Monday, Aug. 17 (PM) – It would be easy to rip Browns cornerback Justin Gilbert after he was beaten like a drum today in the practices against the Buffalo Bills at Rochester, N.Y. Gilbert has played poorly since he came to the Browns as the first of their two first-round picks in the 2014 NFL Draft. And to the think that the Browns, in desperate need of wide receivers then and now, passed on the likes of Sammy Watkins and Mike Evans and traded out of the No. 4 overall pick to get back to No. 8, where they took Gilbert. Yikes! Double-yikes!! As such, Gilbert is one of the team’s all-time draft busts. In fact, if this continues, then he will be the all-time draft bust. No wonder General Manager Ray Farmer, who was running that draft, breaks into a cold sweat every time a receiver runs past Gilbert and makes a play. If Farmer wants to know why fans are upset with him in some respects, he needs to look no further than his scratch-your-head decisions on that fateful draft day. But we’ve been through all that before. Everybody has, really. So it’s like shooting fish in a barrel at this point. It’s overkill. It serves no purpose. Rather, this is about imploring the Browns to sit Gilbert down for a while – perhaps even a long while — before his confidence, which has to be at a low ebb already, is completely vanquished. Continuing to run Gilbert out there and letting him get embarrassed – no, more like humiliated – time after time after time is not helping anyone, least of all him. Sure, as the old saying goes, when you fall off the bike, you’re supposed to get right back on it and start riding again. But Gilbert has fallen off so many times that his belief in his abilities is as damaged as a car that has competed in a demolition derby – for a week straight. It’s battered beyond recognition. The Browns saw something they really liked in Gilbert when they were scouting him, so he has talent. The resume from his college days at Oklahoma State indicates that. Nobody is saying anything to the contrary. As such, the Browns have to do whatever they can, however they can and for as long as they can to bring that talent to the surface and make it translate to the pro game. They have too much time, effort and, most importantly, money invested in Gilbert not to do that. He was their first draft pick 15 months ago. They can’t just toss him onto the scrap heap and forget about him. But at the same time, by playing him now, it’s not making him better. It’s making him worse – a lot worse. This game is so much more mental than it is physical, and, at this juncture, Gilbert is beaten physically before the play even starts. He has to get his head right – his mental well-being right – before he can step onto the field again. Indeed, less is more – much more – in this case. This is what they pay the coaches the big bucks for, to take these downtrodden players – particularly the high-profile ones such as Gilbert – and get them back on track. So let that process begin. And with that, then, here’s hoping that Gilbert doesn’t play tomorrow night when the Browns and Bills conclude their two days of practices against one another. Sitting down is the only way Justin Gilbert ever has a chance to stand up and be counted again on this football team.