The Truth About The 0-16 Browns "Parade"

By Jason Disantis, @JasonInCLE

I get it…

Some will say I don’t.  But I do.

The problem is they don’t. 

Who is they?

Everyone participating and supporting in the 0-16 parade. 

If you want to go and have a good time, knock yourself out.  Sing, dance, make balloon animals.  Do whatever the hell it is you guys have planned.  Whoop it up like you never have before.  But if you do go to the parade there are a couple things that have to be made crystal clear.

You, nor your leader Chris McNeil, are doing yeoman’s work.

This event has been called a parade since it became a thing last year when the Browns were approaching the “perfect” winless season.  But as the chances of this parade have gone from doubtful to almost certain, I’ve noticed a change in tone regarding how they want it to be seen.  McNeil and his supporters want it to be seen as a protest.  They have said that it is a message being sent, “a shot across the bow” to Jimmy Haslam and the front office of the Cleveland Browns.   

Stop it.  You sound ridiculous.

There are a couple reasons I doubt his sincerity in the “protest” message. 

If this parade is honestly meant to send a message to Jimmy Haslam they would be having it regardless of if they win this Sunday.  Let’s be honest.  There’s no difference between 1-15 and 0-16.  If you believe the organization is inept today, a win in the last game of the season doesn’t change that.  Beating the Steelers doesn’t suddenly make them smarter. 

Secondly, the idea that this parade is going to send a message to Jimmy Haslam is ridiculous.  At the end of this season they will be 1-31 over the last two years…  1-31…

If the worst two-year stretch of football in the history of the world doesn’t send a message, if declining attendance and an empty stadium doesn’t send a message, what-in-the-hell makes you think your parade is going to send a message? 

I’ve seen tweets of people saying, “when the Browns are good in a couple years you can thank this parade for putting pressure on them.”  And “all these idiots attacking [McNeil] for the parade is EXACTLY why Haslam doesn’t give a shit if the team sucks.  You idiots keep spending money on the worst team in sports history.  Why would he care to fix it if it’s still profitable?”

What the hell is wrong with you people?  (The funny thing about the second tweet, is one of those “idiots” he’s talking about is McNeil, as he is a season ticket holder)

The man is a billionaire.  You think YOU can shame him?

Another one of my problems with the parade is the effect it will have on the city.  A city that McNeil isn’t even from or currently reside in. 

The day after the Houston Astros won their first World Series Championship I drove to work and had to hear national moron Boomer Esiason use his CBS sports minute not to talk about the historical year the Astros had or what it meant to the city of Houston. 

Nope. 

Instead he used it to tear apart Cleveland as a bunch of losers.

Now what Boomer Esiason has to say doesn’t mean much and only solidifies him as a jack-ass.  But as a Clevelander you get tired of hearing it. 

And that’s my final point.

If you’re supporting this parade, then you can no longer mention your heart ache or frustration with the many egregious events of Cleveland sports history. 

The Shot.  The Drive.  The Fumble.  Red-right 88.  The Decision.  Jose Mesa.  Tony Fernandez. 

And now…  The Parade. 

Because I guarantee when the historic blunder that is this season is written in the annals of history it will be known as “The Parade.”

And you will have been a part of it.    

I don’t know McNeil personally and in no way am I questioning his fandom and commitment to Cleveland sports teams (or anyone else for that matter).  I follow him on Twitter and he’s a good follow and pretty funny most of the time.  Hell, I tip my hat to him for convincing thousands of people they’re making some kind of change and holding Haslam’s feet to the fire.  We both know that’s not true.  And if the Browns somehow win this weekend all the money collected for the parade will be donated to the Cleveland Food Bank, which is a great cause and should be applauded.     

So, with that being said, go to the parade.  Have fun.  Drink, eat, and be merry.  But if you do go don’t for one second think you are doing anything other than having a good time.  You’re not sending a message to the front office.  Nothing will change because you took a lap around the stadium.  The nation isn’t laughing with you.  They’re laughing at you.  The only ones being embarrassed by this parade is yourselves and this city.  You are solidifying your spot in Cleveland sports history.  And not in the good way. 

On The Mark 1.4.16: #Browns v. #Steelers Recap

Another year, another loss to the Steelers who beat the Browns 28-12, advance to playoffs
By @MarkW2112


The Cleveland Browns, on what became Mike Pettine's last game as head coach, were soundly defeated by the Pittsburgh Steelers, 28-12. Austin Davis started and was, for the most part, played OK, but was under pressure most of the game and finished 24-of-46 passing with 2 interceptions and no touchdowns.

Isiah Crowell and Duke Johnson were somewhat effective but not used nearly enough since the Steelers defense stacked the line knowing that there was no chance Davis could beat them. Crowell had 53 yards rushing on 15 carries while Johnson had 11 yards rushing and 34 passing yards. Gary Barnidge led all receivers with 66 yards. The Browns offense got to the red zone 4 times but couldn't score touchdowns, only field goals.

On the other end, Ben Roethelisberger had no problems passing the ball, going 24-of-36 for 349 yards, 187 of those yards going to Antonio Brown, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. The Browns defensive secondary was MIA once again with Big Ben having his way all day.

My take: Jimmy Haslam has torched the entire organization and starting from scratch. Head coach Mike Pettine, GM Ray Farmer and President Alec Scheiner are all gone and new people will be brought in, including new executive VP of football operations, Sashi Brown. The only issue is who wants to come to a toxic situation like the Browns? For us Browns fans, this is going to be another long offseason with a lot of anger and disappointment with who is hired and which players leave the Browns. It's very possible the Browns may be even worse next year.

