The Cleveland Browns: What are they doing?

Right over the midway point of the 2016 NFL season, this is the point of the year where we start to see what teams will be contending for a title, and which ones are falling apart. One that seems to be falling apart on all levels is the Cleveland Browns.

The Browns poses an 0-8 record and a win does not look like it will be coming anytime too soon. Cleveland has faced many injury problems this season, but even before the season started, the team lacked talent at almost all positions.

The season started with a cleaning of house, then Head Coach Mike Pettine would be fired after a two-year stint where he would compile a 10-22 record. Pettine was replaced by Cincinnati Bengals Offensive Coordinator Hue Jackson. The Front Office was also cleaned out as the Browns look bring analytics to football.

The problem with the Cleveland Browns is that they never have a consistent plan and stick with it. Since businessman Jimmy Haslam purchased the team in 2012, they have gone through three head coaches, as well as three general managers. If you can’t pick a direction and stick with it, then you are never going to solve your problems. One reason why the Browns lack talent is because of how they draft.

This past year the Browns possessed the number two pick in the draft where the could have drafted Quarterback Carson Wentz, Running Back Ezekiel Elliott, and several other choices.

Instead the Browns would trade the pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for their eighth overall pick. The Browns would again move back to 12th overall and take Receiver Corey Coleman, who would break his hand during the second game of the season and not play since.

So the team that had no quarterback decided to sign former Redskins Quarterback Robert Griffin III. Now this is a move that could payoff as long as Griffin did not get hurt, which happened during the first game of the year, and he will not return for the rest of the season.

Former All-Pro Wide Receiver Josh Gordon was slated to make his return as well after breaking the NFL’s Substance Abuse Policy, over and over again since 2014. In typical Cleveland fashion when it looked like Brown was ready to return to the team, he entered rehab and it now looks like his NFL career is over. Another thing that the Browns haven’t been able to handle since their recreation in 1999 is the quarterback.

Since 1999, the Browns have had 24 starting quarterbacks. This season alone, the team has used three different quarterbacks. In many ways to 2016 Cleveland Browns resemble the 2008 Detroit Lions. The Lions are the only team in NFL history to go 0-16 in a season, but the Browns are already halfway there so we have to wait and see if they will have company.

The Lions were in the same situation where there was a revolving door of coaches and terrible draft choices aside from Wide Receiver Calvin Johnson. After this disastrous season the Lions would make the right choice and draft Quarterback Matthew Stafford first overall in 2009.

Since 2009 Matthew Stafford has always been the starting quarterback for the team. The Browns need to figure out what they want to do and stick with it for several years. If the Browns are able to win two games before the season is over, then it will be somewhat successful.

The Browns should also try to find a quarterback that they can truly tab as a franchise quarterback. Whether that be through a trade from another team or through the draft, they need to fix this problem. The defense is also a major problem that needs to be addressed in order to be successful, this side of the ball needs more help than the offense.

So if the Browns actually get it right this time and put some pieces together, we might see the Browns join the success of the Cavaliers and the Indians, but that is still a long way off.