Interesting column in The Athletic from their Cleveland Browns reporter (Tim Graham is listed as a contributor to the piece):
Reed: Browns should look to Buffalo for answers after latest house cleaning
He then goes into the following factors:
- "You don't have to game the system to assemble a decent team," basically saying that you don't have to tank.
- "Don’t use a high draft pick on a quarterback if you can’t protect him within two seasons," self-explanatory, the Browns pass pro sucks, with a comp between Allen and Mayfield re: second-year progress (Allen trending up, Mayfield trending down).
- "Make sure your most important decision-makers and players are on the same page," outlining the power struggles and personality mismatches at the top of the Browns org charts (Kitchens/Monken, Jackson/Haley, Dorsey/Depodesta) and comparing it to the buttoned-up look and feel of the Bills w/r/t press conferences and common goals of McD/Beane.
- "You can’t win without talent, but talent absent character and leadership is asking for trouble," talking about the big personalities and absence of veteran leadership on the Browns vs. the culture in the locker room in Buffalo with "low-wattage" stars like Frank Gore, John Brown, and Cole Beasley and jettisoning Dareus and McCoy. References JA17's habit of wearing suits on the road during media time.
Closes like this: