BEREA: The 2016 Browns will test the power of redemption.
When it comes to a roster laden with talent, they’re left wanting. When it comes to expectations, they’re overlooked by all but those with a penchant for the longest of long shots.
But as they open the season Sunday in Philadelphia against the Eagles, the Browns could be united by a common thread. A few principals might find all the motivation they need in their second, and for some their last, chance.
Their coach, Hue Jackson, was fired after one season with the Oakland Raiders in 2011. Although he was let go in the overhaul following the death of owner Al Davis, it took Jackson four seasons to convince another owner he deserved a top job.
Jackson is not alone. His starting quarterback, Robert Griffin III, spent all last season as a healthy scratch with Washington, playing scout team safety in practice. It was a stunning fall from grace for the Heisman Trophy winner who was the second overall pick in the 2012 draft and offensive rookie of the year.
Griffin is not alone. Former Ohio State and Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor is attempting to reinvent himself as a wide receiver. In his second season in the transition after a nagging hamstring injury hampered him a year ago, Pryor earned a spot in the starting lineup although he has only two career catches and played only three games in 2015.
Pryor is not alone. He was banished from OSU in a tattoo scandal that cost coach Jim Tressel his job. Fellow receiver Josh Gordon is suspended for the first four games for another violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. One mistake away from another indefinite ban, Gordon hasn’t played since Dec. 21, 2014, after being suspended for 27 of the Browns’ past 32 games.
Gordon is not alone. Also trying to reclaim his status in the league is two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Joe Haden, who had injuries limit him to five games a year ago. The seventh overall selection in the 2010 draft, Haden’s reputation has slipped, his name included on media lists of the most overrated players in the league.
Haden is not alone. Two other Browns’ first-round picks — center Cameron Erving and nose tackle Danny Shelton, both taken in 2015 — are fighting for their NFL lives. As he replaces departed Pro Bowler Alex Mack, Erving hopes to show that bouncing around at different positions during his rookie year stunted his development. Shelton has made no impact, but has lost 30 pounds and has been asked to “change some things,” defensive coordinator Ray Horton said Friday.
I’m optimistic about the second chances for Jackson, Griffin and Pryor, Gordon, but Erving and Shelton have a long way to go to gain my trust and belief. I have faith in Haden, but fear injuries have taken a toll.
With recent cuts and trades making it clear the Browns are rebuilding from the foundation up, I wonder if the personal quests for redemption can accelerate that process.
“We are a group of men who are hungry,” Jackson said Wednesday. “We do understand and realize that there is something to prove, but we hope to have this chip on the shoulder as long as I’m here. ... When you are down, people try to step on you, and when you are up, people try to pull you down. That is the way it works.”
It’s also possible that past connections from college or past NFL stops will give the Browns a tighter bond. Pryor played quarterback for Jackson in Oakland and two quality control coaches, Rock Cartwright and Eric Sanders, worked for/with Jackson there. The roster has four players from Baylor — Griffin, Gordon, rookie receiver Corey Coleman and rookie left tackle Spencer Drango. Jackson coached receiver Andrew Hawkins while with the Bengals and worked with defensive backs coach Louie Cioffi.
Left tackle Joe Thomas, starting his 10th year, said the team atmosphere doesn’t feel any different. But it does to Haden.
“Everybody gets along. Offensive linemen talking to defensive linemen and cornerbacks. This has been the best mixture of no real egos, the best team feeling I’ve had since I’ve been here,” Haden said.
“It definitely felt like a job before. Now you want it to feel like more of a family. When I was playing at Florida, that’s the way we made it. It seemed like we played a little bit harder when you really, really knew the dude, you knew his family, you knew what you were doing it for. It’s the kind of locker room we’re trying to establish.”
Haden said the Browns recently held a team-only dinner at TownHall restaurant in Ohio City and considered that an important step.
Jackson said creating a family atmosphere is his purpose. He wants players to realize he cares about them and is trying to create an environment to maximize their talents. But he made it clear he’s not going to mother them.
“We get paid to do a job,” he said.
Jackson has to hope that the common thread of redemption, the bond of second chances and the connections from their pasts will help the Browns do those jobs better than anyone believes possible this season. I’m a sucker for a comeback story, but count me among the skeptics.
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her blog at www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.