The Browns have been terrible for two decades now. They have made the playoffs once since returning in 1999 and have had winning seasons only twice. Mentioning the Browns woes is a state of affairs Ohioans are all too familiar with. While this season’s record of 7-8-1 is a massive improvement, the talent on the Browns was capable of much more had it not been for ownership’s push to keep Hue Jackson for another season.
Few franchises even approach the futility that has been demonstrated by the Browns. Even the Detroit Lions have made the playoffs three times since they went 0-16 in 2008. At press time the Browns sit at the bottom of the AFC North with a record of 2-6-1. But who is to blame for the Browns Woes? We mentioned in our article on how to fix the Browns that it is due to poor coaching, poor asset management, poor management, poor talent assessment, and poor culture. Basically, the only constant for the Browns woes is the incompetent and clueless ownership.
We can trace numerous acquisitions and firings to the hands of arrogant and simple-minded owners who believed their way and only their way would produce results. Any owner who is in the news as often as their team, looking at you Jerry Jones doesn’t understand how an owner can help their team. Jimmy Haslam is among the worst owners in sports and has been a complete disaster after now having cycled through three general managers and four coaches since acquiring the team in 2012.
Haslam reportedly drafted Johnny Manziel because a homeless man convinced him to and we all know how that worked out. It is one thing to insist on things being done a certain way and setting vision and culture. That is what leaders are supposed to do. The main role of an owner is to portray an idea of what the organization should be like, find individuals who can make that idea a reality and leave them be.
But Jimmy Haslam has time and time again inserted himself into the discussion on football matters. Many speculate on what the owner could be doing behind the scenes or the extent to which he has affected the situation but speculation isn’t necessary to convey the ineptitude surrounding the Browns and their owner. Jimmy Haslam vowed to let Ray Farmer have the reigns, vowed to give Sashi Brown the time needed to let his ‘data-driven’ approach yield fruit and yet both were let go prematurely. Albeit their competence was questioned upon their hiring, but hiring good people is an owner’s best asset and one Haslam may not have.
Many may look to Dorsey as an accomplished team-builder and savvy football mind, but the fear remains that Dorsey was not the one leading the search for the next head coach since Haslam has over-stepped his role and not allowed his employees to do their job. Haslam was almost certainly behind retaining Hue Jackson after he produced 0 wins last season and may have been influential in the Browns attempt to ‘Marry’ Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley and Hue Jackson. Ultimately Dorsey and Haslam were forced to put an end to a coaching staff that was clearly underachieving and creating havoc in the locker room.
Moving forward, the Browns have their franchise QB, a bright young coach and have put together one of the most impressive drafts in recent years (almost every single pick of their 1st-5th round picks played a significant role this season). However, one meddling owner can ruin an entire year’s worth of work with a few ego-driven decisions. The Browns hiring Freddie Kitchens may reveal that John Dorsey is at the helm and not an owner who has a poor track record selecting coaches during his time in Cleveland
For the Browns sake let’s hope he has learned from his failure and firing Jackson was a final acceptance of his culpability in the Browns woes and that Dorsey (if it was Dorsey’s doing) got it right with hiring Kitchens.