On Aug. 20, Browns coach Freddie Kitchens was asked whether Cleveland could handle the lofty preseason hype around a team that added Odell Beckham Jr. and was picked by many to win the AFC North.
Could Cleveland wear a bullseye?
"We don't care," Kitchens said. "It's already on there, so it doesn't matter. We'll be ready to play. I don't know what a bullseye is. … The expectations that you guys set doesn't matter about our expectations. Our expectations are to perform the best we can do. That changes week to week a lot of times."
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Oh, after a Week 1 blowout loss to the Titans, expectations changed for the Browns, who were eliminated from playoff contention with Sunday's 31-15 loss to the Ravens. Cleveland (6-9) suffered a 12th consecutive losing season.
There is one week left in a disastrous season in which Browns coaches and players simply could not handle the hype. There was way too much noise around this team, and pointing out what must change as the Browns head into an uneasy future requires a comprehensive look at the main characters.
That starts with Kitchens.
Freddie Kitchens
The noise: Kitchens went from the perfect down-home hire to the coach of an undisciplined team; one that piled up the third-most penalties in the NFL on the field and at least one soap opera per week off it.
Pick one. Beckham's wardrobe. Jermaine Whitehead's social media outburst. Jarvis Landry yelling at Kitchens on the field in Week 15.
Jarvis Landry gets in Freddie Kitchens face and tells him "that's f***** up"pic.twitter.com/TkAfTdzRLW
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) December 15, 2019
"In over his head" has been the oft-used phrase. That was best symbolized when Kitchens wore a "Pittsburgh started it" shirt, a reference to the infamous brawl in Cleveland, before the Browns' Week 13 loss to the Steelers.
By the numbers: Kitchens can still get to seven wins, which would be the most by a Browns first-year coach since Bud Carson led Cleveland to a 9-6-1 record in 1989. Bill Belichick finished 6-10 with the Browns in 1990.
The future: This is a question that will need to be answered quickly, either by a vote of confidence from Browns ownership or a firing. Kitchens needs to prove he is the right coach to build a future around franchise quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Baker Mayfield
The noise: Mayfield has struggled in Year 2. The interceptions are up, the completion percentage is down, and he is taking too many sacks behind a below-average offensive line. Mayfield at this point is more "meme-orable" than quotable at this point, and he is still subject to needless beefs with media members such as ESPN Cleveland's Tony Grossi and Sunday NFL Countdown's Rex Ryan.
By the numbers: Mayfield is now 12-15 as a starter. That is better than fellow 2018 first-round picks Sam Darnold (9-15) and Josh Rosen (3-13) but worse than Josh Allen (15-10) and, of course, Lamar Jackson (18-3).
The future: For all the comparisons to Brett Favre, the former Packers quarterback was 17-12 after his first two seasons in Green Bay in 1992-93. Favre also had a chance to grow with Mike Holmgren, and the Packers were in the Super Bowl in 1996.
Mayfield needs the right coach heading into the pivotal stretch of his rookie contract. He is still the right quarterback for this franchise, but it's time for him to grow up.
Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry
The noise: Beckham and Landry have taken turns denying reports that they are telling other teams "Come get me" amid the disappointing season in Cleveland. Both receivers were forced to change their cleats during a Nov. 3 loss at Denver. Landry's exchange with Kitchens against the Cardinals in Week 15 was public. Beckham has not had one of those yet.
By the numbers: For all the drama, the only teams that entered Week 15 with two 1,000-yard receivers were the Cowboys (Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup), Chargers (Keenan Allen, Mike Williams), Rams (Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods) and Buccaneers (Chris Godwin, Mike Evans). Landry and Beckham are close but still looking to join that group.
The future: The production is more than the drama, but the efficiency with Mayfield needs to be better in the second season with all three. That means getting in the end zone more often.
Myles Garrett
The noise: Garrett will be considered a "dirty player" when he returns from his suspension for swinging his helmet at Pittsburgh quarterback Mason Rudolph on Nov. 14. The NFL denied his appeal, in which he claimed Rudolph called him a racial slur.
By the numbers: Garrett has 30.5 sacks over the last three seasons, and he had 10 sacks at the time of the suspension. He is one of the best defensive players in the game.
The future: Garrett is in the final year of a fourth-year contract with a fifth-year option, and he has a chance to prove he is a franchise defensive player who is worth big contract. His reputation can only be fixed by fewer roughing the passer calls.
The Browns are the only team with three different defensive linemen with multiple roughing the passer calls this season. That starts with Garrett.
Browns management
The noise: Jimmy Haslam and John Dorsey face another offseason that could alter the perception of both. Since taking over the team midway through the 2012 season, Haslam has not been able to build Cleveland into a winner. His wife Dee wore a hat supporting Garrett the week after the suspension, which could be taken as a sign of either support or tone-deafness.
Dorsey was the darling of last offseason, but the Beckham trade weakened an already suspect offensive line. The Kareem Hunt signing also was risky, and the running back called out the team for a lack of effort after its Week 15 loss to Arizona.
By the numbers: The Browns went 4-5 under Haslam when he took over midway through the 2012 season. The Browns are 28-81-1 since 2013, the worst record in the NFL. Jacksonville (37-76) is almost 10 games better in the next spot.
The future: Cleveland needs to address the offensive line this offseason and figure out whether players such as Hunt, Damarious Randall, Joe Schobert and Rashard Higgins are worth bringing back. It needs to do this while planning for big contracts with Mayfield, Garrett and Nick Chubb, who was the NFL's leading rusher and who has been by far the most consistent player on the team.
Dorsey was aggressive in the last two offseasons. Will that trend continue?
Everybody else …
The noise: How will a fan base that expected at minimum a playoff berth and were talking Super Bowl react to the sting of a disappointing season? The Browns won't be the "it" team of the 2020 offseason, and that could be a good thing.
By the numbers: What was one of the big differences in a potential playoff run this season? The Browns went 0-4 against the NFC West. Next year's third-place schedule will include the NFC East complete with a game at New York (have at it, Odell) and the AFC South.
The future: The fact that the Ravens are the best team in the division (and perhaps the NFL) should motivated this franchise to prove itself on the field. There is still a lot of talent in Cleveland; more than there has been since the franchise returned in 1999. A playoff berth is not as far away as it looks, but the mash-up of personalities should realize now that postseason berths on paper are worthless.
The postseason will start with a decision on Kitchens' status and move on from there. Maybe Kitchens is right about the bullseye, but there is no denying a team that was hyped up failed to meet expectations.
The Browns have been an easy target for long enough. However, if they have not learned from this year's series of side-shows, then this franchise will never meet those expectations no matter who the coach is.
