Same Crap, Different Year

(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

As a lifelong Browns fan, I've learned a few important things.

1)  Art Modell totally screwed us, and we may never recover.

2)  Maybe it wasn't all Chris Palmer, Butch Davis, Terry Robiskie, and Romeo Crennel's fault.

3)  Maybe the culture of this team can never recover and regain the glory we once had.

As I sat on my couch watching another season begin to slip away in week two, I couldn't help but ask myself, will this ever go away?  

This being the giant pit in my stomach (and no doubt ulcers) that causes me to verbally assault my TV, then my dog, which leads to a "change the channel if you can't watch it without getting mad" from my wife (who coincidentally was just as mad from our B-deck seats at last weekend's OSU/USC game).  

I just wonder if this team can ever get it together?  

We've begun to see a trend in sports...teams with strong leadership from the top develop winning cultures, hire great coaches, draft, sign, and develop quality players, and consistently find themselves in the playoffs.  

As I look back at the nine-plus years since our triumphant return to the league, we kept hearing, "just wait, just wait, it takes time".  

Well, my patience for waiting is wearing thin.

Is it ALL Randy Lerner's fault?

 I don't know, but something's gotta give.

To further vent (which is all I'm really doing here).  I think today's Broncos game reinforced a few things.

1) Our defense is good, when we get a chance to catch our breath.  

Sure, it was easy to chalk up last week's second half debacle to the awesomeness of Adrian Peterson, but to make Correll Buckhalter and Knowshon Moreno look as good as AP did last week, may have something more to do with us than them.  

It's called a first down, and we should try to get one occasionally, so that those guys can rest, and have something left in the 4th.

2) Brian Daboll is an offensive dope OR (and its a big or, I'll admit) Brady Quinn and our offense just suck like the vacuum of space.

How many more times do I have to watch a five-yard out on 3rd and 8?

 Give yourselves a chance, call a play that allows receivers to go eight yards or more.

2a) Alex Mack may be the future, but I'm not sure if he (and the rest of the non-Joe Thomas or Eric Steinbach line) should be the present.  

Elvis Dumervil, four sacks?  Ouch.  Sure, Brady holds the ball forever waiting for his check-down to turnaround, but still, its hard to convert when he's on his back.

3) This is really just a curiosity thing, but what the hell did Brian Robiskie do to get in the Mangini-dog-house?  

I'm frustrated, which at this point is the norm for Fall and football season, and wondering when will it ever end...it's like we're stuck in Groundhog Day, and with the Browns, its the same s**t, different year.

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