People of the game: Those poor Browns fans who stuck around to see Steelers fans cheering the fact that their team was going to the playoffs once again.

Next for the Browns: The unknown as the Browns will have the #2 pick in the draft and lose many players like Alex Mack and possibly Joe Thomas.

As a side note, it's been fun writing once more for Triple Threat Cleveland. Hope to see you next season!

On The Mark 11.6.15: Cleveland #Browns @ #Bengals Recap

Pathetic second half by the Browns leads to 31-10 disaster against the undefeated Bengals
By @MarkW2112

Johnny Manziel looked good in the first half, but like last week, the Browns seemed to give up in the second half and give the game to the Cincinnati Bengals, 31-10.  Andy Dalton was nearly flawless, throwing for 3 touchdowns to Tyler Eifert.  Manziel had 1 touchdown to Duke Johnson at the end of the first half.  The Browns offense was summed up by Taylor Gabriel's 4 dropped passes.

The Browns defense, once again, did absolutely nothing to stop the run or on third down.  Dalton was able to have his way along with Jeremy Hill and Giovanni Benard running the ball at will against the Browns.  

My take:  The Browns are done.  The season is over.  It will be interesting to see if Jimmy Haslam makes drastic changes before then.  Especially with Jim O'Neil's awful defense.

Player of the game:  Andy Dalton, who went 21 of 27 for 234 yards and 3 touchdowns.  He was precise and played like he hasn't in the past few years.

Next game:  Against the dreaded Steelers, November 15 in Pittsburgh

Leadoff with Lee 2.12.15

By @cleeverizon

- Browns owner Jimmy Haslam had a press conference yesterday with the Cleveland media. What did we learn from it? Absolutely nothing that I haven't told you already. The only thing I found somewhat interesting is the Browns will hold training camp in Berea this summer and not Columbus. The plan is to expand the Columbus Crew's stadium and add practice fields. Now by my estimation, construction on a indoor practice field, clearing the land for 2-3 outdoor fields would need to be started by this summer. So with that being said we won't hear anything about a possible move until mid-spring or early summer.

-There will be changes in this year's Rising Stars game at All-Star Weekend. The NBA assistant coaches have selected 10 U.S. players and 10 international players for the game, with one ballot for each NBA team. Both 10-man rosters will include 4 guards, 4 front court players and 2 more players regardless of their position. Each team will feature a minimum of 3 first-year players and 3 second-year players among its 10 spots.

The head coaches for both teams will be the lead assistant coaches from the 2015 NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs Alvin Gentry (Team USA) and Kenny Atkinson (Team World) Good for the game? I don't know, but it's a good way for us to see some good international talent.

- Due to the injury of Boston's Kelly Olynyk, Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova has been added to the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge game at NBA All-Star Weekend on Friday night.

- Due to the injury of Dwayne Wade, who sat out yesterday's loss to the Cavs, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has picked Atlanta's Kyle Korver as his replacement. This will be the Hawks 4th player to play in this weekend's NBA All-Star Game in New York.
 
- Seattle Seahawks All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman has elected to rest and rehabilitate his left elbow as opposed to having Tommy John surgery.

- Chargers Pro-Bowl quarterback Philip Rivers will not have off-season back surgery. He told 101 KGB FM in San Diego,
"At this point, the back injury is not requiring surgery", "We'll kind of revisit it in a month or so. But everything is improving. I'm back to my regular workouts and running around. Me and my wife played a little tennis the other day. I've hit the golf ball a few times, so I'm actually on the up and up. So I'm pretty excited."

- Free agent Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker is considering retirement after 12 seasons. With all the uncertainty in Denver with Peyton Manning, a new head coach, losing offensive coordinator Adam Gase has a lot to do with his decision. Could Manning and Welker be looking to link up together with a Super Bowl contender next season? I don't know. But as D.J Quik once said "If it don't make dollars, it don't make (cents) sense.      

-  Former Browns quarterback Jeff Garcia will interview for the Rams quarterbacks coach job today. Frank Cignetti Jr. will be promoted to offensive coordinator. Is Jeff still with that Playboy model from North Olmsted? Jeff just tell Cleveland Thank You!

- The Miami Marlins will host the 2017 MLB All-Star Game. This will be the first time that the game is played in South Florida. Cincinnati will host this year's game, while San Diego holds the event in 2016.

- Are you tired of rate increases from your cable or satellite provider? Or increases in ticket prices for you favorite sporting event? Want to know why guys like LeBron James and Kevin Love only signed one year deals? Or even why Tristan Thompson turned down a contract extension. Here's why and it's very simple.

2015 TV deal rights increases:
NBA +186%
NHL +167%
MLB +105%
Premier League +71%
NFL +28%.                                  

- Sad news for the sports world. Hall of Fame basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian has died at 84. He had over 700 wins as a head coach. Born in Euclid, Ohio, "Tark the Shark" first deal with UNLV was in 1973, making $22K/year in salary, $10K for TV show, $25K recruiting budget, $3K wardrobe budget. He coached with Fresno State from from 1968-1973, UNLV 1973-1992 (winning the NCAA Championship in 1990 with Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon and Greg Anthony as his star players), then back to Fresno State from 1995-2002. His final record was 784-202.