For starters, I’ll take the start of the starters on offense.

 

Yes, absolutely, positively, in a New York minute, I’ll take the Browns’ first offensive play of Friday night’s safety-marred 17-11 loss to the Green Bay Packers in the preseason opener, and thus their first offensive play of the 2016 season, the first offensive play of the head coach Hue Jackson era and the first offensive play of the quarterback Robert Griffin III era.

 

Griffin stepped back into the pocket and threw a 49-yard bomb to wide receiver Terrelle Pryor.

 

Wonderful throw. Wonderful catch. Wonderful play call. Wonderful way to make a statement.

 

No, the Browns did not end up scoring on the drive, as Griffin was intercepted at the goal line as he tried to get too fine and fit the ball in to tight end Gary Barnidge. As Jackson said in a halftime interview, the Browns have got to do better. They can’t turn the ball over, especially when they’re headed in for a touchdown. Those mistakes kill you.

 

But I have full confidence that Jackson and his two top offensive assistants, Pep Hamilton and Al Saunders, will get that fixed. History tells us so with the resumes of these men.

 

I won’t remember that play. It will get lost in indifference.

 

But I will remember Griffin’s long, beautiful pass to Pryor.

 

Cleveland’s No. 1 defense, in its only series of the game, did what it did last year and gave up chunks of yards on the run and struggled in third-down situations. I have confidence that new defensive coordinator Ray Horton will get that fixed. History – Horton’s resume — tells us so.

 

The special teams, in opening the game, did what they did last year and made crucial mistakes, roughing the punter and fumbling away the return of a free kick.

 

Yikes!

 

Double-yikes!!

 

I have no confidence whatsoever that special teams coordinator Chris Tabor will ever get those problems fixed. History tells us so with his resume. His units have struggled throughout his six seasons with the Browns.

 

I wish it were different – I wish Tabor’s guys would truly be special overall and not just with the punting of Andy Lee, who was special long before he came to Cleveland last year – but I sense we’re going to have to live with bad efforts again.

 

Oh, well. It is what it is.

 

But keep in mind – always keep in mind – that this game is all about offense. It’s all about quarterback play. It’s all about big plays. It’s all about scoring points.

 

Browns fans know those axioms all too well. Their team’s offense – and quarterback play and scoring — have all been terrible since forever and a day.

 

So nothing is going to change until the offense changes, the quarterback play changes and the scoring totals change.

 

That’s why I liked Griffin’s throw to Pryor on the first play.

 

It gives Browns fans the audacity of hope that things will eventually change.

 

And that’s a great way to start the season.

 

For a change.