The Browns are on the right track, it's time to rid themselves of Odell Beckham, Jr.
Opinion by Tim Shirer
The Cleveland Browns have without a doubt come a long way in the last two years adding talent to their roster after gutting it for the prior two seasons and firing head coaches and general managers. The team is on the right path. That last sentence has not been something that could be said too often in the past 22 years. But it can be said now. Even though the Browns organization’s media relations group has refused to credential myself for the last five seasons and took the Lake County Sentinel off their mailing list last season because they have been unable to handle the criticism due them, I will still give them credit when they deserve it. Also, I will be more than happy to cover the Cleveland Indians and Cavaliers and other sports because these other sports organizations for the most part can handle criticism when it is warranted unlike the Browns.
But let’s get to the real point of this commentary. Arguably the worst professional sports organization over the last 20+ years is finally on the right path, I think. They finally have a coach in Kevin Stefanski who does his job every week and could care less what the Cleveland media thinks, he just goes to work. He admits when the team plays bad, like they did on Sunday and says it will be fixed. No excuses from him, no drama, simply hard work. For the most part the players on the roster have taken this to heart and are following Stefanski’s lead.
It seems that the only player on the roster who is still going his own way and still loving the drama that he brings to the table constantly is Odell Beckham, Jr. How much more of this guy will the Browns front office take? It’s not like he performs at a high-level week in and week out. More like he performs at a high level every eight games or somewhere in that range. This guy has been a Cleveland Brown for 22 games now. If he is indeed the “superstar”, “elite”, “top 5 NFL receiver” that Browns fans and media wanted to believe when the Browns traded for him, he would have had an impact in more than the few games he has had in his first 22 games with the team.
With a team that is on the rise and could be exceptionally good in the next few years, maybe even become a perennial playoff team like the Indians have been the Browns need to relieve themselves of Beckham, Jr. Why do they need a guy on the team who is constantly taking away from the team focus and attempting to get it shifted to himself?
Does the team really need a guy on it who takes half of his uniform off, including his shoes with a lot of time left in the game? No, it does not. Does this team need a guy on it that thinks he is invincible to a deadly disease that had caused a worldwide pandemic? No, it does not. What his action have constantly proved to me since he was a member of the New York Giants is that he only cares about number one.
Here's what I think Browns fans, your team can be just as good or better without Beckham the cancer on its roster. And yes, that is what he is a cancer. He is a complete disruption to any team he is on. Why are you so afraid to admit you were wrong about this guy? I wish the Browns could trade him to a team that is in terrible shape, but not the Jets. He would like to go back to New York because he could be in the spotlight again. I think the Browns should call the Jacksonville Jaguars and see if they have any interest. Or maybe the Detroit Lions, they never seem to be able to get out of their own way and turn it around and also they are so far off most NFL fans radar that it would just destroy Beckham’s huge ego.
This is how I feel, and it has not changed. I didn’t think he was a good fit from the second the Browns traded for him and I got called all kinds of names because of it, that’s okay, momma didn’t raise a wuss (I know Browns fans like when an adult man uses that phrase). A lot of those people realize now that I was right. I just hope the Browns organization can rid themselves of Beckham soon and take that next step and give fans the winning they want without the selfishness of a guy like Beckham on the team.
POSTED 10/21/2020 16:13
Lake County Sentinel
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