Why the Browns are not that far away from the Playoffs!

[Legacy Fan]

Originally Posted by brownsdownunder

@damajuki, thanks mate.

I think the old school fans are just too use to getting excited over the possibility and then let down. I'm going in to 2012 really confident about the team. I think we'll finish 3rd in our division but give the Steelers and Ravens twice the trouble anyone expects us too. I think Pat will make this team a whole different team.

We have a very young team, and i get excited about players not because I'm not looking for next year. We have maybe 5/6 players who could be part of a superbowl team. But i'm looking for the next 5 years. We add new players, and every year these new guys are going to get better and better. If Greg Little fixes his catching i have no doubt he's an 80 reception, 1, 000 yard receiver. If we get a strong RE i have no doubt we could record 20+ sacks as a team. If we get a better CB to go with Joe Haden we could easily be a 10+ interception team and 30+ break up secondary. The pieces are falling together, and that's why this is so vital.

Plus, how can we not get optimistic!? The Steelers are getting worse.

I'm in my early 30s. My favorite team in the world has been total shit for 2/3 of my life. Hard to be optimistic when 3 regime changes in the last 5 years has yielded consistently worse results.

But I'll be pumped in April, (hopefully not let down) and in the summer. Gotta echo Juke's notion that watching the Super Bowl this weekend was nauseating to see how far away we really are from fielding a championship caliber team. I dont think we have the right people in the right places to lead us there either.

[jblackmon81]

Originally Posted by Sez.EJ

I just think it's going to take two good offeasons before we can compete in this division.

I think we will be rather good in 2 years

[SoCalBrownsFan]

I too am glad you guys are optimistic, and the Browns need all the new/younger fans they can get. Give it a few years (or 20+) of crappy sports, and you too will be dejected/pessimistic like the rest of us old timers are.

[Sez.EJ]

Originally Posted by jblackmon81

I think we will be rather good in 2 years

That's where I am... IF we have a great draft and offseason this year.. We can make progress..but realistically.. We have about 8-10 positions that truly need upgraded.. I do realize every team has some mediocre positions...but even with a great draft and free agency..we will be fortunate to improve 4-5 of the aproximate 8-10 spots... That why I believe we need 2 offeasons to be a playoff contender in a tough division.

( I say this as I see us needing 2 WR, RT, at least 1 G, 1 DE, at least 2 LB's, CB and S... those can never all be upgraded in one offseason)... We had a pretty strong draft last offseason.. and how many holes did we adequately fill?????.. I realize we did zip in free agency last year... but think about it.... OH... and I did not even mention qb in the above list..

[brownsdownunder]

Originally Posted by Sez.EJ

That's where I am... IF we have a great draft and offseason this year.. We can make progress..but realistically.. We have about 8-10 positions that truly need upgraded.. I do realize every team has some mediocre positions...but even with a great draft and free agency..we will be fortunate to improve 4-5 of the aproximate 8-10 spots... That why I believe we need 2 offeasons to be a playoff contender in a tough division.

( I say this as I see us needing 2 WR, RT, at least 1 G, 1 DE, at least 2 LB's, CB and S... those can never all be upgraded in one offseason)... We had a pretty strong draft last offseason.. and how many holes did we adequately fill?????.. I realize we did zip in free agency last year... but think about it.... OH... and I did not even mention qb in the above list..

We got a very strong #2 WR, especially if Greg Little can fix his catching he could play more like a #1. We made our D-line one DE from being incredibly dominant. We got a good young fullback. Again, people doubt, but i think we got an awesome CB project in Buster Skrine. We brought in Chris Ogbonnaya who i believe is a real talent.

We need to understand every player makes another better.

If we can get another CB who can stay on coverage for just an extra second then it gives our powerful D-line and extra second to apply pressure.
If we get another OLman it gives Colt and extra second to throw and a #1 WR can use that second to do something productive.That new WR and Colt can give a RB better opportunities, who will then give the passing better opportunities. The list goes on and on. So don't forget that with every player we get it also makes someone else stronger.

We also NEED to stop looking at players as individuals. Look at the Vikings when Favre had his massive season with Sidney Rice, Adrian Peterson, Jared Allen etc, or the Eagles this year. Big names aren't indicative of success. A cohesive, methodical and disciplined unit is infinitely more valuable. We need hard workers and a coach who is going to make them work to the point of perfection. I'd rather Colt McCoy and Greg Little perfectly timed over anyone because that's when average players become elite.

[Bronx Cheer]

Is this thread for real, or is it a Saturday Night Live type of parody?

[Riffer X]

Originally Posted by Bronx Cheer

Is this thread for real, or is it a Saturday Night Live type of parody?

Yes. You have to be Jewish and live in LA to see the parody.

[hiwaygal]

Originally Posted by jblackmon81

I don't expect people to come in here and comment if they are "old dogs" like you say.. But still many people came in and told me to lay off the kool aid.

I presented a good debate, and all i get out of it is people saying we are so far away and how I need to lay off the crack pipe.

For some reason you guys assume Im the type of guy that thinks we will be good every offseason. I thought the Browns would blow chunks on offense last year and they did.

I think you misunderstood a little. No one begrudges you your optimism or enthusiasm. And as others have pointed out it's something needed around here...especially in the silly season.

But I think we want you to understand maybe why WE aren't joining in...we certainly don't want to leave an honest post without any responses (we GOTTA say something). But it gets harder and harder to put on a smile and some browns colored glasses year after year of getting the same shitty results.

We still bleed orange and brown, we just don't have much of that blood left.

[Bronx Cheer]

Originally Posted by hiwaygal

We still bleed orange and brown, we just don't have much of that blood left.

Good one. I feel like this team has bled me dry. They've been so bad for so long that it gets harder to justify the emotional investment each year.

[Sez.EJ]

Originally Posted by hiwaygal

We still bleed orange and brown, we just don't have much of that blood left.

Best quote this year..

[jblackmon81]

I must be a vampire, because I got a ton of it and it won't go away. If you seriously expected something from our team, with one exception of the 2008 season, I think your a little nuts. But now is when I am expecting something, so we will see where we go with it

[lemosley01]

Originally Posted by brownsdownunder

I'm 21 tomorrow.
Being optimistic is still being a realist. You don't punch your kid in the head when he falls off his bike the first time without training wheels. If we aren't going to support them and have faith then nobody is. So don't start with the "You're too young" shit because at least i didn't need a golden era to be here.

Well, we keep falling off of the bicycle and the Browns keep punching us in the head, so tell it to the Browns.

You seriously have no idea wtf you are talking about. I'm 39 and I DON'T remember Jim Brown, but I do remember Elway tearing my heart out year after year and watching assured victory turn to defeat when Byner fumbled.

More importantly, we've been here since 99 as well, and we hear the same stuff over-and-over - just one more year, we know what we're doing. Then the team goes 3-13, 4-12, or 5-11, the coaches and FO are fired, and the merry-go-round starts all over again. We get guys like Holmgren telling us if we aren't with them (ie, we don't buy in blindly like good little kids) then we must be against them. We see players make millions here and put forth very little effort doing it, and we so coaches and FOs guys get big fat paychecks for producing crap on the field every Sunday.

And guess what? Year after year, we support them.

But I guess we aren't real fans. Or something.