It’s Okay To Recognize The Moment In Cleveland
Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
“Enjoy it.” Ogbo Okoronkwo said when asked what he told the young players before Saturday’s preseason debut. “You practiced, you know what you’re doing. Just go out there, play free, and have fun.”
It seems those players listened, because the rookies showing off good vibes became a running theme after the Cleveland Browns’ preseason opener. Many of the younger players spoke glowingly about the great conversations and encouragement they were receiving from vets.
“Our veterans on this team, they’re always looking to push and pick up their teammates in any way they can.” Kevin Stefanski said the day after the game. “I think that’s the example of what I saw yesterday, was a lot of guys that even though they weren’t playing, per se, they were into the game. They were being cheerleaders when it’s time to be a cheerleader. They were being coaches when it was time to… [helping] a guy out with corrections. So, I thought they did a really nice job with that.”
To some, this might all seem like meaningless, generic preseason football compliments. But for Brown’s fans, it can mean something more.
Sometimes you need to take a step back to realize how far you’ve truly come. Although we’re only one preseason game into the 2024 season, and the Cleveland Browns haven’t won anything of any meaning in a long time, now is a perfect moment to celebrate how far this team has come from an organizational perspective.
As Browns fans we are trained to be Charlie Brown, knowing no matter how badly we want to believe we can kick that ball, that it’s always gonna be pulled out from under us at the last second. Yet the energy in the front office, coaching staff, and locker room are pushing back on that age-old baggage. The current support and structure the franchise has in place are essentially unparalleled in modern Browns history.
Yes, the Browns dealt with a comical injury situation last year that cost them the chance at a legitimate run. Yet the head coach somehow took them to the playoffs. Sure, they didn’t have a great cap situation or draft picks again (mostly due to the Deshaun Watson trade), but the general manager still found ways to improve the team during the offseason. And yes, this was once the sort of place that Kyle Shanahan begged to be released from, but now Cleveland is attracting the likes of Jim Schwartz, Mike Vrabel, and Bubba Ventrone, all respected coaches who had endless options.
Most fan bases might think it’s no big deal to hear young players talk about how encouraging the veterans are, but this is the same organization that has suffered locker room dysfunction after dysfunction, highlighted by the Johnny Manziel disaster. The organization spent two decades poorly developing young talent. That has changed.
So what if Brandon Aiyuk doesn’t want to come to Cleveland? For the first time in as long as I can remember, I can confidently say someone who thinks like Aiyuk is wrong. This is an organization that has not only built a roster that’s ready for a Super Bowl run, but they’ve gone out of their way to turn themselves into a franchise that takes care of their players and staff. Now because of this, they are truly taking care of one another.
I know there are no moral victories in football, and perhaps none of what I’m saying will matter at all if the team doesn’t go out and accomplish something significant this season. I’m not suggesting we hang a banner for culture growth in the rafters. But I do think it’s important for a fan base who has suffered through one of the only two winless seasons in history, countless roster debacles, and fans routinely going viral for wearing paper bags on their head to step back and recognize how far they’ve truly come.
This isn’t the old Browns. They are proving that within the organization and they will soon be proving that on the field. Don’t let the generic-seeming words from the young players fool you. There is something special finally brewing in Cleveland.
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