The Cleveland Browns were one of the worst teams in the NFL last year & might be even worse in 2025

The Cleveland Browns were one of the worst teams in the NFL last year & might be even worse in 2025

Uh, let’s pivot and talk a little football, guys. Our first football topic of the day is brought to us by Rippling. If you’re a business owner, here’s the truth. Sass promised to make work easier, but now the average company is buried by hundreds of apps that slow you down, slow your teams down, and just don’t work together. That’s not Sass. That’s sad. Software as a disservice, and that’s why you need a rippling. Rippling is a unified. Platform from global HR, payroll, IT, and finance all in one place. They’ve helped millions of businesses replace a mess of disconnected tools with one system designed to give leaders clarity, speed, and control. And right now, you can get six months free when you visit Rippling.com/lockdown NFL. That’s Rippling, R I P P L I N G.com/lockdown NFL for 6 months free. Terms and conditions apply. So guys, I was going through the archives of the day and I remember Jimmy Haslam said something in his annual preseason press conference that caught my eye. I wanted to make sure I heard him right. Now our good friend, caught your ear than your eye caught my ear, correct. Our good friend, friend of the program, Jeff Schel, asked Jimmy. What they had to go record-wise. I saw this making rounds. So Jeff Trudell asked the question. This was, uh, Jimmy Haslam’s answer to that question. It would be a successful season. Jeff, do you really think we’re going to answer that? You know, listen, we got to do better than 3, OK, to put a number on it. I don’t think we will ever do that. Um, everybody, coaches, players, personnel, ownership all knows that 3 and 14 won’t cut it. We’ve got to do better. I think we’ll know what better looks like. It’s funny how he said in the beginning, I’m not going to put a number on it, but we got to do better than 3 and 4. We got to do better than 3. Well, are they going to do better than 3? Well, I’ll tell you what, I was looking at the schedule, Mr. 89 and 8, and the, the, not this week. Next week’s game is pivotal if they can beat the Raiders on the. I think they’ll get the Titans. I think the Titans is like a layup, but I thought the Jets was a layup. But anyways, — I
— think that. But he said 3 was not good enough, which means they got 4. If they beat the Raiders, — they
— got 2 already. That would give them a 4. So next week’s game is critical, which is why. What I say, what did I say, G Bush, — you did tell me that
— 3 or 4 weeks ago. You did tell me you did. You did pull up to the pot. You was in the barbecue. — You did
— say that. — You did say the only way
— Shado Sanders is playing is if is if Gabriel gets hurt or Jimmy forces his hand. That’s at least. That’s how it feels like to me. — I think this is
— crazy. This week’s game is telling whatever the attendance is, if it’s way down, it’s only one way. It should be. It’s only one way to get them back. — No
— fans should go to this game. It’s only when that 49ers game. — There’s only one way to get them to
— come. So guys, the, the Browns have, Browns have 8 games left. How many right now bring up the schedule, Mike, if you will. 2. So we got 3 we go Ravens, Ravens at home at the Raiders, 49ers at home, Titans at home, at the Bears. Uh, Bills at home. Steelers at home at the Bengals. How many games? What’s your prediction right now? Browns are 2 and 78 games left. What’s your prediction? Final record? — 5 and 5
— 5 and 12. There’s no chance. 3 games. I win. What’s your prediction, Dustin? I wish — they should at this point they
— shouldn’t, they should win it. They’re gonna lose every game. Have you watched them? I have. — How are
— they gonna win a game? I mean, they’ve been in some of these games. It’s not, it’s not crazy. I’m, if I, I’m saying 3 and 14, and I thought I was being crazy, so they should. I could, I could give them that other win. I don’t know where it’s gonna come. I mean, Titans, they should win at home because they’re terrible, but their offense can’t score. So it would take a defensive, punt return, a kickoff return, and or a pick 6 fumble recovery, — something to get points
