Some angry scribblings and tough questions as Browns neared the end – Terry Pluto

3. One of the reasons Ken Dorsey was fired as offensive coordinator in Buffalo was because some in the Bills organization believed he had fallen in love with the pass. The Browns brought him in to prepare an offense for Watson, a more mobile quarterback. It was a colossal failure, as the Browns failed to score more than 18 points in any of Watson’s starts. Watson also was unable to consistently throw deep passes to pressure the opposing secondary.

4. Yes, the Browns are 3-12. Yes, losing teams tend to throw the ball more often because they are behind in games. But the Browns are one of six teams with three or fewer wins. Yet they throw more passes than anyone else. They’re throwing more passes with a struggling Watson, an interception-threatened Jameis Winston and an inexperienced Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Was that the plan? Is that a good idea?

5. A year ago, the Browns finished 10th in scoring (26.3 points). This season they are in 31st place (16.3 points). They lost 10 points per game. A counterpoint would be that the Browns ranked 5th in passes thrown a year ago. So they threw the ball…a lot. But they also scored a lot more points. They had a hot QB in Joe Flacco (13 TD passes) in his last five games.

6. The 2024 offense never had a discernible identity dating back to training camp. Kevin Stefanski switching to Dorsey calling plays at the same time Watson was replaced by Jameis Winston also didn’t make sense. You combine a player who likes to pass with a player who likes to intercept and the result is… interceptions. With Dorsey calling the plays, Winston averaged 41 pass attempts, an NFL high, in his seven starts.

7. I would also like to bring up one of my favorite criticisms: pre-snap penalties. The Browns led the NFL in pre-snap penalties each of the last two seasons. Last year it was 54. In 2024 it’s even worse as they’re at 57 with two games left. Why hasn’t more attention been paid to these mental errors?

8. I like Kevin Stefanski as a coach. He led the team to the playoffs in 2020 and 2023. The last Browns coach to make the playoffs more than once in his career here was Marty Schottenheimer in the late 1980s. However, something happened to Stefanski this season. In none of his five seasons in Cleveland has his offense been so confused or incapable of scoring.

9. The cause of some of the many problems is the Watson trade, but not all of them are Watson’s fault. Since the mega-trade for Watson, the Browns have been focused on finding ways to make Watson a viable NFL quarterback. They had to find receivers who could help him. They had to change the offense. They had to change the coaching staff. They had to do everything for Watson because they felt their business was heading into disaster. The organization remains reluctant to acknowledge the negative impact of the Watson trade on the team’s overall mindset.

10. There was pressure on the front office, coaching staff and almost everyone associated with the football team (on offense) to “fix” Watson. They still tried this season – and in more dramatic ways than ever before. The result? The team couldn’t line up properly. The gameplay was chaotic. It didn’t take long this season for a feeling of hopelessness to take over as the Browns’ offense faltered – and the coaches were unable to revive it.

11. Yes, the Browns need a new QB. Currently, it looks like Watson will somehow come back and recover from his Achilles tendon surgery. Supposedly he will compete with the QBs to be named later for the starting spot. They will certainly draft a QB. They will add a veteran, be it Winston or someone else.

12. Jerry Jeudy and Elijah Moore have shown promise at catching passes, Winston the only one who can figure out how to get them the ball. Jerome Ford had some nice moments running the ball. David Njoku has struggled with injuries but can still be a very good tight end.

13. Losing offensive line coach Bill Callahan hurt. It seems that the blocking schemes have changed. Callahan was instrumental in putting together the weekly plays. Callahan asked the Browns to release him to join his son Brian, who became the head coach at Tennessee this season.

14. Yes, the defense and special teams also had major problems, but I’m focusing on the offense in these doodles because it appears to be beyond broken. It’s confusing and scattered, although it has some talent.

15. My question is: Why did this happen and what are the Browns going to do about it?

PREDICTION: Miami 22, Browns 12. My record is 6-9.

Hear me speak

January 8th: I’ll be at Music Box in The Flats. Entry is at 5:00 p.m. There is no entry fee. More information here.

February 13th: I will be at the Kingsville Library at 6 p.m. Entry is free.

February 19th: I will be at the Tuscarawas Library in New Philadelphia at 6 p.m. speaking with Amanda Rabinowitz from WKSU. It’s free.