Like many of you Browns fans, I’m sure, I stewed a long, long time — in fact, I’m still doing so to a degree, if I’m being honest — about last Sunday’s thoroughly embarrassing 34-10 season-opening loss to the host Jacksonville Jaguars that was a whole heckuva lot more one-sided that even that lopsided score might seem to indicate.

As I tell people near and far all the time, the Browns — and their success — is so ingrained in us that when they win, there is a pep in our step, and when they lose, we drag around like we’ve lost our last friend. It’s just the way it is. It has always been that way, and it will always be that way.

And, it should be pointed out, the degree of the win — of the loss — serves only to exacerbate our emotions, making last Sunday a real tough one.

Now, let’s be honest in saying thst Browns fans expected that kind of performance. They saw it coming a mile away. A team is only as good as its quarterback, and the guy playing that position for the Browns was terrible in that game, and is terrible, both on and off the field. He’s a criminal in clears. 

But, despite all that, it’s still hard to stomach as you watch it play out in real time.

Last Sunday evening, though, something happened that changed my outlook. A good friend texted me a photo from the park where he was taking a walk.  Way beyond the path as it curved to the left out of sight was a beautiful, colorful, breathtaking sunset on the horizon.

Wow!

“It looks like you’re walking toward heaven,” I texted back.

And I meant it.

It made me relax. I exhaled and smiled.

Even though we may not realize it at times, there’s a whole world out there that is exhilarating and has nothing to do with football. It is waiting there to be appreciated. We need to take advantage of that.

That will apply again Sunday as the Browns are in Florida for a second straight week, this time to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It will be a replay of the Jacksonville game, which means it won’t be pretty for Watson, the offense, even the defense, which also stunk against the Jaguars, and the team overall.

While we will still stew about the game for a while, we now have our own littke, gorgeoussunset with the fact that this may be — and should be, for crying out loud — the end for Watson in Cleveland forever, barring Shadeur Sanders getting hurt.

That makes me happy and hopeful just writing it.

Steve King