Cleveland Browns May Lose, But You Can Still Enjoy The Games

It’s not about how many games you win, but how you go about achieving that number. Eric Mangini was fired from the Jets after a 9-7 season. One year later Rex Ryan posted the same 9-7 mark and got a contract extension.

The Cleveland Browns are not going to make the playoffs, folks. I would love, LOVE to be wrong, in which case you can say “I told you so” as much as you’d like. Realistically they will win somewhere between 5-8 games, depending on a couple lucky bounces. The win count for this year is not what it's all about.

The important thing is the football competency displayed on the field each week. Penalties, turnovers, dropped balls, and clock management are all things that teams can control regardless of talent level. The Browns will be outmatched from a talent standpoint in most of their games, but being fundamentally sound will keep the games close.

While there is some truth to the statement “Moral Victories Are For Losers,” in this year, for this team, being close just might be good enough. As the 2010 Cleveland Browns gain experience, getting a sniff of victory should make them hungry for the real thing. Additionally, being fundamentally sound should also improve the entertainment value from a fan perspective.

Remember the 6-3 Win over Buffalo last season? It was hard to be excited that week when the product was so awful. I’d much rather watch the Browns lose a 35-28 shootout against the Saints while doing the little things correctly.

It’s a sports cliché that players and coaches say to “take it one game at a time.” Perhaps that mantra should be adopted by the fans as well. Winning feels great, but don’t be fixated on the final score or the overall record. Was the game enjoyable? Did the Browns show improvement? Or did they shoot themselves in the foot with an untimely holding or turnover?

Football is the greatest sport of our time. We fans owe it to ourselves to enjoy watching the product whether the end-result is in our favor or not.