This hardly will be a revelation to any of you, but it’s something the Browns definitely must correct if they want to go into Pittsburgh on Sunday and beat the Steelers.

In fact, if they don’t do anything else between now and kickoff, they can have a much better chance to win if they just make much-needed and major improvement in these two areas.

Penalties.

Slow starts.

They are the ugly side — perhaps the only ugly side — of this incredible 5–2 start.

The Browns can’t continue to win if, nearly every time they have a big play, it is negated by a penalty. The team that plays the cleanest game usually wins. The Browns have been able to get around that by winning despite having a lot of penalty yardage. It’s a road to nowhere, though, and it can’t continue. And if it does continue, then the winning won’t continue.

And these slow starts are just mind-blowing. When the Browns got behind the Tennessee Titans 14-0 early in the game on Sunday, I felt sick to my stomach. Why can’t they figure this out? Why can’t they start fast? Why can’t they come out ready to play?

If they get behind the Steelers 14-0, then they might as well just pack up the equipment and head back up to Cleveland. They aren’t winning, not in that house of horrors.

Can the Browns do it? Of course they can. This is pro football and they have good coaches. But now we’re almost into the halfway point of the season and they’re still being bothered by these things. What is wrong? What is happening? Why can’t they change it?

I have no idea. But the Browns better have one, and they better have one soon.

Steve King