Incompetent Cleveland Browns earned their boos, and their leadership deserves little faith: Doug Lesmerises

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Andrew Berry-Kevin Stefanski era in Cleveland has been accompanied by a reputation of competence that they may no longer deserve.

The Baker Mayfield-Odell Beckham Jr. feuding took a lot of the heat for the Browns’ failures a year ago. They’re both gone, and Sunday, Berry’s roster and Stefanski’s team completely collapsed in an embarrassing and inexcusable 31-30 loss to the New York Jets and a 37-year-old backup quarterback.

The Browns made the playoffs in 2020 in the first year of the Berry-Stefanski combo. It was great. Well done.

But what in the last two seasons should make us think they’re good at this? The Deshaun Watson trade and the strain on the fans it brought was predicated on the idea of an elite on-field quarterback getting a team that’s ready to win over the top.

Guess what? The Browns’ backup quarterback, Jacoby Brissett, played well Sunday in his second of 11 games replacing the suspended Watson. And the rest of the roster and coaching staff took a sure win and threw it in the lake.

The Jets’ rookie receiver, Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson, that maybe the Browns could have traded up for if they didn’t deal their first-round pick as part of the Watson trade, caught the game-winning touchdown. Wilson on his first touchdown of the game also smoked cornerback Martin Emerson Jr., the first Brown drafted in 2022.

One Browns third-round pick, receiver David Bell, had one catch for 6 yards. Their fourth-rounder, defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey, initially cheered as a savvy talent grab, was benched for not acting like a professional. The third-rounder last year, receiver Anthony Schwartz, did nothing.

David Njoku, the tight end given a huge new contract by Berry, couldn’t get his feet in-bounds on one near touchdown and killed a third-quarter drive with a wide-open drop. And Grant Delpit, the prized second-rounder of Berry’s first draft in 2020, was playing like a statue at safety on the 66-yard touchdown pass that kept the Jets alive.

Sure, Berry has brought in some very good players. We talk about that a lot. He also was gifted Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, the engines of this team. With Greedy Williams out and Jadeveon Clowney injured late, the Browns weren’t at full strength. But this was the easiest matchup on their 17-game schedule and the Jets quarterback was Joe Flacco, who is at least five years past his prime.

If you think this is too harsh after one loss, the Browns brought it on themselves. The try-hard, feel-good, homegrown, lovable Browns were pushed aside with the Watson trade. That was all cold, calculating, win-now football. This is all business now. It’s results or else.

In the world they created, the Browns failed miserably Sunday.

I think legitimate questions remain about Stefanski as a manager of a locker room the way the Beckham-Mayfield scenario unfolded last season. The two players deserve blame as well, but they’re gone. The coach who couldn’t handle either of them remains. It’s his culture in which this 13-point disintegration lives.

The Ravens fell apart Sunday as well, blowing a 21-point lead entering the fourth quarter in a loss to Miami. Baltimore coach John Harbaugh must go back to his office, polish his Lombardi Trophy, and ruminate on his failures. The Steelers look a little rough, and after a 1-1 start, Mike Tomlin must find ways to make sure he avoids his first losing season in 16 years as a head coach. The Bengals might be bad. Gonna make back-to-back Super Bowl trips rough.

Teams and coaches fail on Sundays. Those with track records allow faith to remain in them. If these Browns think they have reached that point, they are wrong.

Which leads us to Myles Garrett’s take on the fans at FirstEnergy Stadium booing the Browns off the field after they so thoroughly bungled their sure victory. He was asked if the collapse was more disappointing because it happened it front of an enthusiastic home crowd.

“The more disappointing thing was the booing at the end,” Garrett said. “It’s not the most optimal ending that we want. Of course we want to win. … The guys are still putting their (butts) on the line, they’re playing as hard as they can, and it should be respected as such.”

That’s so backward. Fans of the Browns are putting their butts on the line, especially after this offseason, and they should be respected by a team playing 60 minutes instead of 58. Lucky last week, the Browns are as close to 0-2 as they are to 2-0.

To be clear, the most disappointing thing was the guys who are getting paid to play and coach utterly failing against an inferior opponent when it mattered most.

Defensive coordinator Joe Woods is on the hook for this, with blatant miscommunication creating huge problems for the Browns in consecutive weeks. But he is employed at the pleasure of Berry and Stefanski.

Last season, Ohio State’s defense failed in Week 2, and defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs was demoted and then let go at the end of the year. Woods is in Year 3, coaching a lot of defenders who look the part and fail the tests.

What will Berry and Stefanski do about it? What will Stefanski do to rally this team for a Thursday night game against Pittsburgh? What evidence is there in this 1-1 start, with the Watson cloud hovering over all of it, that booing Browns fans should believe?

The Browns took a quarterback risk because they thought everything else was in place. Sunday showed that’s not true.

Disappointed in the booing? Please. The all-business, win-now Browns were the disappointment. It’s on them to earn back the cheers with competent football. The fans should be respected as such.

–

Get the latest Browns merchandise: Here’s where you can order Cleveland Browns gear online, including jerseys, T-shirts, hoodies, hats and much more.

If you or a loved one has questions and needs to talk to a professional about gambling, call the Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-589-9966 or the National Council on Program Gambling Helpline (NCPG) at 1-800-522-4700.

More Browns coverage

Browns know they need to get Amari Cooper the ball for their passing game to succeed

More offensive opportunities are there for the Browns: Berea Report

Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt 1,000-Yard Tracker after Week 1

Mike Priefer expects Cade York to get a standing ovation vs. Jets; Jedrick Wills Jr. can be the best, says OC: Quick hits

Brownie the Elf, the Cleveland Browns’ new midfield logo, explained

Joe Thomas will take his place among Browns Legends Sunday

NFL quarterback power rankings: Where Joe Burrow, Jacoby Brissett and Mitch Trubisky stand after Week 1

4 things the Browns need to clean up before Sunday’s home opener: Orange and Brown Talk

Jacoby Brissett must try to rebound against another aggressive, attack-minded defense in the Jets: Mary Kay Cabot

Browns WR Donovan Peoples-Jones lets contested catches speak for themselves

Browns running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are better together

Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.