THE DAILY BLOVIATION
The tweet rolled in as usual: unexpected, anonymous, short, negative.
Fred ran a story yesterday about all the things that would have to go right for the Browns to finish at or above .500. It was a good story, typical Fred Greetham objective analysis, mixed with decades of experience working with the Browns.
In response, someone out there in Tweet-land mocked the post for being so optimistic that it theorized the Browns could reach 9 wins if everything broke right. Then the poster left.
This is often what running a social media account for a Cleveland Browns website is like. Any sense of hopefulness is met with a dismissive wave, and criticism of the team is often met with argument and derision. Sure, we have some supporters on Twitter, but it’s mostly antagonism towards the media and the team no matter what we say.
I can’t blame them, really. It’s easy to be cynical about the Browns. It’s so, so easy.
In the middle of that is Todd Monken, a head coach many fans have already dismissed because he decided to start Deshaun Watson. We have experience with Watson. It’s not good. That makes it even easier to be cynical.
Monken reflects on getting his first chance at age 60. “You’re going to get scarred; you’re going to fail. I say that all the time. What I’ve gotten so much better at over the years was admitting you’re human, you’re going to fail, and then you’ve got to own it and fight like hell to fix it.” He’s already aware that there will be mistakes and moments he can’t succeed.
I like the guy. He’s honest, he’s self-aware, he’s an old guy like me who is still working and trying to achieve something later in life. I want to root for him. I’d like to see him succeed.
I’m of the belief that it’s never too late to learn something new. I’m learning things every day.
Regardless of the self-awareness that age brings, I believe that it’s never too late to try something new, something risky, something in public, in front of a cynical crowd of naysayers.
I’m 65 years old and have been told to just “ride it out” with the OBR. Stop trying to build a better site; stop trying new things. Just go with what’s safe and what’s familiar.
To hell with that. Like Todd Monken, I’m in my sixties and am about to try something audacious. It may be a complete failure. It may be a success. A lot of it depends on how hard I work and not giving up. But I know there will be cynicism, criticism and naysayers. I know, like Monken, all about that risk, but I’m willing to take it because I believe life doesn’t end once you start getting close to retirement age. I’ll stop trying to achieve more when they put me in the ground. I know of many kindred spirits in the forums.
Across the field today from Monken is Liam Coen, 40, off the McVay tree, the exact model of what the NFL thinks a head coach is supposed to look like now. Coen’s team won 13 games last year. Monken’s team won five, then traded its best player. The line is Jaguars by 8.5, and the betting models give us something like a one-in-four shot.
Fine.
I’ve watched this franchise walk into a building as a one-in-four shot before, and it usually goes the way the number says. Usually. The exceptions are the ones I remember, and I remember them for decades. So I’m not asking for a win today, though I would happily accept one. I’m asking to see the thing Monken says he’s built: a team that fails on a play, owns it, and fixes it by the next series instead of spiraling for three quarters. Do that against the best run defense in the league, and I’ll be able to tell you something real about 2026 by four o’clock.
I want to believe this team will surprise us. I want to walk away from cynicism. I want to believe in this team. I want to believe in Todd Monken. I want to believe age is just a number.
I want to believe.
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
Newswire Bloviation Archive
OBR GOODIES
OBR VIDEO
OBR ARTICLES
FROM THE FORUMS
ASK THE INSIDERS (VIP)
OT tryouts PS
Roster moves and some Why him? Why not him?
INSIDER DISCUSSION (VIP)
THE WATERCOOLER
THE LIFT
Positive news from the world of sports and beyond...
Researchers at the National Elephant Institute in Thailand have documented inhibitory control in elephants for the first time. Put fruit in a clear box with the opening on the side and the elephants resisted the urge to grab straight through the plastic, walking around to the door they’d been taught to use instead. Rotate the box and they reached for the old spot once, then corrected. The older elephants took a little longer to adjust, which the researchers attribute to age and which I attribute to having watched a lot of Browns football. The study is in PLOS One from a Hunter College team that has spent nearly two decades showing elephants recognize themselves in mirrors and console each other when upset. Impulse control and consoling a distressed friend. I expect to need both by the fourth quarter.
WRAPPING UP
When not collecting scars, 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.
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
CONTACT Barry to sponsor the OBR. We have plans for nearly any budget!
OBR Across the Internet