— on the board. All right, so you’re saying 2 and 15. You’re saying 5. You give me 1 more, 3 and 14. I’m saying 3 and 14, 5 and 12. G Bush, what say you? Um, I think 4 is best. They’re not getting 4. I think if, if you squint hard enough, if you just like it’s like magic eye yeah let me see what we do 89 I’m an eyeball I’m if you if you eyeball the work 89 say it uh I’m you you can look at you can get 4 you get 4 now look here’s let me, let me just say this. Um, one of those games is gonna have to be a Miles Garrett just was like, yo, they can’t score no points. Defenses like the Raiders. It, it, it, you need one of the, the Miami Dolphins type games, right? Yeah, — the
— Raiders like what the Seahawks did the other day where what’s his name had two sack fumble touchdowns. — Marcus Marcus
— Lawrence, yeah, so, so that, that’s where I’m, I’m going with it, with, with it. But here for me, I, I already think the writing is already on the wall. Like he already knows what he’s doing. They’re moving. I don’t care if they won 6 games. They, they’re done. It’s at the point of the season where it really does you no good. To win, but isn’t there some, I always used to feel that way for most of my life. But don’t, it’s eventually you have to start winning, like have some winning culture. Yeah, that’s, — that’s
— why they need, that’s why the coaches, — that’s why
— he’s gonna go to make the whole. So, so here, now when, when, once, here, here’s the way I, I view it. Look, look, once we should have known what it was once they traded Joe Flacco, it was done. Like that was, that was the signification of, oh we, we are totally on different pages here because nobody thing things like that just don’t happen bull around the league. Then he turns play calling over, right. That happened two years in a row. You don’t turn play calling over and then do it again the next year. That doesn’t happen, like, especially when you say that it was, if we would have ran my offense, it would have been better. Your, your head, your, your chief strategy officer says, Yeah, let me take this baseball drop in the middle of the year. I’m gonna still come to the game and see you guys off though. And then now you have two rookie quarterbacks, and it seems like it’s pulling teeth for you to even get for him to even say the dude’s name. Right now it’s, it’s obvious to me like they are on different pages, they are moving in different directions and they’re gonna play this thing out. I do believe that, you know, uh, he’s gonna do everything in his power to keep playing Dylan Gabriel because that’s his guy or whatever, but at the end of the day it’s not in his hands. The owner will say well when he’s gonna play. Do you think they’re worse this year than they were last year then? Like, are they’re actually taking a step back from a 3 and 14 2020 season? What, what do you guys think about that? Uh, I think, I think they’re, no, I think last year was better. No, no, no, this year’s offense is unwatchable. Last year’s offense, — I got to see you said is this
— offense worse? Yes, they’re, they’re, is this team worse? Yes. I think the team, I think the roster is a tiny bit better. But the team is worse, but they’re playing worse football because you’ve added some, like some of the best players on the team are rookies. So there’s more talent on this team, I think, because you have at least 4 guys, right, um, who are 4 of their top 10 players who are new. Who was our tackles last year. — Offensive
— tackles Jed Wills, James Hudson, yeah, Conklin played a little Conklin plus they added, uh, man, I can’t think of anybody’s name right now. Leviston, well, no, no, no, no, forget that. I’m saying in addition to the four rookies who have made the talent better, they also added the defensive lineman, Malik Collins, Malik Collins. So you’ve added some better players. Devin Bush like who did they lose from last year’s team. That’s a good player. Nobody, right? Am I thinking of anything? By the way, Juan Thornhill got cut. Oh, that’s, we’ll talk about that later. But, um, so there, there’s clearly more talent. Devin Bush has played better for the most part, but Yes, but, uh, and Grant Delpit’s having a much better season, was having a better year. Yeah, so that’s what makes it, you know, they’re more talented, and yet they’re not any better, and, and, and they may be worse. They’re certainly worse offensively. They’re better defensively than they were last year, but they’re, they’re pathetic offensively. — The
— only thing bad about the firing of everybody, the coach. And GM and all that is that in the midst of all that you probably will lose Jim Schwartz. I was just thinking that’s the only thing out of that’s the only, that’s not a reason to keep and, and Deuce Staley is good as well. Outside of them too. Why couldn’t you keep Deuce? Because I don’t think the, the next person that comes in is gonna bring his people. And if you want, if you want a Brian Flores, I don’t think Jim and Brian run the same. Well, I do want Brian. Flores, I, somebody — that I trust told me that that’s not gonna happen
