Meanwhile the stadiums packed, jerseys purchased and "next year" is the theme.

This is going to be a 7-9 team that, if you adjust for schedule, probably is more like a 5.5-6 win team. I dont see that as reason for optimism, especially since a 5.5-6 win team(if thats the current browns baseline) would be expected to win 4.5-5 games with next years schedule.

@hoorta said:

We'll never know how much Haslam had to do with the JFF pick- but with 20\20 hindsight- it reeks of a publicity stunt.

Ghoolie- who is rarely wrong in his predictions- has already labeled him Johnny "Bust", an dI'm not entirely hopeful about his chances either.

I think Hillbilly Haslam had evetything to do with.. Haslam is so hell bent on making a splash.. his Hillbilly ego couldn't help himself..He tried to "Out Jerrah", Jerrah himself.

@unsympathetic said:

We'll never know how much Haslam had to do with the JFF pick- but with 20\20 hindsight- it reeks of a publicity stunt.

Ghoolie- who is rarely wrong in his predictions- has already labeled him Johnny "Bust", an dI'm not entirely hopeful about his chances either.

I hate to say it but it all hinges on QB's and early draft picks (esp 1st round). So while I think certain parts of our team are competitive, we will never get to the playoffs/Super Bowl without getting a franchise QB and hitting decent 1st round picks.

@texasag1969 said:

If you can't see progress in the face of some very extensive key injuries and a key player pretty much missing for the year, then you just are not looking. I like where this team is headed under Pettine. Best chance the Browns have had since their return to actually become a team to reckon with despite any particular game. I expect to see some more moves in the off season and in the draft that strengthen areas of known weakness. If you ever thought any team just turned it around overnight without first finding all the building blocks for the long run, then you don't understand football.

Good stuff, Ag... it just doesn't fit TacoCasaba's narrative.

Congrats: You had ONE game of additional eyeballs on your team.

Hope it was worth it!

@tacosman said:

We were 7-6 starting a competent quarterback and we'd probably be 11-4 right now if we had a franchise quarterback.

Ben, Flacco, Luck, Cam ... four games we had won but couldn't finish and lost by one possession ... they had the franchise QB, we didn't.

We need a QB. If we had an excellent QB it would be amazing how gripes against our offensive line would quiet down.

Yes, our run defense sucked this year, but if we have a a Top Ten QB, and we're scoring 30 every week, teams aren't running on us, they are behind and passing into our strength ... the best secondary in the NFL.

We need a fucking QB.

I know they don't grow on trees, but after 16 years of this shit, and four first round attempts, you'd think we'd luck into one.

Zombo

really?

if you little punks had any discipline in your life you'd know that changing loyalties and stances isn't as easy as changing your drawers. people know when you change your stance. your mom is the only one that knows when you change your drawers.

@tacosman said:

Next year is not now. FYI there were 4 games this year where you could honestly say the Browns weren't "competitive".

@baconhound said:

Look at that schedule next season. If this same level of play takes place next year we're in trouble.

All on paper at this point. Manning is starting to show his age. SF may be minus Harbaugh. Anyone have the winner of the NFC South with a losing record this year? Don't think so.

@roycerolls said:

^this.

man if being young means being a little bitch then i'm glad i'm 'old'.

fucking morons.

another doomsday thread. how many is this NOW and we have one game left to play?

@tacosman said:

It's unfortunately not a 7-9 that indicates we are going places.

Looking at our 7 wins:

New Orleans- last second win over a 6-9 team. Not a good win.

Tennessee- 1 pt come from behind win against the worst team in the league. Such a win against the worst team in the league indicates we aren't very good either.

Pittsburgh- this was a very good performance of course

Oakland- played sluggish and struggled to pull away against one of leagues worst(at the time a team with zero wins)

Tampa bay- same thing

Cincinnati- 2nd very good performance of year

Atlanta- come from behind last second win against another team with a losing record

So only two games all year did we look like a high quality team in winning game. And some of the losses were pretty nasty, both in the opponent and the result.

This is a 7-9 team that looked amd had results more in line with a 5 win team. Still lots of rebuilding to do, and littl ral improvement from the previous years

2. Even a five win team is an improvement over last season, you'd know this if you were a Browns fan.

3. How are people still complaining about marked improvement? Did people expect this team to go from four wins to Super Bowl champions with a rookie coach?

4. the bitching on this board is getting out of control. Change your tampon, Toxic shock syndrome is not a good thing.

@tacosman said:

It was man, we were 7-4.

We can beat anybody and proved we could but then shit hit the fan with injuries, bad QB play, and questionable decisions like usual.

@walterwhite said:

Whoopity fucking do. Feels like another shit year to me.

We blew another draft and we might not have an answer at QB

Yeah, it is a shit year....my post was sort of a response to those who think this team is of the quality that can compete now.

We blew another draft and we might not have an answer at QB