There are all kinds of things we can look at in the Browns’ 30-13 road loss to the Seattle Seahawks today.
*Enough drops by receivers to choke an elephant, limiting quarterback Johnny Manziel’s effectiveness.
*Enough missed tackles to choke the elephant if he hasn’t already choked on all the drops. All these misses on both sides of the ball are a by-product of poor coaching.
*Cornerback Charles Gaines pushing safety Donte Whitner on the sideline, which happens on teams that are struggling, which the 3-11 Browns are doing
Everybody will make a big deal out of all those things, and that’s understandable because they are indeed significant.
But after you’ve chewed on that and digested it, here’s what to really remember about this game.
It’s an even bigger deal.
It is this: With the Seahawks, it’s all about winning. And that’s the way it should be. It is why the Seahawks have been to the last two Super Bowls and, with a 9-5 record, likely will make the playoffs again and get a chance at a third trip.
But with the Browns, it’s all about just showing up and having a few moments of individual excellence. And that’s not the way it should be. It is why the Browns have had eight losing seasons in a row.
Browns head coach Mike Pettine said the Seahawks’ Russell Wilson is not in the top tier of NFL quarterbacks. Pettine is right in that contention, but only barely because this kid has been spectacular in the second half of the season. And he’s right only if you’re talking about individual numbers. They don’t matter. This is a team game, and it’s the quarterback’s job to win games, not to throw for 400 yards and three touchdowns. Wilson has won a lot of games – an incredible number – in his short career, making him a definite top-tier quarterback in the most important statistic.
That’s something Pettine doesn’t understand. He’s mired in losing. That’s all he knows.
Now for the other part of this story: While Pettine was missing the boat completely with his assessment of another team’s player, one of his own players was … well, missing the boat completely.
Late in the game, with the outcome having long since been decided, linebacker Christian Kirksey broke up a pass into the end zone and pranced about as if he had just sealed the victory for the Browns in the Super Bowl.
It was ignorant and embarrassing. And it was a picture-postcard of what’s wrong with the Browns.
If Kirksey had any sense of what team football – winning football — is all about, then he would have kept his mouth shut and his head down and walked back to the huddle with his tail between his legs.
But the good thing – the only good thing – is that there are just two more games left in the season. Then the Browns can clean house and try again to start working toward that winning attitude.
