On one hand, the Browns are terrible at football. On the other hand, the weather is awful in Cleveland.
When you look at it like that, it’s hard to imagine why people might not want to flock there, and that represents (yet another) challenge for coach Hue Jackson has he tries to improve on his 1-31 record the last two years.
With UCLA Josh Rosen saying-it-without-saying-it, there’s no use avoiding the reality — many people with options are going to choose to go someplace else.
“In general, being 0-16, the stigma that comes with that is that we’re going to have to do some recruiting everywhere,” Jackson said, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “First of all, not just players, we have to re-recruit our fans. We have to re-recruit everybody who is associated with the Cleveland Browns first and foremost. . . .
“We have to go out and do a better job with the players and get them to understand really what’s here and what we’re trying to accomplish and what we’re trying to do,’' Jackson said. “Is there some convincing we’re going to have to do? Absolutely. We’re in a war for talent on every level right now.’'
With four wins over the last three seasons, it’s easy to see they’re not winning it.
But yet again, the Browns go into an offseason with a wealth of cap space and draft picks. They have over $100 million worth of space to spend on free agents (including their own), and 12 picks, including four of the first 36.
“I do believe without question that this organization needs to get to winning as fast as it can and Hue Jackson needs to get winning as fast as he can because you can’t continue to go down this road of 1-31 and losing,’' Jackson said, using the third person (which you normally only get to use when you get your third win) . “That’s unfair to all involved. Like I said, I’m here because I truly believe we’re going to win, I truly believe we are going to do the things that support the coach in giving him an opportunity to win.’'
The Browns added some gravity by hiring John Dorsey as their new General Manager, but retaining a coach with a .031 winning percentage might not be the best way to convince people that this time, really, things are going to be different.