2018 Browns' Chronicles: Week 13

Nearly every Sunday I go to my local Browns Backers Bar to watch, obviously, the Browns play. There is a lot of emotion spent at these games, no doubt amplified by the alcohol served at the establishment. There are the chants, the cries of celebration, the hugging of the slightly obese man sitting next to you who has been telling you about his ex-wife for the past forty-five minutes.  But most commonly are the moans of disappointment after the Browns snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.  Other times, there are utterances of just complete stupidity from the various “armchair/barstool general managers.” At first, I tried to ignore these ridiculous expressions of thought and went with the logic found in a Jamie Foxx song, “blame it on the alcohol” (although I’m quite sure the Republican Senate used the same logic to ignore Brett Keganaugh’s sexual assault violations). However, there is one utterance of complete stupidity that I can no longer keep quiet about, the idea that Greg Williams, the interim coach, should be named the fulltime head coach.

These Bud Lite filled, nacho cheese dripping off the tongue, armchair general managers were inspired to hand Greg Williams the job right after he beat Atlanta; even more so after he devoured the Cincinnati Bengals. Little did these football Einstein’s realize that both the Bengals and the Falcons lack any sort of competent defense, with the Bengals last in total defense and the Falcons pulling in at 26th. The very fact that Greg Williams was able to beat teams like this, and Hue “Clueless” Jackson unable to beat teams like the Oakland Raiders or Tampa Bay Buccaneers, isn’t a notch on Williams’ belt, as much as it is an indictment on Jackson’s inability to create any sort of scheme to defeat inept defensive organizations. So that’s why I was delighted to see the Browns lose to the Houston Texans this past Sunday, December 2^nd.

Now before anyone nails me to a cross for being deemed a sacrilegious traitor, and after seeing some of the videos come out of the Monday Night game in Pittsburgh, I’m quite sure some NFL people would very well nail me to a cross, let me explain why I speak with such celebratory vigor. First, this quashes every fan out there who thought Greg Williams should be the next Browns head coach. Losing to the Texans was the ultimate test because it was the first decent team that the Browns could beat (Kansas City was out of our reach from the get go).  If Williams had won, I probably wouldn’t be writing this article right now. The very fact that Greg Williams not only permitted the “illegal bounty fund” to go on in New Orleans, but that he was the creator and motivator of the scandal, should preclude him from being the head coach. However, if that is not enough to prevent him from becoming the next head coach, then look no further than his uninspiring head coaching record.

Williams’ best season as a head coach was in 2002, during his second year, when he went 8-8 with the Buffalo Bills.  The year prior he went a meager 3-13 and in 2003, his last year as a fulltime head coach, he went 6-10. So, Williams’ head coaching record is dismal and history has shown that interim head coaches tend to not do well, when they are then promoted as that team’s full-time head coach. The Tennessee Titans did this when they promoted Mike Mularkey, in 2016, from interim head coach to full time head coach. Mike Mularkey illustrated all the reasons why interim head coaches should not be hired. Mularkey had an overall head coaching record of 18-39 prior to taking over a team who had been so atrocious that they earned a number one overall pick in 2016 NFL Draft. Williams is no better, as stated earlier his overall record is 19-32.  Williams would be taking over a team, that he led, which would most likely have a top eight pick in the NFL Draft. Second is “continuity.” Mularkey also was  an extension of the previous regime, he was nothing more than the “same coach, different day” mantra. Promoting from previous dismal regimes in order to keep the “continuity” has not panned out – Jim Caldwell (gone), Ben McAdoo (gone), Dirk Koetter (probably will be gone). All these guys were kept to keep “continuity” with their quarterbacks. However, if the team sucked while they were working for that head coach, on that same team, why would you want to continue any sense of “continuity?” in other words, if the past stunk, why would you want to continue stinking?

The Browns, keeping Greg Williams because it maintains “continuity” is nothing more than an admission of guilt that administrative convenience comes before winning. It’s nothing more than an organization admitting that they are in fact lazy and they don’t care. To go along with laziness is the very fact that by “settling” on the uninspiring interim head coach, the organization fails to hire the best person for the job. In the case of the Browns, they have all the makings of an up and coming team, which would inspire any prominent head coach to want to have a shot at leading them to the “promised land.” Baker Mayfield is looking like a talented franchise quarterback, the backfield is young and electric, the defense needs a defensive tackle, but overall is talented, and the receivers have gelled well.

So, me being “delighted” in seeing the Browns lose to the Texans isn’t an act of betrayal, it’s an act of loyalty. I believe I have a fiduciary duty to write in the best interest of the Browns fans. Williams is not in our best interest. If Cleveland were to hire Williams, they would be creating an act of betrayal against (1) themselves because they are admitting they couldn’t find a better hire; (2) an act of betrayal against their players because they believe their players don’t deserve better and (3) their fans because they believe their fans prefer mediocrity over winning.