— because, because he sued the NFL. No, well, he may be blackballed because of that. Um, yes, we had that. No, apparently when he, I forgot that he interviewed, — he
— was, — he
— interviewed. He interviewed for the Browns head coaching job in the past and apparently there was a, a really awkward moment between, uh, Jimmy and him. Uh, so he’s not likely to be the coach here. So that’s my guy. But yes, if you’re going to hire a defensive coach, obviously Jim Schwartz is going to be gone. But I like Jim Schwartz, but I could live without him. No, you can’t. I could live without him. I don’t want to. I think he actually, what I like about Jim Schwartz is the fact that what he accomplished year one is something that you would I think the head coach would have accomplished day one. Like that’s crazy to me that he came in the most physical this team has ever been since I’ve probably been alive, who was Jim Schwartz’s first year as a defensive coordinator. How is it that Jim Schwartz comes in there and changed the mindset, not only of the defense, but the entire team? Like that’s crazy. He had that significant of an impact. And the head guy has not done that. And if anything it’s regressed in these past few years. Don’t necessarily mean. Uh, look, the problem I got with, with a lot of people is they come in and you have a level of ego about yourself, right? If I’m coming in, my job to get the, the team right is to put out as many fires as quickly as possible. If I come in and I’m looking and I say, OK, who has one of the best defenses in the league throughout the last 34 years, the Cleveland Browns. Why would I come in just for the sake of changing it? Obviously you’ve got Miles Garrett, Denzel Ward. They play good defense. I’m gonna come in and try to figure something out. Let me figure the special teams out. First and foremost. I need to figure this quarterback situation in this, in this offense. So I, I mean if you’re a good candidate and you’re a person that wanna come in and hit the track running, you might wanna look at retaining somebody like Jim Schwartz. I mean, be honest, so you’re getting. Offensive mind, of course, right, but then the problem is that guy’s gonna want to be a play caller too. I, I want them to get like a guy who’s the head coach, CEO style, yes, and the CEO style can hire. I, what I would like, I would like a according to a CEO style guy who doesn’t has go get if you wanna go get the hot coordinator and let him cut his teeth, cool, just. That and then I can go ahead and manage it and work on the relationship out out in front and, and, and do work on building a little bit of a culture here same way what Mike Vrabel did, right? Vrabel came in and guess what he said, uh, Josh, uh, Josh, Josh McDaniels, I know you. I come on back. Well, I already know what you can do, so it makes it easier, like, you know what I’m saying. So I just feel like, and it’s crazy that we’re talking about this this early in the season, but, um, what we owe 1010, yeah. Well, — they still have a lot of games
— left like a half a season. we went off the topic a little bit here, but no, no, that that was exactly where we wanted to go, which is. Jimmy Haslam said we can’t go 3 and 14. We’ll know what better it looks like. And um, the question was, have we seen better? Has anything we’ve seen on the field been better? And I agree with you guys. The answer is no. — The defense has been a little
— better. Dan Orlovsky like losing his mind talking about hiring Kevin fans for the Giants, you know, it’s, it, and I love Dan, but you, it’s that national perspective when they start, when the first thing they say is two-time Coach of the Year. We all know that’s BS. Like you guys wrote that. Let me, let me just give you, like, to me that disqualifies everything you’re not, you’re gonna say after that. You’re gonna say that proves he’s well, listen, — he was the
