My Observation of Cleveland Browns Fans

You all know my story. I am not a lifelong Cleveland Browns fan, but I started rooting for them when they drafted my favorite college quarterback of all time. I definitely consider myself a visitor among the Browns fans. I am more welcome here with some than I am with others.

I have been around football a long time at all levels and have gotten to know many kinds of fans. I have to say that the Browns fans are a different breed from any team I have been around.

Before I go any further, I just want to say that this is not a personal attack on fans of this team. I hope the fans that read this take it for what it is meant to be, constructive criticism. I believe that nobody is above criticism, and that does include the fans. With the Browns, I do have to say that I see the fans as part of the problem.

The good thing about Browns fans is that they are very passionate about their team and will stick with them through thick and thin. While that passion is applause-worthy, it does lead them to be impatient. The worst part is that the more this team loses, the more impatient the fans become.

That is a problem because I have observed that the passion the fans have does have an impact on decisions made by the team.

When the Browns draft a player early, the fans get really excited about that player and expect him to go right in and perform at an NFL level right away. Then when he struggles early they want him out and want to replace him with a guy who was mediocre before so they have a chance at a few cheap wins.

A couple of months ago, I was working with a guy who was from Ohio. He was in between Cleveland and Cincinnati. He chose to root for the Bengals. I asked him why. He said, "Bengal fans get it. Browns fans would rather be 8-8 now than 13-3 three years from now."

After spending a full season on Bleacher Report with Browns fans, I know exactly what he meant. I have never seen fans change their minds so quickly and easily.

I remember writing an article about why the Browns needed to be patient with Brady Quinn before the season started. Many of the readers who commented agreed with me. Many of these same guys were ready to jump off when Quinn got benched after 2.5 games.

Then they were once again aboard the Derek Anderson train after he had an average game against Cincinnati.

Of course, a few weeks later they were quickly ready to throw Anderson under the train and go back to Quinn. I saw very few articles saying that maybe the reason both were struggling was because the players around them weren't very good.

Then when Quinn had the month in which he produced seven touchdowns passing and added another one running, fans were all aboard the Quinn train and in it for the long haul. During that time Quinn had no interceptions and also led the Browns to a near- comeback against San Diego and a shocking win against Pittsburgh.

In that Pittsburgh game, Quinn was only six of 19 for 90 yards. However, he still got good reviews from the fans because of the brutal weather. Most felt that he did what he had to to win.

Then came the next week against Kansas City in which Quinn was 10 of 17 for just 66 yards and two interceptions. Fans were all over him for that and many were ready to jump off the train. So much for being in it for the long haul.

Many fans then decided to go back and say the last two games have not been good. They rethought their position on the Pittsburgh game. The word was now 16 of 36 for 156 yards in two games is terrible.

I have two problems with that. The week before these fans were giving him good reviews for the Pittsburgh game. Their opinion of his performance in the Pittsburgh game shouldn't change just because he didn't have a good game against Kansas City.

The other problem is that this line of thinking is shortsighted. In today's Wild Card game against New England, Joe Flacco was just four of 10 for 34 yards. I guarantee that nobody will be critiquing him for his performance, though.

Ravens fans get it. They understand that there is a difference between not putting up great stats when you have to and not putting them up when you don't have to. The Ravens were running the ball so well that they didn't have to pass much.

How is that any different from what Cleveland did the last four weeks regardless of who was at quarterback? Neither Quinn nor Anderson were great the last four games, but neither had to be. So I don't see the point in being overly critical of either. Why not just say the running game was on fire, so we didn't have to pass much?

The other part of the fans' stance that has driven me a bit crazy is their take on Eric Mangini. I have seen guys call for his head one week and want to give him the key to the city the next. Just two months ago, the team was 1-11, and the city wanted him out.

Then four wins over four struggling teams. Now the city loves him again. Why not take a stand and stick with it? Don't be blinded by the present. Look at the whole picture.

Unfortunately, I don't see that in Browns fans. You may be surprised to know that the guy I respect the most is Paul Mongera. The reason is that, although I disagree with about 90 percent of what he says, he at least took a stand that DA was the best guy to go with, and he stood by it all year.

My stance on Mangini was and still is that the only thing worse than hiring him in the first place is bringing him back for another year.

Here is a guy who held his team hostage with a quarterback controversy. He was unwilling to commit to one and trade the other because he was afraid of the other guy making him look stupid the way Chad Penninton did.

He trades away their best receivers and brings in horrible linemen. He keeps his best runner on the bench for most of the year and wonders why neither quarterback performs consistently.

The best thing to do is to commit to one guy right away, and then build your team around that running game. After all, that is how you win in Cleveland.

So you have to excuse me if I am not ready to jump on the Mangini train after a few wins over struggling teams.

Again this article is not meant to attack Browns fans. It is just something that I felt needed to be said. The fans do have an influence on what decisions are made, and their constant waffling back and forth has contributed to decisions that have been more "knee jerk" reactions than what is best for the future of the team.