When the 1-13 chips play the Browns on Sunday in their home final, they should look across the field at their opponent and see hope for themselves.
The Browns were 0-16 in 2017. However, they enter Sunday’s game with a 10-4 record, are a virtual guarantee to make the playoffs and still have outside chances to win AFC North.
This is a lot of progress in a short time for a Cleveland franchise that – like the perception with which the Jets are labeled (10 years eliminated from their last playoff appearance) – was considered a black hole.
Is there a Jets fan on the planet who wouldn’t sign up to be in the position the Browns are currently in two seasons from now on?
“That says a few things,” former Jets CEO and current ESPN analyst Mike Tannenbaum said this week when asked about Browns’ rebirth. “One is that maybe they were a little closer than people perceived. Some of those games where the Browns were [in 2017] they were games with a single possession, so close.
“And now, the defender has made some good decisions [Baker Mayfield] it improved. They brought [head coach Kevin] Stefanski in, [offensive line coach] Bill Callahan comes in and has a better offensive line. A combination of all these things and you can turn things around quickly, because our sport is built inherently for teams to be in the middle, 8-8. “
The Jets, 9-point subjects to beat the Browns, are two losses from finishing 1-15 for the second time in their history, and the reconstruction seems daunting with the need for a new coaching staff, uncertainty in the defender and a list it’s just not good enough.
Tannenbaum, however, does not believe that planes are light-years away.
“If you only start in the last two months – the Patriots played at MetLife very close, that game was really competitive, a game with a score until the end,” said Tannenbaum. “Watch the Raiders game [a 31-28 loss in the final seconds]. Obviously, they had a pretty good chance of winning that game. And they just defeated a good Rams team on the road.
“So the closet is not empty by any stretch.”
Nor that of Brown, who flourished under the leadership of Stefanski, a head coach who seems to have pushed all the right buttons.
Stefanski was in Minnesota in front of the Vikings’ offense, while the Browns were working at 0-16.
Asked how daunting a 0-16 rebuilding task came about, Stefanski, in his first year in Cleveland, inheriting a team that went 6-10 last year, said: “It’s hard for me to go there because I wasn’t here then. But I can tell you everything I’ve done since I got here and all it was to take it one day at a time and build this meticulously in terms of layout and staff.
“Then with Andrew Berry getting on board and taking the reins [as general manager]”What he did is bring the right people,” Stefanski continued. “We brought in good football players and we brought in good people, we hired a coaching staff that I felt very strong about.”
And Stefanski proved to be the right person for the job. Interestingly, he was considered a “offensive” head coach, just like Adam Gase when he was hired by the Jets before last season.
The difference, however, was that Stefanski was branded the CEO of the entire team, not just for offense – unlike Gase, who didn’t have much to do with defending the Jets.
“I just tried to be myself,” Stefanski said. “But I’m the head coach of the team, so I think the players understand that I’m not the offensive head coach, I’m the head coach. I also feel strong about the coaching staff I have brought together here.
“Andrew devised a plan in the off-season and identified the guys he wanted to follow through the trade, the free agency, the project. He addressed a lot of areas that I considered important. I know everyone is looking at the offensive line and that’s right. I went out and got a guy in the free agency [Jack Conklin], wrote one [Jedrick Wills] and brought in coach Callahan, who I think is the best in the field. “
Gase, who tried to build two unsuccessful programs with the Dolphins and Jets, admired the Browns’ construction from afar. Of course, Sunday will look close.
“They did a good job of building that thing from front to back and got the right kind of guys in front, whether it’s the O line or the D line,” Gase said. “Obviously, they have an elite passenger [Myles Garrett]and have a line O that does a great job creating holes and creating a very good running game [led by Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt].
“They surrounded the defender with a lot of players that help him continue to excel and become better and better. This year, many people were wondering how good it was [Mayfield] he was going to play. He played very well this year and won many games. “
If you think that’s exactly what was missing with Gase Jets – a strong offensive line and skill players surrounding defender Sam Darnold – you’re not alone.
Asked if he sees the work the Browns have done in rebuilding into a competitor in such a short time, as a sign of hope for a franchise like the Jets, Stefanski said: “It’s very hard for me to go there. We keep our blinds and focus on what we have in front of us. “
What Stefanski commented on was what his team had in front of them on Sunday and it seemed to echo Tannenbaum’s feeling, which is not empty, about the Jets.
First-year Browns coach appeared in front of his team on Wednesday morning and told them, “Just put it on the box” for last week’s Jets victory over the Rams.
“I know they won the game last week; you can see the result, “he said.” But I also wanted them to look at how they won. It was a physical group there, taking the ball, attacking blocks, running the ball, explosive. I think the gang jumped over. boys. ”