Red Right 88

Veruca Salt is clearly a Browns fan

I want you to get me an Oompa Loompa right away!

I wanted to be the first to find a Golden Ticket, Daddy!

I want it now! What’s the matter with those twerps down there?

***

We were surprised – even though we shouldn’t be – at the level of acidity in the comments being thrown at the Browns today in the wake of Sunday’s loss to the Ravens.

Which leads us to a simple question: have you been watching the Browns this year?

While we’re not happy with the record or the performance on Sunday, we were more upset with the loss to the Rams, as that is a team the Browns are better than (or at least equal to).

But against the AFC North? This team isn’t good enough to win in the division.

But that’s nothing new, or at least nothing new since 1999.

The Browns have been abysmal against division foes since returning, be it the AFC North or the old AFC Central. This year they are 0-3, losing by an average of 9 points per game.

That fits into what they’ve done every year since 1999:

• 1999: 1-9 in the division, average loss by 17.2 points per game
• 2000: 2-8, average loss by 23.2 points
• 2001: 5-5, average loss by 11 points
• 2002, 3-3, average loss 3.7 points
• 2003, 2-4, average loss 17.3 points
• 2004, 2-4, average loss 12.3 points
• 2005, 1-5, average loss 16.8 points
• 2006, 0-6, average loss 13.7 points
• 2007, 3-3, average loss 11.7 points
• 2008, 1-5, average loss 15.4 points
• 2009, 1-5, average loss 14.4 points
• 2010, 1-5, average loss 13.8 points

If anything, the current team is just carrying on a dubious tradition laid down by their predecessors. And those numbers from the past few years pokes a big hole in the myth that this team was “competitive.”

For every fluke win over New England, there is a corresponding beat down by the Steelers. For every surprise Monday night win over the Giants, we get a shutout loss to the Bengals.

That’s Browns football.

And just as its going to take a bit more time for general manager Tom Heckert to fix the mistakes of his predecessors – and there were a lot – it’s going to take this franchise time to learn how to win in the toughest division in the NFL.

“I think it’s just like everything you do,” coach Pat Shurmur said in his Monday news conference. “You just keep plugging ahead and this thing will turn when we least expect it. We just keep pushing. You just keep pushing. Again, I saw some eyes roll in here, so I can tell that maybe doesn’t sink in real well. But, I will say this all you do is keep pushing. I don’t have the memory of what’s happened before. I do know this though, I’ve been around teams that have won and have built winners. You just be patient.”

The Browns are not going to win until they can win consistently within the division. And they are not going to consistently win within the division until they get some better talent on the field.

Browns fans have been patient seemingly forever, what’s a few more years if it means the team finally gets in right?

***

First off, God doesn’t care who wins a football game. We’ve understood that for a long time, although there are still people who struggle with that concept.

Having said that, we admit to being puzzled by what is going on with Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos.

Tebow’s ongoing and seemingly unexplainable success led us to post a question on Twitter during the Browns game:

Why does Tebow’s God like him more than McCoy’s God likes the Browns quarterback?

***

Finally, we recently read a short article in Sports Illustrated about St. John’s football coach John Gagliardi, who has coached the team for 63 years.

The article talked about how Gagliardi has had success – an NCAA-record 484 wins and four national titles – by treating his players with respect.

Further proof that you don’t have to be a douche bag to be a good football coach.