— two-time coach of the Year. OK. Everything you say after that doesn’t matter. Every, every coach of the year has been fired. Day Ball, Vrabel. Can I, can I, can I just ask a rhetorical question so we can just put this to bed, um, do, do the GM’s vote on the coach of the Year? No. Do the players vote on the coach of the Year? No. Who votes on the post show of the Year? Media. Thank you. Enough said. You answered all his rhetorical questions like, literally, like I mean if you wanna just say who wrote like if you like somebody I can give him coach of the Year, right? If I identify, I could just like it does not mean necessarily like that one year he won it. Come on, man. Everybody know that was it that was old, old dude from the Texans should have won that award. Damio Ryan should have won that award that year. He just, — he just got hot at the
— right time to play the fans, he deserved it in 2020. I, I did. They had a, they had a great year, unexpected. — They swept the awards on 24 23 23
— uh that doesn’t make you the best coach. It just makes you a coach that’s surprised and what it shows is you couldn’t sustain that success. By the way, the two favorites for Coach of the Year right now on FanDuel. Shane Stein, the Colts, and Mike Vrabo of the Patriots, two guys that had win totals at 7.5 and 8.5 respectively and are both now on pace to win 1213, I think, uh, what’s his name should be up there too, the Seahawks coach. He should be. He’s not, I mean, you’re saying right now I’m fancDonald. Hey, that, I mean, look at the chop. — Look how well they’re playing and
— McVeigh’s number 4, you know, you know who their OC is, right? Hey, — that Colts
— dude Darryl Bevel. No, it’s Clintia who we should have hired. Again, just because he’s a good coordinator doesn’t mean he’s a good head coach. No, no, no, as an OC. Remember we was trying to figure out, he was with the Saints and the Saints got fired. Everybody was like, Well, him and Kevin, they run the same type of stuff. His dad taught Kevin what he knows, so bring him in and we promoted. Colts, shout out to them. Listen, man, I know. Can you imagine if the owner was on the sideline? Oh my gosh, the owner’s down here with a headset on. We’d go crazy. — And guess
— what? Not if you’re, not if you’re 8 and 3. — They
— 8 and 3. Hey, it must be working. I’m gonna just give you that. Hey, listen, shout out to the you want Jimmy on the head, Miss. Irsay. Look, she down here. Maybe she taking notes. I don’t know what she doing down there, but it’s working.

The Cleveland Browns walked into MetLife Stadium on Sunday looking to stack some momentum — instead, they walked out with another frustrating road loss. The Browns fell 27-20 to the New York Jets in a game that slipped through their hands because of two words: discipline and details.
Cleveland actually started fast for once. Rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel found David Njoku for a 9-yard touchdown on the opening drive, capping off a balanced series that looked like the offense was finally turning a corner. But in a blink, all that momentum was gone. The Jets’ Kene Nwangwu took the ensuing kickoff 99 yards to the house, and just 36 seconds later, Isaiah Williams returned a punt 74 yards for another touchdown. Two special teams breakdowns in under a minute — and the Browns never fully recovered.
To his credit, Gabriel battled. He finished 17 of 32 for 167 yards and two touchdowns, including a 22-yard strike to Jerry Jeudy, who posted his best game of the season with six catches for 78 yards. Rookie running back Quinshon Judkins ran hard again, grinding out 75 yards on 22 carries, but the Browns’ offense couldn’t stay clean when it mattered most. Penalties and sacks — six total, four by Jets edge rusher Will McDonald IV — killed multiple drives in the second half.
The defense, led by Myles Garrett and a tough front, held Breece Hall in check early. But a 42-yard screen to Hall in the fourth quarter sealed Cleveland’s fate. That one play summed it all up — a talented team that flashes but can’t finish.
The Browns are now running out of “moral victories.” The offensive identity is still forming under Tommy Rees, but special teams lapses and lack of situational poise keep undoing their progress.
Bottom line: if Cleveland wants to salvage this season, they have to clean up the little things that keep costing them big. The margin for error in this league is razor-thin — and the Browns keep slicing themselves.

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The Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show is your daily source of the best conversation about the Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Guardians, Cleveland Cavaliers and Ohio State Buckeyes, as well as sports throughout Northeast Ohio. Produced by Mike Lucas, Anthony Antonelli, and Earl Mauldin. Hosted by Jay Crawford, Adam the Bull, G Bush, Jason Lloyd, and Tyvis Powell.