Joe Flacco Says He Literally Cannot Say Enough Good Things About How Well The Browns Organization Is Being Run
"You don't really hear too many people say Cleveland is an awesome organization, but I can't say enough good things about how that organization is being run right now"
- Joe Flacco, Super Bowl MVP
Well, well, well.....
First of all, you are correct, Joe. Through my 31 years on this planet we call Earth (no one wished me a Happy Birthday on Tuesday?), I'm not sure I've ever heard someone utter the words you just said. Not once. However I have heard tens, hundreds, perhaps thousands of instances in which the Browns were referred to as a poverty franchise, dumpster fire, or the joke of the league. Do you remember when we traded for AJ McCarron (great example of the joke we were) but then didn't turn in the paperwork on time (another great example)? Or when we hired Hue Jackson? Or when we finally fired Hue Jackson just to hire....Freddie Kitchens! And now we've got perhaps the very best Head Coach in the entire league, paired with perhaps the very best General Manger in the league.
And that's not hyperbole or even bias. That's a fact. Sure I'm saying it as a three decade long Clevelander, but so is Joe Flacco, who experienced this organization for no more than a cup of coffee and has played for their rival. Mind you, Joe Flacco has been with six different organizations in his career, and he has won not only a Super Bowl but also a Super Bowl MVP. I think the man is a credible source on how NFL organizations are run.
So the fact of the matter is that the Browns have clearly shed their embarrassing reputation, and now they are only moving up…..from their 11 win season despite perhaps being the most injured team in NFL history. I saw people saying the Browns would be prime regression candidates for next season. How…….? We are already free agency winners and we haven't even signed one yet. We will win the off-season simply by getting back our injured players, including our best QB, RB, and OL. We won 11 games without them!!!
Anyways, I'll let the rest of this season play out first before declaring us next year's Super Bowl Champs, but there was one piece of this interview I found very interesting. Joe Flacco is "very open" to being back in Cleveland next year? Huh? I mean, odds are that Deshaun Watson gets hurt again at some point, but he is obviously QB1 moving forward. Would Joe Flacco really pigeon hole himself as QB 2 in Cleveland with that in mind? Why not do the same thing you did this year and sit around as a free agent until a contender inevitably needs a QB due to injury?
……or could the Browns perhaps unload Deshaun to someone else and ride with a much cheaper Joe for a year or two with a loaded roster…..? No way, right?
Full Interview on Pardon My Take: