Red Right 88

Browns need to choose wisely in hunt for next quarterback

If there was still any lingering doubt that the Cleveland Browns need to fix the ongoing problem at quarterback before they can begin to have the kind of “sustained success” promised by Jimmy Haslam and Joe Banner, then this weekend’s NFL playoff games should have helped removed those thoughts.

And if there is anyone who still thinks the answer to the quarterback conundrum is currently on the Browns roster, they need to look no further than a few hours south on I-71 to see the hazard of not having the right quarterback.

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Some things went right, many went wrong, for Browns in 2013

The Cleveland Browns wrapped up the 2013 NFL season a week ago and it was a familiar one for Browns fans.

The team finished at 4-12, the 12th time the Browns have had double-digit losses in a season since returning to the NFL in 1999. This was also the 10th time in the past 11 years that the team won two or less divisional games and their 3-5 home record means the Browns still have not posted at least four home wins in consecutive seasons.

But it is not all bad news in Berea. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and team CEO Joe Banner are currently undertaking a thorough and exhaustive search for a head coach to replace Rob Chudzinski, who was fired a year after Haslam and Banner undertook a thorough and exhaustive search that led them to hire Chudzinski.

And the Browns hold 10 draft picks in the 2014 NFL Draft, including two in the first round and seven total in the first four rounds.

So before we turn the page to next season, let’s look back and some things that went right and some that went wrong for the Browns in 2014.

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Browns continue to betray the trust of their fans

In what was a surprising move – even for a franchise that is synonymous with dysfunction – the Cleveland Browns fired head coach Rob Chudzinski Sunday night after just one year on the job.

And Browns fans are left wondering why they should believe anything that comes out of the mouths of team owner Jimmy Haslam or CEO Joe Banner.

Chudzinski becomes the first Browns coach to be fired after just one season in franchise history, so at least Haslam was truthful when he said things were going to be different with him as owner.

Officially, the team “relieved” Chudzinski of his duties (how very polite of them), saying they “needed to see progress with this football team. We needed to see development and improvement as the season evolved and, unfortunately, we took a concerning step backward in the second half of the year.

“Our fans deserve to see a consistently competitive team. We have high standards, and there’s an urgency for success. When we believed we were not positioned to achieve significant progress in 2014, we knew we had to admit that a change was needed, and move forward.”

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Browns vs. Steelers – Week 17

The Cleveland Browns take their Pro Bowl-laden roster to Pittsburgh today to close out the 2013 NFL season against the Steelers.

Pittsburgh is holding out slim hopes of making the playoffs after an 0-4 start to the season, while the Browns are battling for yet another high draft pick after starting out the year at 3-2.

Today could be the final game in a Browns uniform for several players, most notably Alex Mack, T.J. Ward, D’Qwell Jackson, Greg Little and Brandon Weeden.

With any luck, the game will also mark the final starting appearance by quarterback Jason Campbell, who will be looking to join the elite group of Cleveland quarterbacks who faced the Steelers in their final game as Browns quarterback.

The Opposition

Pittsburgh’s record: 7-8

Offensive rank: 16th overall/11th passing/29th rushing

Defensive rank: 14th overall/8th passing/22nd rushing

All-time record: Pittsburgh leads, 66-57

Last meeting: Pittsburgh won, 27-11, in Week 12

Injury report

The line: Browns +7

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Browns hit the road, the road hits back in loss to Jets

Well, at least there was no fourth-quarter meltdown this week.

While that may a nebulous sign of progress, it is just about all the Cleveland Browns have to hang their hats on following a dispirited 24-13 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday.

The defeat was the fifth consecutive on the road for the Browns and the sixth in a row overall.

“We got smacked,” cornerback Joe Haden said. “The team we have and the players we have, I was never expecting this. I wasn’t expecting the record to be like this.”

The loss also puts the Browns at 1-6 on the road with just next week’s season-ending game in Pittsburgh left on the schedule. Lose that game and the Browns finish with one road win for the third consecutive year.

But we are getting ahead of ourselves.

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Browns vs. Jets – Week 16

The Cleveland Browns hit the road on today to take on the New York Jets for the first of two season-ending road games.

The Browns enter the game having lost five in a row overall and five consecutive on the road. In the Jets, they will be facing a team that is a respectable 5-2 at home.

In addition to the usual issues the Browns have to deal with on a weekly basis on offense, they will be without tight end Jordan Cameron, and possibly wide receiver Davone Bess and cornerback Joe Haden.

It should be another fun Sunday afternoon in the swamps of Jersey.

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5 questions with …

We join some of the best and brightest to talk Cleveland Browns football in the latest Five Questions in Five Minutes at Cleveland Reboot.

Head on over and check it out. You’ll be glad you did.

A bargain at any price

Bill Barnwell at Grantland came out with his All-Bargain Team today and there are a couple of players that would have looked good in Orange and Brown – most notably wide receiver Julian Edelman and guard Geoff Schwartz.

Maybe a couple of Browns will be on the list next season.