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Hard to believe anyone could say this about a Cleveland Browns team after the past 20 seasons of ineptitude, but the Cleveland Browns are spiraling.
On the plus side, the Browns actually became good enough, at least for a season, that actually have the ability to spiral.
After all, the Browns have only finished above .500 or better in a season three times since 1989. Starting 37 different quarterbacks in 20 years will do that (and the Browns didn’t even exist from 1996 to 1998).
So them being 5-7 right now, with a shot at actually reaching that long-coveted 8-8 record (Jason Garrett’s favorite) is a step in the right direction. I think.
Winning a playoff game, or even making the playoffs for that matter, is no longer feasible this season for the Browns (the last time that happened was in 1994 when the team’s head coach was… Bill Belichick).
However, the team certainly does have talent. Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, David Njoku, Myles Garrett, and on and on the list goes. Heck, the Browns were picked by many before the start of the season to win the AFC North (that prediction met its demise after Week 1).
Since then, the Browns have made news more for the behavior of the team’s head coach and star players than it has for victories.
The “highlight” of the season for the Browns, at least from a fan’s standpoint, has been the ongoing bitter feud between Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield and FS1 talking head Colin Cowherd.
Cowherd has been relentless in his criticism of the second-year QB for everything from Mayfield’s cocky attitude to shotgunning a beer at a baseball game.
Mayfield, for his part, has done nothing to let the feud die, calling Cowherd a liar and selling shirts trolling the radio show host.
On Tuesday, in the wake of the Browns’ 20-13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cowherd was back at it again, ripping the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner for his play.
“Baker Mayfield has the best wide receiver tandem in the league arguably, best running back tandem and his numbers are at the bottom… Folks, this is not a starting QB in the league,” said Cowherd.
"Baker Mayfield has the best WR tandem in the league arguably, best RB tandem and his numbers are at the bottom… Folks, this is not a starting QB in the league." — @ColinCowherd pic.twitter.com/4dMMRWOE6g
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) December 3, 2019
“Baker Mayfield, I could hammer Baker all day today, but I will not,” said Cowherd before basically hammering Mayfield. “Because I’ve said from the beginning, Baker is not talented enough to overcome a below average head coach or a general manager, John Dorsey, who was run out of a better organization in Kansas City.”
Cowherd also said about the Browns on Tuesday, “Pittsburgh’s on its third running back and fourth quarterback… and the Browns are going to finish third.”
“With three different coaches, and excellent weapons, Baker Mayfield completes 59 percent of his throws against winning teams, more picks than touchdowns, 75 passer rating,” Cowherd added. “Let’s try to identify the problem. Is it Freddie [Kitchens] or is it Baker?”
Certainly, that is a very reasonable question.