By Mikael DeSanto
Sports Assignment Editor
It’s safe to say we can chalk up this year’s Cleveland Browns season as a loss. They have lost all 12 games they have played so far this season, they have surrendered 352 points on defense and have had seven players throw a pass this year.
So, it’s time for the Browns to look towards the future and get a plan together for how to make sure a season like this doesn’t happen again. There are few ideas they could try, but there are some they should do and others they shouldn’t.
Firing Hue Jackson
After coming over from Cincinnati this past offseason, Jackson became the Browns’ head coach, and the front office seemed very high on him as the man to lead the team out of the darkness (having no winning seasons since 2007 and no playoff appearances since 2002).
But that hasn’t exactly worked, and now the traditional fast fix comes up. It seems that the first order of business for a losing team is to fire its head coach, especially if they it is preparing to enter a rebuild. It’s the old theory that fresh players will work better under a fresh coach, since they could develop together in the organization.
But that would be a mistake. I mean, come on. Is it really fair to completely judge Jackson’s coaching ability based on 12 games? The answer is no, it is not. It is especially unfair when you consider what the team has gone through personnel-wise. Remember those seven pass throws I mentioned? Well two of the throwers aren’t even quarterbacks. Terrelle Pryor Sr. might count, considering he played quarterback at Ohio State, but he is traditionally a receiver for the Browns (and a pretty good one at that). Also, they have two quarterbacks who most likely won’t be available this week, one of which who is on injured reserve, and one of their better offensive lineman is on injured reserve.
So, Cleveland, please keep Jackson; you have bigger fish to fry.
Trading Joe Thomas
Like parting ways with their best player, for instance.
Thomas is 31, under contract until 2019 and will inflict a $10 million cap hit on the Browns next year. But he also is a Pro Bowl offensive lineman with loads of experience, making him a potential hot commodity on the trade market. With protecting the quarterback a necessity in football, there is no substitute for a solid left tackle that can protect the blind side, which is exactly what Thomas is.
But some may argue that his contract will make it difficult to receive anything worthwhile in the deal. However, the point of this deal is to drop that contract and free up that money to fill some of the many holes in the roster. It doesn’t really matter what the Browns get back for him, within reason of course. They need to make sure they don’t get fleeced, but if they can pick up a couple of draft picks, perhaps a third and a fourth or a second, that should be more than enough to pull the trigger. Just get something.
Finding a Quarterback
In case it hasn’t been clear so far, they need a quarterback, badly. The current options, as I see them, are as follows: Robert Griffin III (too prone to injury), Josh McCown (too old), Cody Kessler (hasn’t proven himself) and Kevin Hogan (not a whole lot of upside so far). So, and I know this has been said a thousand times for this team, they need a new quarterback. But the question is where to get him?
Well, the immediate thought is the draft. They could take a look, and perhaps get a chance at guys like Deshaun Watson from Clemson, DeShone Kizer of Notre Dame or Mitch Trubisky from UNC, to name a few. The best bet would probably be Watson, who has been a Heisman Trophy candidate the past two years and may win it this year. If the Browns are willing to wait a bit, this could be the best choice.
The other choice could be a trade. This could tie in with the Thomas trade, though the contract may stop them from getting the player they want. The New England Patriots currently have two backups who could get the job done: Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett. Either of them could come in and be a solid option for the Browns and may not cost that much in a deal.
No matter what happens, the Browns need to do something to turn this around. I mean, it can’t get worse, right?
desantmj13@bonaventure.edu
