Is the hype behind the 2018 Cleveland Browns warranted?
The consensus is fairly split, many believe that the squad will be completely reformed, with the additions of general manager Jim Dorsey, Tyrod Taylor, Jarvis Landry, the hype behind developing sophomores Jabrill Peppers and Myles Garrett and the excitement behind new rookies Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward, and Nick Chubb, many think that the Browns are about to depart from their losing ways, but are they?
As the focus of this year’s HBO’s Hard Knocks, the Browns are open to the viewership of all football starved fans who tune in every Tuesday night to witness the NFL’s newest underdog. Although many enjoy the new look Browns, many pundits and media personalities are skeptical of head coach Hue Jackson’s methods. Ex-NFL punter Pat Mcafee ripped into Hue Jackson’s coaching methods on his Barstool Sports podcast, claiming that the coach was using high school coaching tactics and wasn’t able to make his players buy in, claiming that his lighthearted coaching methods would not bring the Browns anywhere in their upcoming season.
Mcafee’s past experience in the NFL was the basis for his argument, he was shocked at Jackson’s treatment of his coordinators and other coaches and his relationship with his players, claiming that he hasn’t seen anything similar. He claimed that Jackson’s interactions with his players come off as fake and insincere. But I disagree, his players clearly have a strong and deep relationship with their coach which is incredibly important for morale. No players seem to have any problems with him and no confrontations occurred that were directly Hue’s fault. Considering the Browns have a long history of losing, morale is crucial to keeping confidence and for the rebuild of the team.
However, you can’t come off “soft” in football. Hue Jackson is clearly living in his fears, while it is warranted that avoiding days of practice can help players recover and avoid injury. But being that the team is 1-31 over the past two seasons, they’re going to need some preparation to catch up to some of the dynasties of the league. We’ve all heard the saying practice makes perfect. So why isn’t Hue Jackson subscribing to this message? Considering the Browns losing tradition of the past two decades, the players are going to need persistence, which is learned in practice.
With some ups and downs for Hue Jackson in all five episodes of Hard Knocks, it’s hard to lock down whether Browns fans are more or less content with their coach than they were before this year’s Hard Knocks. But it’s hard to question the guy’s devotion and belief to the team. Losing his mother and brother in the same month is tough, but Jackson took this in stride. He stayed with the team despite losing two members of his family, showing his unfaltering devotion to the team.
The Browns are without a doubt the most exciting team heading into the 2018 regular season, who doesn’t love an underdog? The hype is definitely there, but I don’t think it’s entirely warranted.
For not being an avid football fan I found this very interesting. I can tell you have spent a decent amount of time researching facts, and throughout the blog, you carry an active voice. I felt that it was formatted well and the structure of the entire piece was split up correctly. It was just the right amount to not lose my attention. You also imposed many great questions! You hear about the stereotypical facts about the Browns but I can tell you have spent time really thinking about all the possible outcomes and worked with your thoughts and ideas along with what the internet and other sources are saying. Great work..