Cleveland Browns: World Is Laughing At Us, Not With Us

Jan 3, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; A Cleveland Browns fan displays the names of the quarterbacks since 1999 on a mask during the fourth quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Steelers beat the Browns 28-12. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; A Cleveland Browns fan displays the names of the quarterbacks since 1999 on a mask during the fourth quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Steelers beat the Browns 28-12. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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Cleveland Browns
May 8, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Cleveland Browns fans cheer after Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M) is selected as the number twenty-two overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the Cleveland Browns at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

Good Drafts Leads To Success

With that new approach in mind and Jackson at the helm, the Cleveland Browns need to hold fast to their analytical strategy. If they pay $100,000 to do a test to find the best player, they should draft that player. Don’t succumb to the gut appeal of a Manziel and go against your analytics. Cleveland needs to buy into their system,and do the things that make sense for the vision they have.

DePodesta of all people knows how it works having done his “Moneyball” approach in baseball with the Oakland Athletics. His hiring is perhaps more important than anyone else because he knows how to keep the front office united and focused.

The real key to success though, and the only way the Cleveland Browns will begin to turn things around will be success in the draft. This regime keeps saying that they are going to build through the draft, so it’s vital that Brown, DePodesta, and Berry make the right moves.

If there’s anything that Ray Farmer did to embarrass the Cleveland Browns more than Text-Gate, it’s his drafting. Let’s face it, Manziel and Justin Gilbert are busts. Both players have off the field issues, and can’t do enough on the field to ease the headaches they cause.

Then there’s Cameron Erving, and Danny Shelton in last year’s draft that as they failed to make an impact. That’s four first round picks in two years that haven’t done anything to improve the team’s fortunes. Brown cannot afford to make those same mistakes.

It’s time to finally start getting things right. Cleveland Browns fans are tired of the shame. We support the team, wear the team’s colors, and we want to do so with pride. So once again, to Haslam, DePodesta, Brown, Berry, and Jackson, please get this thing right!

Next: No Manziel Jersey Exchange

The NFL, the city of Cleveland, and more importantly your fans will thank you. We do not want our team laughed at anymore, and we definitely do not want an autonomous search engine like Siri making fun of our football team.