Do you also chuckle when you hear people say that the main problem with the Browns is their defense?
Or their running game?
Or their wide receivers?
Or their offensive line?
Yes, certainly, those are all problems. Those are all contributing factors to why the Browns have lost five straight games to sink to 2-8 at their bye week. No doubt about it.
But the biggest problem by far – it’s not even close – is the lack of a franchise quarterback who can consistently make plays when they need to be made.
It has been that way for the Browns since they returned to the field in 1999, and it’s why they haven’t won. Period. End of statement.
And until they find their guy, they will continue to lose, regardless of the line, the running game, the receivers, the defense or anything else. Period. End of statement.
To believe otherwise is to just kid yourself.
But if you still need some proof – or even two forms of proof – I have them.
They are named Ben Roethlisberger and Tony Romo.
In last Sunday’s game against the Browns at Heinz Field, the Pittsburgh Steelers looked very ordinary when Landry Jones was in at quarterback at the start. When he went out with an injury and was replaced by a still somewhat hobbled Roethlisberger, they looked – and played — like an entirely different team.
The Dallas Cowboys started 2-0 this year with Romo at quarterback. Then he got hurt, and the Cowboys lost all seven games that he missed. He’s set to start on Sunday at Miami, and we’ll see how Dallas does.
Here’s another example you may recall: With Tom Brady at the helm, the New England Patriots finished the 2007 regular season at 16-0 and nearly were perfect overall, losing to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl in the final seconds.
The next season, with Brady hurt, the Pats finished 11-5 and missed the playoffs altogether.
The quarterback is the be-all and end-all in football, especially in the NFL. And it’s not just with the Browns, but rather with every team — Pittsburgh, Dallas, New England and all the rest.
