NOW IT’S TIME TO GO TO WORK AND GET IT DONE

By STEVE KING

To the surprise of absolutely no one – and I mean absolutely, positively no one – the Browns are hiring Andrew Berry as their general manager.

Berry was the man they wanted all along to replace the fired John Dorsey, and when George Paton – the football guy, not the late general – dropped out, it became a foregone conclusion that if they could lure Berry, he would get the job. They did, and he did.

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They, of course, knew Berry well from his time before with the Browns. They liked him then and felt strongly he was their man. They just had to go through the process to double- and triple-check to make sure their opinions were still valid.

It is not unlike the Browns’ head-coaching search when Kevin Stefanski, whom they nearly hired a year ago, re-applied. They knew he was their guy, and used interviews with other candidates to confirm their beliefs.

So, then, they got the head coach they wanted, and they got the GM they wanted. At least on paper, they got the alignment they wanted. Everybody seems to be on the same page, and in accord with another. Stefanski likes Berry, too, and is anxious to work with him.

Considering that, the bottom line in all this – the only real news to come out of Berry’s hiring – is that the Browns have no excuse if they fail. They have everything and everyone they wanted, and everything and everyone they felt they needed. Now they must win.

There is no three-year plan, two-year plan or even 10-month plan. They have to win in 2020, and not to the degree of merely competing for a playoff spot, but rather competing for a Super Bowl berth. Anything less than that would be totally and completely unacceptable.

The talent, especially on offense, is there, if the Browns can re-do 60 percent of their offensive line and re-tool parts of their defense, both of which are doable.

So, Browns, roll up your sleeves and get to work.