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The Browns' offseason from hell continues.
CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora released an eye-opening article today on the state of the Browns' organization. You can read the entire article here, but the highlights from the piece are below.
It's easy to discount La Canfora because of his apparent anti-Browns bias, which allegedly stems from his supposed friendship with Michael Lombardi, who received a pink slip from owner Jimmy Haslam. However, while certain pieces of La Canfora's piece can be discounted as over-exaggeration, many truths are present in this article. La Canfora's sources are most likely solid. Plus, is it really so hard to believe that the Browns are a mess?
La Canfora begins his piece by apologizing to Browns fans. When Haslam bought the Browns, La Canfora said the club was in good hands. As he readily admits now, he was wrong.
Things are actually worse than ever in Cleveland, where even a surprising seven-win season has been marred by the unraveling of the staff, the roster, and any faint hopes that for once, finally, this franchise might be on the upswing. Haslam has brought nothing but misery and instability to the franchise.
La Canfora goes on to blame Haslam for most of the organization's current woes, including:
- The departure of Kyle Shanahan
- The team's Josh Gordon headache
- Drafting Johnny Manziel and the fallout from the decision
- "Tension" between general manager Ray Farmer and head coach Mike Pettine
The culture in the Browns building is toxic, I'm told. Morale is beyond low. If you can flee, you are fleeing. There is no shortage of individuals throughout that organization who would, like former offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, get the hell out of there if at all possible.
There's an overwhelming sense of dread about the future and a fear that, come the end of the 2015 season, Haslam will do the one thing he has managed to do with any consistency during his three-season reign -- that is, blow up his entire building once again and fire everyone, in essence blaming all but himself for his sweeping failure.
You have to wonder, under Haslam, as long as he is this involved, if anything ever will. You have to wonder if this week -- with Manziel in rehab and Gordon banished from the league for 2015 -- is rock bottom for the Browns. You have to wonder if things will ever change.