Cleveland Browns: Where It Went Wrong In 2014
A promising yet disappointing end has come to another Cleveland Browns season. A team that wasn’t expected to do anything coming into the 2014-2015 campaign raised alot of eyebrows around the NFL– at least for the first ten weeks, they did.
The Browns started off slow with a three-point loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in what was almost a a monumental comeback. The standings said it was a loss, but it felt more like a win to some fans since it showed early the team possessed poise and a sense of urgency to play all 60 minutes. They came back the next week at home against Drew Brees and his high-powered New Orleans Saints offense and won the game by a field goal with seconds to play.
Brian Hoyer was showing everybody early that he was fully healthy and that his 3-2 record the previous year was not a fluke. The Browns then went on to lose to the Baltimore Ravens in the final seconds to a field goal by Justin Tucker. Week four was the bye week and things started changing from better to worse. They went on to win their next 5 of 7 with their biggest win coming over the Cincinnati Bengals on national television, 24-3.
After that win, everything went downhill…
In the final seven weeks, the Browns managed only one more win against the Atlanta Falcons, and that required a Joe Montana-esque performance by Hoyer, and great game by the returning Josh Gordon.
Nov 16, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and Cleveland Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer (6) on the bench during the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Texans beat the Browns 23-7. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
It got even worse when Cleveland lost with seconds remaining against Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts at home in the most important game of the year. Due to the volume of that loss and the declining play of Hoyer, Mike Pettine decided to make a change at quarterback as “fan favorite” Johnny Manziel would go in as the new starter against a Bengals team that had revenge on their mind.
Manziel had one of the worst performances by a quarterback in Browns history as Cleveland lost the game, 30-0. In usual Cleveland fashion, fans rightfully started questioning the decision by Pettine and whether Johnny even belonged in the NFL in the first place. It didn’t get any better the next week against the Carolina Panthers as Johnny still looked shell shocked and ended up leaving the game due to a “injured hamstring.” Pettine was forced to put Hoyer in the game and he didn’t look any better.
The Connor Shaw era potentially started the next week against the Ravens. This was the 22nd quarterback to start since the Browns came back in 1999. Shaw looked better prepared and ready for NFL action, unlike Manziel did in the prior weeks. However it wasn’t enough to beat a veteran Ravens team that needed a win to assure themselves a playoff spot. And the season came to an end. A season that once had promise and potential playoff implications was a failure.
” Play like a Brown”
Que the ” Same old Browns,” mantra. They were 6-3 going into week 11 against the Houston Texans and everything just fell apart. It wasn’t only bad play by the quarterbacks, or the offense, but a number of different issues throughout the season.
The biggest game changer came in week six against the Steelers when the glue of the offense, center Alex Mack suffered a fractured fibula. The offensive line was never the same as they went through three different centers in the upcoming weeks. The defense lost their top ball hawk in Tashaun Gipson after he collided with Joe Haden against the Falcons to knock down a pass and suffered a season-ending knee injury. It didn’t help matters that the Browns were already thin on defense due to all of the injuries.
Jordan Cameron missed six games due to concussion syndrome and wasn’t able to get in-sync with any of the quarterbacks besides Hoyer. Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West had regressed significantly since their big games against the Bengals. Miles Austin had a possibly career-ending injury with a kidney aliment and Josh Gordon underachieved the rest of the season since his big game against the Falcons. The rush defense was non-existent along with any type of pressure being applied to opposing quarterbacks. Barkevious Mingo looked more like a bust and just refuses to put weight on. The dominoes just kept falling as each day went by. It got even worse with all of the off-field issues.
Dec 21, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) reacts in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Former back Ben Tate wasn’t happy with his role behind West and Crowell and wanted his release and soon got it. Johnny got into an alleged brawl with his entourage against a drunk fan who just allegedly wanted a hug from him. He also contradicted himself horribly by saying how he needed to change and take the game more seriously last Tuesday and then throws a party the following Friday and showed up late to his treatment on Saturday. Wreck this league seems more like “wreck this team” with his actions during the last weeks. Justin Gilbert was inactive against the Ravens last week since he was at the party with Johnny and was late to his walkthrough as was Gordon. Everything took a turn for the worst and sadly nobody was at all surprised by it.
Instead of being able to talk Wildcard Weekend and how to attack our opponent, fans are once against talking about which quarterback the Browns can draft, what the biggest position of need is, if Pettine is the right guy to run the team, etc. It’s a never-ending black cloud over the franchise that hasn’t been clear since 2003. Dwayne Rudd throws his helmet to the ground in a win by the Browns over the Kansas City Chiefs. He gets accessed a penalty and they end up losing by a field goal. Things just haven’t been the same since. Numerous regimes and quarterbacks seem to be the feature here and its not the way to build a winning program. The team was 6-3 and in first place in the AFC North. It mean’t nothing in the end.
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There were also a few positives that can be taken away from the season. Andrew Hawkins and Taylor Gabriel could potentially be the best slot receiver duo in the NFL. Crowell when he focuses and plays hard could be a top back in the NFL. Armonty Bryant was due for a big season before his season-ending injury and it gives the team the potential pass rusher it has been missing. Gipson proved to be one of the best ball hawking safeties in the AFC and is only going to better his game next season. Joel Bitonio looks like the biggest steal in the draft and should of been voted to the Pro Bowl. Craig Robertson and Christian Kirksey both proved that they can play middle and inside backer at a high level without Karlos Dansby and most importantly, Pettine seems to be the coach that the Browns have been looking for since 1999.
His discipline and no nonsense type attitude is what this team has been missing. He is trying to build a winning culture here and if player’s are not on board, no matter how good they are, he doesn’t seem to hesitate to give them their walking papers It is either ” Play like a Brown” or he’ll gladly show you the door. Just ask Ben Tate. It is refreshing but at the same time better results were expected after starting off so good. This team still has alot of holes offensively and defensively and hopefully it will get addressed by Ray Farmer and Pettine in the draft and during the offseason. Since the Browns have been back, I haven’t seen a more fed up and tired fanbase of mediocrity than I did this season.
A consistent winner is all the fans are asking for and unfortunately it has been a struggle for it to happen. Hopefully the team has learned from the way this regime runs the team and uses it as a positive going into the next year. Otherwise as the old Cleveland saying goes, ” There’s always next year.”