CLEVELAND, OHIO (TheOBR.com) - Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!
Well, that was rough. It's obviously difficult to be a Browns fan in this day and age. Let's talk about it.
THE DAILY RANT
One doesn't enjoy being a Browns fan. One endures being a Browns fan. Or, at least, that's the way it seems.
For a quarter of a century, while running this website, I've witnessed our fan base tear itself apart on our forums nearly every year due to futility and embarrassment. It's generally the same: fans enter a game with reasonable, or sometimes aggressive, expectations, and stream in frustration as the team lays an egg once again, eventually exploding in rage at the organization's incompetence. Then, some fans tire of the negativity and engage in arguments with the naysayers. And we beat ourselves over the head while the team itself frets and promises better things to come. Rinse, wash, repeat.
The bottom line, in my view, is that there's no wrong way to "fan". We all want the same thing, but may disagree on the path to get there. That disagreement is a small thing compared to what we have in common.
When I was much younger, several decades ago, I looked forward to the promise and possible joy of developing a digital successor to Browns News-Illustrated. The team had been successful in the past, after all, and the new regime, led by proven winner Carmen Policy, seemed promising. In truth, over the succeeding 25 years, it's turned out to be a very stressful way to survive, as the term perennially disappoints, Browns fans tune out as the season goes on, and at least once each year, I get to watch happy Steeler fans mindlessly twirl towels and sing along to bad late 1970s prog-rock with joy as we thrash again in self-loathing.
They've done nothing to merit the annual happiness. We've done nothing to merit the agony. But that's how it plays out.
There are different reasons for each iteration of the team's brain trust. Perhaps it's that our front office doesn't recognize talent, or maybe they made a colossal mistake that set them back three to four years, as this group did. It doesn't matter; the result remains the same time and again.
Those who remain in the Cleveland Browns fanbase, once the greatest in the world, are made of tough stuff. We dive back into the fray each year, convincing ourselves that things may turn around each off-season, only to be flattened with the sledgehammer of reality time and again once regular-season play begins.
That kernel of hope, that constant and infuriating tease, remains in this team. They had a fantastic, if unbalanced, draft in 2025 and have loads of draft picks in 2026. Perhaps the young talent will turn things around over the next few years. If so, I hope I survive long enough to see it.
Kevin Stefanski
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski (Photo: Getty)
That brings us to the question of what we do now. Many want to put Kevin Stefanski's head in the guillotine and let the blade fly. I've been through this so many times that I'm no longer emotionally invested in whether that happens or not. If Stefanski is axed, the possible upside is that an energetic Jim Schwartz takes over the team and they secure a few somewhat meaningless wins over the easier second half of the schedule. If Stefanski is retained, he gets to show whether he can get improvement out of this squad now that they're out of the early-season gauntlet. That, to me, would be an essential requirement for retaining his job in 2026.
Until the team solves deep-rooted problems on the offensive line, at wide receiver, and perhaps at quarterback, it won't make much difference who's running things. That will have to wait until next off-season. Right now, the only thing that matters is bringing the youth along and not breaking their will to live over the next eleven games.
Amidst all this, a carnivorous media will take advantage of the fans' misfortune, feeding narratives about coaching or quarterback changes as a false panacea. Some good work is being done in the local media. That being said, those who capture the attention in this environment at this juncture will be the loudest and most venal, attention-whoring elements, playing to the understandable frustration of the fans.
And so, as Vonnegut said, it goes. We've seen this show before. The question is whether we, as fans, will rise above the flames and apply logic, reason, and kindness towards our fellow fans on the omnipresent social and message board platforms, or will we writhe in loud frustration as time marches on.
I'm bored with this endless loop. Browns fans deserve to see some success and share in the joy. We can once again sigh deeply and wait until next year. But it's getting really, really old. And so are we.
GO BROWNS!
Newswire Bloviation Archive
OBR BROWNS STUFF
CLEVELAND BROWNS VIDEOS
Off the Leash, Episode 12: Not How To Steel a Win - (cleveland19.com)
CLEVELAND BROWNS ARTICLES
Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 1012 Even 22 Years of Futility Can End - Barry
Browns Tyson Campbell, Cam Robinson Active and Starting; Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders Only Two Active QBs - Fred
Takeaways from the Cleveland Browns 239 Loss to the Steelers - Fred
Cleveland Browns Snap Counts vs Pittsburgh Steelers Quick Takeaways - Jack
Pittsburgh Steelers Bully Batter Cleveland Browns - Pete
BROWNS MESSAGE BOARD POSTS
ASK THE INSIDERS (VIP)
How to keep faith in this regime ?
Myles
Dillon's Speed and Touch
Where was Pass Rush?
Does Stefanski actually think….
Where was Pass Rush?
Hate to say it
RE: Duffin WR Trade
Does DG have the legs to avoid Pittsburgh's D?
Judkins and the NFL league office
RE: Duffin WR Trade
Scouts in Eugene?
Trade Rumors
FU on Josh Simmons
It's annoying... but Jon Gruden HC rumors?
INSIDER DISCUSSION (VIP)
OFFICIAL Insider GameDay Discussion: Browns - Steelers!
THE WATERCOOLER
Mason Graham
Dandy Don Meredith
Browns Bingo!
The Icing on this while ***** regime
Tyson Campbell
Meanwhile in Flacco in Cincinnati
Can we please fire Ventrone already
Steeler head hunting is blatant
Eye into 2026 (from my source)
Gabriel is a backup
What would you like the next Browns coach to be like?
Gameballs and Goats
Thoughts On The Game. 101225
What post-game questions
It's time (this week's melt thread)
Franklin fired
Way OT: Question for professional gutter installers
Air Fryers for Dummies
OT(ish) Chad Powers
The OFFICIAL Watercooler Browns-Yinzers Thread!
OT- Help me make my fantasy picks for today
LiveWire Thread for 1012 - Gameday vs Steelers
THE LIFT
Positive news from the world of sports and beyond...
Information could be a fundamental part of the universe – and may explain dark energy and dark matter - (space.com)
"In other words, the universe does not just evolve. It remembers."
I really, really want to understand this article. It seems to espouse a critical point of view about the nature of the universe. But right now I'm worried about a football team that throws Isaiah Bond out onto a field full of veteran head-hunters and then bounces a football off his noggin. Not sure which of these things are harder for my brain to injest.
WRAPPING UP
When not standing around with his mouth agape waiting for something else bad to happen, Barry McBride is the Publisher and Founder of the OBR and bloviates this nonsense every morning. You can follow him on Twitter @barrymcbride or write him at barry@theobr.com if you are so compelled.
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