It’s pretty hard to overstate the importance of Sunday’s game to the future of Cleveland football. Sure, the rest of the schedule will play itself out no matter what, and there are no plans to move the franchise or anything, but really, the stakes could not possibly be higher for a battle between a pair of 3-6 teams. For the front office, the coaching staff, the players, and the Browns’ fan base, this is, well, pick your cliche: a pivotal moment, where the rubber meets the road, as big as it gets, the whole enchilada.
On this rivalry weekend, if the Browns win, it flat-out validates that the program here is at least in forward gear. It’s a home game against foe most foul. It’s a chance to avenge the 11 losses suffered in the last dozen clashes between these longtime interstate opponents. That includes the Browns’ last playoff appearance and, perhaps even moreso, the embarrassment of last Christmas Eve. A Browns win would effectively extinguish the defending Super Bowl champs’ hopes of a return to the playoffs. And it could herald the emergence of Charlie Frye as a bona fide NFL starter, the growth of a cohesive defensive unit, the competence of the coaching staff, and the outsized impact of players like Braylon Edwards, Sean Jones, Kamerion Wimbley, and Wheelie. In fact, if Wheelie stars in a Browns win this Sunday, I will gladly retire that mocking moniker.
Conversely, if the Steelers again strut out of Cleveland Browns Stadium as the superior team, if the likes of Joey Porter get the final word, you may not want to witness the agonizing, the blame-casting, the anger-turned-apathy, the “adjustments” that are bound to ensue. Let’s start at the top. If I recall, it was following that nasty holiday whitewash — in which the entire stadium came to be dominated by the wrong set of colors — that the whole front office putsch came to shove. The emotional impact of that sad spectacle very nearly triggered the owner to fire his football VP Phil Savage after less than a year on the job. Had John Collins’ machinations not been leaked to the public, Randy Lerner might have done the unthinkable. A similar scene on Sunday? Think again:
Word among league executives and people who have talked to Lerner personally in recent weeks is that he has become increasingly annoyed with the direction of his team. And his issues aren’t limited to Cleveland’s 3-6 record…. As for Savage, he prefers to spend much of his time on the road scouting players and has expressed a desire to give up a lot of the day-to-day responsibilities he got when he was hired. That’s honest, but it’s a long way from what Lerner thought he was getting when he hired Savage.
Call that a taste of informed speculation, but it is ominous indeed. But even beyond all that, a loss here and now could effectively drop the curtain (reaching the floor at season’s end) on Romeo Crennel if his team betrays the apparent ennui of the opener, disorganized game management, or strategic stupidity. For players, a defeat here would down any airs of confidence lofted by the recent toppings of the Jets and Falcons. Another failure to achieve consecutive victories would have this team doubting its abilities, its leadership, and its future.
And then there’s the fans. They’re not a monolith, so I dare not try to predict their moods and motions, but let’s just say it straight. A win for the Browns is good for the depth and breadth of the fan base: a glimmer of hope for the rest of the season and beyond, a source of pride, and an impetus toward further investment of emotion and resources in the Brown and Orange as an entertainment concept and a holiday merchandise option. Lose to the Steelers again in our own crib? The die-hards’ hearts harden, the discretionary dollars dry up, the discussions detail not delight but distress. Doom? No. Another Dark Age of Cleveland Browns football? Quite possibly.
Maybe I’m melodramatic. OK. But c’mon, guys, get it together. Click. Let’s add another great win over the Steelers to this list I first generated over four years ago but have not had occasion to update. Amaze me. Please.
