Well, at least one thing is consistent. No matter how many regime changes we have, the coaches all seem to have "spin" down pat.
From Butch Davis telling us that outside of 5 runs in Jamal Lewis' record setting day that the defense was doing well, to Romeo Crennel telling everyone that the team was working hard and was really close, we keep hearing how much better the team is if you could only see past wins and losses.
The latest guy to spin us? Defensive Coordinator Rob Ryan.
I was reading Steve King's excellent article on Ozzie Newsome today and came across this gem of a quote at the end by Rob Ryan:
“People look at the statistics and say, ‘They aren’t worth a crap,’ but if you take away that fourth quarter last Sunday, we’ve got a pretty good defense.”
Really? No, you have a defense that has so far collapsed 2x in the last 2 games when it counted. Good defenses play 4 quarters. So far the Browns aren't a good defense because the last time I checked you don't get wins for playing really well in quarters 1-3 and then having a meltdown in quarter 4 where you let the other team score more than you.
I know, I know, what I just said was super obvious. Shouldn't Ryan's quote have been obvious to him too?
I get sick and tired of Browns coaches telling us how close the team is or how were not seeing something on TV that they can see on film.
No, fellas, sorry. Your team stinks. You know it. I know it. STOP TELLING ME THAT THINGS ARE ACTUALLY ROSY WHEN I KNOW DAMN WELL YOU ARE HEADING FOR ANOTHER TOP 5 DRAFT PICK IF THINGS DON'T TURN AROUND SOON.
Sometimes I think in the fraternity of the NFL some of these guys think we as average fans are morons. I really do. How could you come out after an 0-2 start where your defense collapsed twice out of 2 chances and tell me that its actually pretty good?
I think I'll try that approach in these hypothetical real life situations if they occur.
(To my insurance company): "Don't raise my rates because if you look at the last 36 months, outside of those 2 days where I had accidents, I'm actually a pretty good driver."
(To my boss): "Outside of the 2 days where I lost a couple big accounts to go to the lowest sales numbers on the team, I'm actually a pretty good sales rep."
How do you think that would work out for me?
That's exactly the kind of swill that Rob Ryan and a bunch of his predecessors are trying to make us fans swallow.
Well, memo to Rob and the rest of the spin doctors, I don't buy it and I wish you'd stop saying it.
Great franchises accept nothing less than winning.
Poor franchises spin.
I am sick of the spin.