WILL THE BROWNS FINALLY BE ABLE TO MANAGE EXPECTATIONS?

By STEVE KING

It hasn’t worked before in the expansion era.
In fact, it hasn’t worked in a long time.
But we’ll see if it works this time when it comes to the Browns being able to manage expectations.
Yes, once again — for the second time in the last three years — the Browns are a hot team — media darlings, as it were — in the offseason as they get ready for 2021. Coming off a strong 2020 in which they finished 11-5, made the playoffs for the first time in 18 years and won a postseason game for the first time in 26 years, the Browns are already being sized up as a team that will go a long way this season, perhaps even all the way.
Can the Browns deal with this? Can they refrain from buying into the hype too much and instead keep their focus?
They didn’t in 2003, when, after making the postseason in 2002 and then doing everything but defeating the Steelers in Pittsburgh, they fell flat on their faces, going just 5-11.
They didn’t in 2008, when, after going 10-6 and coming oh so close to winning the AFC North in 2007, they were miserably bad again, finishing 4-12.
It didn’t work, either in 1995, the final season of the original Browns frsanchise’s stay in Cleveland. After finishing 11-5 and making the playoffs in 1994, the Browns came into 1995 projected by Sports Illustrated to head to the Super Bowl. Instead, they went 5-11 amid swirling controversy and headed to Baltimore.
It has been since the middle of the 1980s that the Browns have managed expectations. After going 8-8 and winning the AFC Central in 1985, they built upon that — and then some — in 1986, finishing 12-4 and nearly getting to the Super Bowl, They made the playoffs the following three seasons, too, winning a pair of division titles and getting to the AFC Championship Game two more times.
Now what?
Who knows? But how they handle the expectations is already the theme of the 2021 season for the Browns.