This week’s SB Nation theme for the NFL blogs is to write about something I didn’t expect from my team this season. For the Cleveland Browns, it’s cut-and-dry: I thought there was zero chance the team would be winless in 2017. There are still five games to go, but when I say I didn’t expect them to be winless, I didn’t even think 0-5 would be a possibility, let alone 0-11.
After living through an 0-14 stretch to begin the 2016 season, I kept telling myself, “OK, the Cavaliers won a championship, the Indians went on a wild ride — it sucks not having any wins, but the Browns are being built the right way so we’ll never have to go through a season like this again.” I found a way to justify it, and the offseason seemed like a success too. Three first round picks. A bolstered offensive line. Re-signing a couple of key defensive players. Even if quarterback was still a major question mark, the Browns would surely progress to get at least a few wins in 2017, right? I mean, how many teams in history play through being at risk of going 0-16?
Then the preseason came — which we all know doesn’t mean squat in terms of your record, but the Browns went a perfect 4-0. The takeaway I had from that record was that the team showed late-game fight in all the contests, something they seldom had in 2017. The ability to close out or rally. I thought the coaching staff had the players motivated enough.
Yet here we are, getting ready to enter December, and we’re still winless. Ugh. Did any of you truly see this coming for the Browns before a regular season game was played? And, how many wins do the Browns finish the season with?
Poll
How many wins will the Browns finish the 2017 season with?
This poll is closed
-
30%
0
-
41%
1
-
22%
2
-
3%
3
-
1%
4
-
1%
5