And so it begins?
The doubts? The recriminations? The end of hope?
Nah.
The Cleveland Browns’ 38-7 smackdown at Pittsburgh—administered most often to quarterback Baker Mayfield, who already was hurting—simply reignited nightmare memories of failures past and fears of more to come.
That’s understandable.
The New Browns have lost to the Steelers so often at Heinz Field and to Ben Roethlisberger, once an Ohio lad whose home team did not want him, that stadium workers ought to lower the flag to half-staff for each visit. (Illustrated by the accompanying one-image-is-worth . . . an entire post.)
Instead of dwelling on how fast it got bad for the Browns in a game ostensibly ended on the team’s third offensive play—a one-word double entendre—and Mayfield’s first pass and first interception, could we please harken back to the words of a former coach of the Old Browns?
In perhaps his most Belichickian moment of the many that go back, if you will remember, to failures in Cleveland that then turned into a Super Bowl dynasty in New England, the Great Bill Belichick pronounced—muttered?—in 2014 following a poor outcome against Kansas City words that have become immortal and are applicable to this moment:
“Well,” Bill, gracious as always, explained, “we’re on to Cincinnati.”
This was Belichick’s forward-looking answer to a reporter’s backward-but-appropriate effort to get always nattily-attired coach to address the 41-14 loss that left the Patriots with a 2-2 start (compared with the Browns’ 4-2). I found a transcript of the exchange on Business Insider:
Reporter: Your teams have been so successful for so long, how difficult is it to react to the adversity of Monday night and get back on track so quickly? Because, from a condition standpoint, this team, this organization hasn’t had these sorts of issues in the past?
Belichick: Well, we’re on to Cincinnati.
Reporter: Bill do you think . . . you mentioned Tom’s age at the draft . . .
Belichick: We’re on to Cincinnati. [Note the clever repetition.]
Reporter: Do you think having a 37-year-old . . .
Belichick: We’re on to Cincinnati. It’s nothing about the past, nothing about the future. Right now, we’re preparing for Cincinnati.
Reporter: Do you feel like the talent you have here is good?
Belichick: We’re getting ready for Cincinnati. [Sweet, subtle variation.]
Reporter: Do you think you’ve done enough to help Tom Brady?
Belichick: We’re getting ready for Cincinnati. That’s what we’re doing. [Bill offering elaboration in support of his message: We’re on to Cincinnati.]
I reprise this moment not only because it brings back such fond memories of trying to drag words out of the horse’s mouth when he coached the Old Browns but also because it is applicable to the New Browns who must be:
On to Cincinnati.
The season is not over. It was not over for the Patriots and Brady who entertained the Bengals in Foxboro with a 43-17 reminder that neither organization nor Brady were yet over the hill. They, of course, went on to win Super Bowl XLIX, beating Seattle 28-24 for their fourth of six titles.
Circumstances differ from New England for these New Browns and yet another new coach, the fourth still-young quarterback Baker Mayfield has had. They are not even to the hill, which looks like a mountain right now.
It would behoove us to step back, take a deep breath, and remember that before this first season under Kevin Stefanski began, a 4-2 record, at this juncture, would have been considered downright encouraging.
It can be difficult to think positively in the wake of Sunday’s shortcomings:
—The Browns could not run or throw.
—The Browns could not stop the Steelers from doing same.
—The Browns could not block the best defense in the league.
—The Browns could not keep their injured quarterback out of harm’s way.
—The Browns could not take the ball away, as they had from others.
—The Browns could not coach their way around challenges presented.
When the Steelers exceeded the height that Baltimore had achieved in Game One, the Browns were missing their best runner (injured Nick Chubb), a surprising linchpin (injured Wyatt Teller) on an amazingly improved offensive line, and the plays that defensive end Myles Garrett had been making look routine, but aren’t, hiding many weaknesses.
And so, it is on to Cincinnati, not the team that either Pittsburgh or Baltimore is but one that could reinforce a scary Browns future, if indeed a team cannot be successful without a quality quarterback. Pittsburgh has Big Ben, Baltimore has reigning MVP Lamar Jackson, and now, Cincinnati has 2019 Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow, from Athens via LSU, one of three AFC North quarterbacks (Jackson and Mayfield) with a Heisman.
Among the three Heisman amigos, only Mayfield has been suffering through struggles that began in 2019, his second season, and continue even now. When Stefanski removed him from the Pittsburgh fiasco it was not the signal he was ready to move on to backup Case Keenum but a decision of compassion rather than condemnation. “I just did not want to see him get hit one more time,” Stefanski explained.
Mayfield will start in Cincinnati, and he outplayed Burrow in their first meeting in Cleveland. But he cannot help but have noticed what the New York Times’ Benjamin Hoffman has: “There’s every reason to believe that Burrow, who has thrown for 300 or more yards in four of his six games, will be a star once he adds some talent around him.” And Mayfield?
Well, it’s on to Cincinnati.
