Farmer’s Inevitable Dismissal Could Keep Browns In Cycle of Mediocrity

Sure, Farmer’s brought in some solid free agents— Karlos Dansby, Andrew Hawkins Donte Whitner in 2014 and Tramon Williams, Brian Hartline and Randy Starks this year specifically—but he’s also misfired badly on a number of occasions.

How did Ben Tate work out? Oh yeah, he was the guy that finally got his opportunity to be a feature-back and got beat out by two rookies—one of which was undrafted and currently starts for the Browns.

Farmer’s latest gem seems like it could be Dwayne Bowe, who head coach Mike Pettine lists as his fourth wide receiver. Yes, the man who Cleveland gave $9 million to be their number-one is buried at number four on the team’s depth chart.

My point is that stability is necessary to make a franchise a respectable winner, but giving Farmer more time to destroy this roster makes it harder and much more difficult to rebuild for the next guy—because there will be a next guy.

But there’s a problem with bringing in the next guy, too—what if he doesn’t like who’s already there? What if he doesn’t agree with the schemes already set in place?

I, for one, am a fan of Browns head coach Pettine. He might be the guy, he really might. I love his attitude and his demeanor. To be dealt with the hand he was given last season and finishing 7-9 in his rookie year was a pleasant surprise. It’s been a circus since he came to town and he’s handled it very well.

I think that he places accountability on whoever it deserves to be held to, including himself. He needs to do a better job with some things, and so does the team, but that comes with experience.

Yet when the new general manager comes to town, what if he decides he’s not willing to wait? What if he’s already got his guy to replace him? That’s what’s so frustrating about the Browns. This situation’s happened all too many times since they’ve been back.

Luckily, at least so I’ve heard, Pettine is more linked to owner Jimmy Haslam III than to Farmer—so when Farmer gets the boot, Pettine might be safe. But even that’s not for sure.

All I know that’s for sure is the Browns have an incompetent, blind general manager and a head coach that could be the guy with a roster set up for failure.

That’s not a recipe for success, and if something isn’t done about it in the near future, the Browns will return to their all-too-familiar perpetual cycle of rebuilding from the ground up.

And while I hate to preach patience to a franchise that needs to “win now,” it’s unfortunately a necessary evil.

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