The Negativity

Amongst what is becoming a deluge of negative national opinion regarding Butch Davis and the Browns, Butch expressed his usual burst of optimism on the eve of training camp. I guess that is no surprise. But the comments about how the Browns are in for a miserable season, from Dr. Z of SI fame to the lowliest homeade website, seem to be almost universally overlooking something: the Browns are likely to field a more talented football team in 2004. And you may remember last season how the Browns were generally to be an asverage team, and that was considering a raging quarterback controversy. Fast-forward to this year: No QB controversy, at least 3 significant additions to the roster, clarity in the front-office (for better or worse), and (so far) no running backs being suspended. 2003 was sheer chaos, probably moreso behind closed doors than even on the field. Can 2004 really be worse? While a part of me subscribes to the Kenny Roda "Butch Must Go" rants, I think there's quite a bit more to the situation, such as the fact that Butch is actually a pretty good coach at times. My bet is that the national media's perception that the sky is falling in Berea is overblown. It's more likely the sky already fell some time last season and we're seeing things get sorted out now. That might not translate into a lot of wins on the field, but my bet is this team is, at this moment, somewhat better than it is getting credit for.