Browns’ season sinks deeper as effort and leadership questioned | News, Sports, Jobs

Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford (34) is tackled by a number of New Orleans Saints including Ugo Amadi (0) and Nathan Shepherd (93) in the second half of a New Orleans Saints football game the NFL in New Orleans, Sunday, November 17. 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

CLEVELAND — As owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam took stands and played politics in recent months to find funds to help them build a new domed multi-purpose stadium in suburban Cleveland, their football team collapsed.

The Browns are a fiasco.

A season that seemed to have collapsed a few weeks ago plummeted to a new low Sunday with a 35-14 loss to the New Orleans Saints, who outscored the Browns 21-0 in the fourth quarter to turn a close match in rout.

The final blow came from Saints Swiss Army fullback Taysom Hill, who was barely touched by any of the Browns on a 75-yard run in the fourth quarter – his third touchdown and a much easier one than most NFL players.

In the wake of their loss to a three-win team, the Browns are facing questions about player effort, and mounting speculation is coming for a team that made the playoffs a year ago year and started this season seriously believing that was the case. a Super Bowl contender.

Instead, the Browns (2-8) head toward the teeth of their schedule (visiting Pittsburgh on Thursday) and consider a possible organizational overhaul.

Coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry — who both received contract extensions from the Haslams last summer — are under fire and potentially fighting to save their jobs.

That is, if their fate hasn’t already been decided.

It’s a mess in Cleveland and it will only get worse if the Browns don’t string together some wins. It’s a cruel, bottom-line affair.

Stefanski on Monday offered a version of his usual weekly “we have to be better” assessment, a line that irritates fans but accurately sums up the Browns’ troubling state. Their team has digressed at every phase, and the depth and diversity of the problems make it difficult to pin blame on any one person.

Let the finger pointing begin.

“Very disappointing,” Stefanski said on a Zoom call. “It’s disappointing to go into the fourth quarter with this opportunity and not finish this game. And we are all in it. It’s about offense, defense, special teams, players and coaches, so we’re all in it.

However, not everyone will share the price of failure.

It’s hard to attribute all of this to Stefanski, a two-time AP Coach of the Year who went 39-38 with Cleveland and took the Browns to the playoffs twice in five seasons.

Stefanski continued to pitch to an ineffective Deshaun Watson for longer than he probably should have this season before the quarterback ruptured his Achilles tendon last month. Obviously, Stefanski is liked and respected by his players.

For his part, Berry’s record in the draft has been spotty at best, and it hasn’t helped that the Browns have been dealing with injuries at key positions.

When announcing Berry and Stefanski’s contract extensions in June, the Haslams praised the team’s “collaborative approach and ability to overcome obstacles that bode well for the future of this franchise.”

The Browns thought they had stability.

It’s suddenly shaky.

What works

Cleveland’s passing game is finally working with Jameis Winston, who threw for 395 yards and two touchdowns in his return to New Orleans, where he was a beloved teammate and fan favorite for four seasons.

Performance aside, Winston’s infectious personality and leadership have been essential in helping the Browns stay connected and, above all, competitive. Additionally, he could emerge as a “bridge” for next year with Watson’s future uncertain and the Browns likely moving toward drafting a young QB.

What needs help

A year ago, the Browns had the best defense in the league. It doesn’t really seem like it anymore.

Before the bye week, communication breakdowns in the secondary led to two touchdowns in a loss to the Chargers. Talking wasn’t a problem against the Saints, but tackling was as New Orleans racked up 473 yards.

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Finally, cornerback Denzel Ward threw his first interception this season after so many near misses.

The three-time Pro Bowler is having his best season. He also forced and recovered a fumble and had two more successful pass defenses, bringing his league-leading total to 17.

Stock falling

Kicker Dustin Hopkins had a bad day. A very bad day.

Hopkins missed three field goal attempts — one of which was negated by a penalty — in the first half, a shocking performance for one of the game’s most consistent kickers. Hopkins is 14 of 20 this season, just 4 of 8 on attempts of 50-plus yards after going 8 of 8 in 2023.

Stefanski hopes Hopkins will resolve any issues with his technique and quickly answered “no” when asked if the team would sign another kicker. Hopkins signed a three-year, $15.3 million extension in July.

Injuries

Left tackle Dawand Jones will miss the remainder of the season after breaking his left leg when teammate Wyatt Teller fell on him. It’s another setback for Jones, whose strong rookie season in 2023 ended with a knee injury. … With Jones out, Jedrick Wills Jr. could return to his starting spot, but he is dealing with a knee injury that kept him from participating Sunday. Last week, Wills caused a stir when he said he made a “business decision” and missed a game last month while his knee was sore.

Key number

964 — Yards passing for Winston in three starts. Watson passed for 1,148 yards in seven starts.

What’s next

A quick turnaround with the arrival of the Steelers (8-2) in town. Pittsburgh is just 1-4-1 in its last six visits to Cleveland.