I am grateful and honored. I will also still watch games with you all...after all, misery likes company and I enjoy the camaraderie and "home away from home" community.
We also go into the offseason with probably the most support and security from the Ladd Taphouse that I have had in my years as President (and even before that). The current manager, Ron, is very supportive and looks forward to us all coming back in September 2020. If, between now and then, you visit the bar say "hi" to Gigi and Zach. They will no doubt miss us all just as I will miss them. But, I plan to pop in from time to time during the offseason to say my "hello's". There will be plans for offseason get togethers, draft parties etc. Watch this space and if you are on Facebook please follow us there. It's actually more active than this official site is.
In the meantime, enjoy the show coming out of Berea...for better or worse, there is about to be a lot of offseason Browns news.
As always...GO BROWNS!
Forever Orange & Brown!
Michael Fell
Portland Browns Backers Past President, 2016-2019