HERE’S A SPECIAL QUESTION

The biggest question after their 27-21 loss in overtime to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium isn’t necessarily when, if ever, the Browns will win a game this year.

Oh, sure, that’s really important, absolutely no doubt about that. But there will be plenty of time for it later.

It also isn’t necessarily why quarterback DeShone Kizer threw an ill-advised pass in OT that was intercepted, setting up the Packers for their game-winning touchdown.

Oh, sure, that’s really important, too, absolutely no doubt about it. But there will be plenty of time for it later.

And it isn’t necessarily, either, how in the world the Browns blew a 21-7 fourth-quarter-half lead, as such, then, giving up 20 unanswered points to end the game.

Oh, sure, that’s really important, absolutely no doubt about it. But there will be plenty of time for it later.

There will be plenty of time for all of those things later.

No, ladies and gentlemen, the biggest question – without a doubt – is how special teams coordinator Chris Tabor continues to be employed by the Browns.

In a game in which the Browns, while not playing well, still performed well enough to win, exactly half – two — of Green Bay’s four touchdowns, including the one with seconds left in regulation to tie the score at 21-21, were as a direct result of huge, egregious, embarrassing mistakes by Tabor’s guys.

The game-tying TD came following a long punt return – after the Browns had the man cornered and failed to tackle him.

The Packers’ first score was set up when they completely fooled the Browns with a run off a fake punt to convert a fourth down.

A lot of those guys on special teams are rookies. That’s their excuse.

But what’s the excuse for Tabor, who has been the club’s special teams coordinator since 2011, making him the Browns’ longest-tenured coach, and has been coaching special teams either in the NFL or in college since 2005.

Shouldn’t he be coaching those young guys better?

And let’s make this clear: this isn’t just a one-game problem, nor is it the first time I’ve harped on it. This type of thing has been going on since Tabor arrived in Cleveland, and I’ve been chronicling it for a long, long time. Under him, the special teams hardly ever contribute anything positively to give the team chance to win. Many, many times, though, they contribute negative things to give the team a chance to lose.

Yes, Tabor’s special teams really are special. They stand out. They really do.

And they did again today.

Unproductive wide receiver Kenny Britt was released – fired – by new General Manager John Dorsey almost immediately after he got the job last week.

I don’t want to see anyone lose their job. Good jobs are too hard to come by.

Even with that, however, when will Dorsey make the same decision regarding Chris Tabor?

Particularly after what happened on Sunday, it can’t come soon enough.

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail