Cleveland Browns: A Team Built to Fail Again and Again

Dec 6, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; A Cleveland Browns fan during the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Plenty Of Blame To Go Around

How could this be? How could it all go so wrong? Well, a lot of that blame could go to former owner Randy Lerner, who over the majority of the past 16 years, struggled to hire the right people.

Perhaps the blame lies solely with the seven general managers since 1999. None of them had much success in the draft or bringing in top-notch free agents. Whether it was thought to be up and coming GM’s such as Phil Savage, can’t miss NFL pro’s like Mike Lombardi, or current GM Ray Farmer, the Browns front office can’t seem to find the right talent. The bottom line is, the Browns keep finding themselves in a position to fail over and over again. We are doomed to repeat our mistakes until someone does the right thing, and builds the franchise the right way.

Feb 19, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Cleveland Browns general manager Ray Farmer speaks to the media at the 2015 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Browns continue to be built to fail, again and again.

So what do the Cleveland Browns need to do? Well, the 2015 season is a bust. For everything that fans had hoped for coming out of a 7-9 season in 2014, the Browns have regressed. The players that GM Ray Farmer and Head Coach Mike Pettine have brought in through the two most recent drafts and free agency are perhaps among the worst moves in franchise history.

For example, fellow FoS writer Ryan Rosko recently examined five of Farmer’s worst moves as GM. First rounders Justin Gilbert at cornerback and quarterback Johnny Manziel were drafted in 2014 and supposed to be cornerstones of the franchise on defense and offense. So far both players are on the verge of being busts.

Meanwhile, the players the Browns passed up like playmaking receivers Sammy Watkins, Mike Evans, and Odell Beckham Jr., along with QB’s Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr are leading their teams out of the cellar.

Then there’s the 2015 draft, where the Browns took a potential run-stuffing defensive lineman in Danny Shelton and Offensive Tackle Cameron Irving in the first round. While it’s arguable that it’s too early to tell on these two, let’s just say that 2015 wasn’t kind to either player.

Next: Free Agency Misses