Closing the Book on the Negative History with the Previous Browns Uniforms
The Cleveland Browns new uniform reveal officially closes the door on a horrendous era of football ineptitude. Negativity has entrenched itself amongst the organization for five years and a new narrative can finally be written. Jimmy Haslam and ownership released the previous uniform combinations back in 2015 with a big showcase highlighting the variety of color combinations. The uniform remodel did not garner favorable opinions and the negative perception was replicated on the field. A jersey or pair of pants does not dictate a team’s performance on the field, but their weekly play was just as disappointing as the uniforms they wore. Since the uniforms debuted in 2015, the Browns have a paltry 17-62-1 record, an embarrassing (.218) winning percentage. The new uniforms which pay homage to tradition and dawn a classic look, gives general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski a blank canvas to work on.
The narrative attached to the Cleveland Browns since 2015 has been riddled with losing, organizational dysfunction, and uninspiring uniform design. The inception of the jerseys was quickly tarnished with the end of the Johnny Manziel experiment. A first round draft pick who exemplified the organizational dysfunction and highlighted the need for another rebuild following a 3-13 season. One year into the uniforms and the franchise's future was looking bleak. Jimmy Haslam took an extreme risk by blowing up the front office and hiring an analytics focused staff led by Sashi Brown. Acting as the team’s general manager, Brown was perceivably joined at the hip with head coach Hue Jackson. Another year passes and there is another negative narrative associated with the Cleveland Browns.
Heading into 2016 Sashi Brown executed a purge of veteran talent from the roster and concentrated on building a wealth of assets via the draft. In his first draft, Brown traded down from No. 2 overall in the draft, passing on QB Carson Wentz to draft first round bust WR Corey Coleman fifteenth overall. After passing on a potential franchise quarterback, Hue Jackson put his faith into injury prone QB Robert Griffin III whom only started five games. Griffin only lasted two games before enduring a season altering injury and was replaced by longtime journeyman Josh McCown and fourth round pick Cody Kessler. The quarterback carousel was an utter down spiral as the team lost fifteen games straight to start the season. Hue Jackson managed to coach the team to only one win thanks to likes of Jamie Meder who blocked the regulation ending field goal against the San Diego Chargers in week 17.
The narrative surrounding the franchise reached an absolute abyss in 2017. By finishing the season 0-16, the Cleveland Browns joined the 2007 Detroit Lions, as the only franchises to lose every game in NFL history. Sashi Brown during his tenure built a treasure chest of draft assets and drafted generational DE Myles Garrett but failed to win and was fired. After public finger pointing Hue Jackson won the power struggle against Brown and was given a final chance to turn the team around. Owner Jimmy Haslam’s decision to retain Jackson was widely criticized because of his 1-31 record. Yet in Haslam’s mindset, hiring John Dorsey to better evaluate talent would move the team in the right direction.
In 2018, having only four wins in the three previous seasons, John Dorsey constructed a roster that gave the city of Cleveland hope. Dorsey drafted our potential franchise quarterback in Baker Mayfield, who set the rookie record for passing touchdowns (27) and dynamic running back Nick Chubb. Sadly, history continued to repeat itself as organizational dysfunction continued around Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley. This time around the issues in the building were broadcasted as training camp was featured on HBO’s Hard Knocks. Jackson was fired alongside Todd Haley, while DC Gregg Williams was promoted to head coach and Freddie Kitchens promoted to offensive coordinator. Under Williams’ strict and demanding coaching methods the Browns won five of their final seven games.
The 2018 season seemed as a true beacon of hope as the team finally showed progress finishing with a 7-8-1 record. Unfortunately, the positive narrative surrounding the franchise was quite temporary. The foundational problem within the season was Haslam’s decision to hire Freddie Kitchens as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns. Kitchens was notoriously unfit for the position due to his lack of head coaching experience at any level of organized football. In Kitchens only season as head coach, he created an extremely undisciplined roster and showcased an unprepared gameplan on a weekly basis. After a season of growth, the Browns once again regressed, and Baker Mayfield had his worst season as a professional. After finishing the season 6-10, Freddie Kitchens was fired, and John Dorsey mutually split from the franchise.
Over five years since the previous jerseys introduction and predominantly negativity has surrounded the franchise. The new jerseys revealed on April 15 brings forth a new beginning to the narrative around the Cleveland Browns. General manager Andrew Berry is showcasing his potential and can continue to improve the roster with the draft quickly approaching. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has to take advantage of an improved roster and do something others coached have failed to do, which is become winners. The new jerseys are supposed to reflect the glory days of the Browns franchise and if the team starts to win then a positive narrative can be connected to the new uniforms.
