The Cleveland Browns and hitting the panic button.

The Cleveland Browns simply do not get any kind of respect from sports analysts regardless of any moves they might have made during free agency or the NFL Draft. This is possibly due to years of displaying a dysfunctional offense (see 2011 and before) and a revolving door policy in management--numerous years past. Yes, from a media standpoint the Browns resemble that tin can, well nowadays aluminum being kicked down the street by that little boy, the one who is just bored to death!

Whether it be the odds makers of  Las Vegas or the numerous bloggers and sports writers weighing in one thing is for certain--pick the Browns to finish in the cellar of the NFL and your chances of hitting the mark and chalking up one in the "I got that right" column are excellent. Anytime your projection declares a continuation of a yearly occurrence you have a great chance of hitting the target.

Mike Florio at Pro Football Talk has the Browns finishing dead last, that would be #32, in his preseason power rankings:

"A six-game run against teams that either made the playoffs in 2011 or are being picked to get their in 2012 could cause the Browns to yet again fall down in a way that will prevent them from getting up."

Yes the Browns schedule this coming season is tough, however the Browns have added two highly regarded rookies to their offense:

"It’s unlikely, however, that the Browns will be able to consistently compete in the first season of the Trent Richardson-Brandon Weeden offense.  The goal should be to demonstrate the kind of improvement that won’t cause the Browns to reach for the “panic” button or the “reset” button or any button close to either in 2013 and beyond."

Yes, given the hard schedule one could actually suggest that we set aside the final win/loss record and be happy seeing improvement, an improvement that gives hope for 2013. The problem is--this is Cleveland, a town that has been waiting for next year since, well a whole lot of lasts years!

Browns fans are expecting a change this season with the addition of Brandon Weeden, Trent Richardson and others added to the roster. They are also expecting an increase in the win column, I believe it was team president Mike Holmgren that stated 5 or 6 wins was not good enough. No more excuses, 5 wins and a "but we looked good doing it" just doesn't cut it.

We picked the highest rated runningback in the draft along with what many consider our future franchise quarterback, added depth and have Holmgren a highly regarded former coach and quarterback "guru" leading the way with his hand picked coaches--the cellar with a "feel good story" of improvement is not good enough. It's all about the "wins"--excuses are nothing more than delaying on hitting the "panic button"!

Your thoughts?

A.J. Hunley--Senior Writer, AFC North
A.J. is Senior Writer and Editor for both the AFC North Report and the Cleveland Browns Report. He has been writing articles for several years, many of which have been featured on numerous high-profile websites. A.J. can be followed on Twitter, and you can join him on his Facebook Fan Page-- Cleveland Browns Report