You win some.
You lose some.
Sometimes you lose them all.
And all the time, whatever happens in the preseason is quickly forgotten as soon as it’s over.
That’s exactly where the Browns are at right now after putting the finishing touches on the third winless preseason in their history with a 21-7 loss to the Chicago Bears on Thursday night at FirstEnergy Stadium.
That the Browns finished 0-4 is hardly a badge of honor. They were also winless in 2008 (0-4) and 1972 (0-6). But it is also not something to to get too worked up about since these games really don’t count.
Now, if the Browns start the regular season 0-4 when the games count for a whole lot, then it will be time to get concerned – really concerned.
The highlight on Thursday night? That the Browns got a four-yard touchdown run from Isaiah Crowell in the first quarter to take a 7-3 lead when most of the starters on both sides were still in the game.
The lowlight? You mean, other than the fact the Browns wore those hideous all-brown uniforms? It is that the Browns scored a total of just 44 points in the preseason, their fewest since 1992, when they tallied only 41.
But again, by the time the Browns coaches get to work on Friday morning and focus all of their attention – not just 95 percent of it – on the start of the regular season on Sept. 11 at Philadelphia, the preseason won’t even be in their rear-view mirror anymore. It will be a distant memory, and getting more distant each passing second.
Nonetheless, the Browns have a lot of work to to get ready for the opener. That’s obvious. That they won’t be able to get it all done in time is obvious, too. This continues to be a work in progress.
Throughout the preseason, the Browns were trying just to progress from game to game. That won’t be enough anymore.
Head coach Hue Jackson said he came here to win. Perhaps he’ll get the first one against the Eagles.
Meanwhile, the Browns will be trying to get their one since last Dec. 13 when they beat the San Francisco 49ers 24-10. It’s their only win dating all the way back toOct. 25. In that span, they’ve lost 14.
That’s numbing.
But it will all be forgotten if the Browns defeat the Eagles. Winning – in the regular season – cures everything.
