Play like a Brown.
 
Head coach Mike Pettine came up with that saying to serve as the standard for what he wants his players to be.
 
 Tough.
 
Smart.
 
Hard-working.
 
Dedicated.
 
But for the most part, the Browns players have not played like … well, Browns this season, as evidenced by their five-game losing streak and a miserable 2-8 record as they get ready to host the Baltimore Ravens tonight on Monday Night Football.
 
They aren’t tough.
 
Or smart.
 
Or hard-working.
 
Or dedicated.
 
Or anything else that’s positive, really.
 
The “Play Like a Brown” approach was a good idea by Pettine, but, as with so many things, it has come up to bite him – embarrass him and make him look bad — because his players let him down.
 
As a result, he will end up getting fired at the end of the season, and many of his players will be heading out of Cleveland, too, having to play like Patriots, Cardinals or perhaps even Ravens in 2017.
 
But of the few players who do indeed play like Browns the way Pettine wants them to, quarterback Josh McCown is the most interesting, and the one who should be remembered most from this season. Say what you want about his inability to win games – and we certainly have done that in this space over the course of the year – but in terms of what he’s made of and the qualities he exemplifies, he is a shining example of what a Brown should be.
 
Because of the continued behavioral problems of Johnny Manziel, McCown will start tonight. Every player wants to start, but he did not complain when Manziel was named the starter for the final six games before being demoted.
 
And if Manziel should, for some strange reason, be given the job again down the stretch, McCown will step aside once more and try to be the best mentor he can be. He admits he is fully aware he was brought here to keep the seat warm until that franchise quarterback, whether it be Manziel or somebody else, is identified by the organization.
 
So, then, McCown is a team-first guy. He wants what’s best for the Browns, even if it’s not best for him.
 
He is tough as nails, too. He has battled through injury after injury to play. He refuses to come out, even when it’s obvious he should. He is being paid to suit up and be available, and he wants to earn his paycheck in that regard. Whatever he’s got, he gives it – and then some.
 
McCown is also smart. He studies the game. If he can’t make a play with his arm, then he’s going to try to make it with his brains.
 
Those things are priceless. If his teammates were as smart as he is, then they’d study the way he goes about his business and try to imitate it.
 
Maybe McCown hasn’t been a great player this season, but it has been great to watch him play. And it seems fitting that he’s starting tonight. For while fans across the country – fans who may not know a lot about the Browns — tune in to see what the team is all about, McCown will be leading the way to try to help the organization put its best foot forward.
 
The way this season has gone, that counts for a lot.