Root for the Browns

[NateDawg]

I’ve maintained throughout brownie man’s pre-Nostradamus phase that I didn’t want Deshaun Watson. As many (or maybe even the majority) also did not. For obvious reasons. 

What I did not ever say is that I would no longer root for the Browns if they got him. Certainly I’m conflicted and disgusted. If a player does something ridiculous, and you cut him, you only prove that if you are good enough, character concerns don’t matter. As an organization this move has set such poor example in so many ways. 

My boys are 6, 4, and 2. My oldest two have just started getting into sports. They love football and I intend to enjoy the same experiences with them that I grew up enjoying with my dad. I’m not going to rob them of being a Browns fan (how considerate, right?). Watson could be here ten years, you just take that away from yourself and your kids, while that guy continues his celebrity unaffected regardless? I will not. 

I will root for the Browns, always, and Watson’s success because it will be my teams. I will enjoy if we ever win our first super bowl. Because I’ve been a Browns fan since before Deshaun was a twinkle in his papa’s eye, and because I deserve to enjoy a Browns Super Bowl as a fan more than he does as an athlete. I will, begrudgingly listen to other fanbases give us the Big Ben/Ray Lewis treatment. Because they are right, and this is damn shameful and embarrassing. I’ll gladly continue to teach my boys right and wrong and watch Deshaun for what he is, as most of the players are: entertainers and not role models. 

Respect, wherever you all fall. My hunch is those who have already threatened not to root for the Browns will realize they are only robbing themselves though. Maybe not today, but some day. 

This is going to be a fun team to watch once their QB1 is eligible. Can honestly say this is the first time I’ve seen our depth chart and believed we are not just a playoff contender but a Super Bowl contender. We will continue to get better from here I have a hunch. 

[bruceb]

35 minutes ago, NateDawg said:

his is going to be a fun team to watch once their QB1 is eligible. Can honestly say this is the first time I’ve seen our depth chart and believed we are not just a playoff contender but a Super Bowl contender. We will continue to get better from here I have a hunch. 

This is what matters.

[cattleman78]

I have been a Brown's fan since 1961. I'll be a fan until  I die. No I did not like the trade. Tell you who really hates this trade though. The Steelers, Bengals and Ravens.

[pscottdai]

I did not want the trade simply because I thought, and was right IMO, that would give up to much for it in terms of draft capital and  money for someone who is likely to be suspended. 

 

Now that we made the trade, it is what it is. Just hope it all works out well in the long run but having been a Browns fan for so long, I am not holding my breath

Edited March 19, 2022 by pscottdai

[AkronsWitness]

30 minutes ago, cattleman78 said:

I have been a Brown's fan since 1961. I'll be a fan until  I die. No I did not like the trade. Tell you who really hates this trade though. The Steelers, Bengals and Ravens.

Thats where I stand with it, I can dislike the move and never support Watson as a player but still root for my hometown team.

I dont think this has to be as black/white as people make it out to be.

[LETSGOBROWNIES]

Like I’ve said before, if I knew how to quit this team I’d have done so about ‘03-‘04.  I’m here for the duration.

I didn’t want Watson, still don’t.  However I’m sure he’s gonna make a superb play and I’m going to half drunkenly scream “**** yeah Deshaun!!!” In my living room and feel hella gross about it immediately after.

If and when we ever win a Super Bowl with him, it’s just not gonna feel as good as it could have had we done it differently.

As far as the barbs from other fanbases, it is what it is.  I don’t feel the need to defend the actions of the team nor do I think they’re all that dissimilar from any other team. The league’s history is filled with guys who’ve raped, murdered abused, done horrific things.  There’s no team with clean hands here.  I don’t like it, but the NFL is a take it or leave it proposition and I guess I’m just not ready to leave it.

[sdrawkcab321]

I don’t care about what Watsons does off the field. I don’t care what Chubb does off the field. I don’t care what hunt does. I don’t care about Kevin loves mental health issues. I don’t care about how nice Evan Mobley. I didn’t care about Josh Gordon’s personal demons. No off field behavior for any sports team I follow will effect my fandom. Just win baby. 

[dawgdish]

Not a fan of the Watson move for personal/ethical reasons - of course it makes sense for football reasons.

Growing up watching the Cardiac Kids, then Kosar era Browns, and even Belichick era team that went to the playoffs, I was one of those eat, breathe, live Browns type fans. When they came back in 99, I tried to pick up the rock and run with it at that level, but some time around the Mangina/Kokinis era, and certainly continuing through the Haslam Reign of Error, the luster has steadily worn off and while I root for them and it will be in my blood till I die, I've gone many Sundays over the past handful of years not even tuning in when the Browns are playing. All that to say, if they put a good product on the field, I'm sure I'll be watching. If not, there's plenty of other important things in life to do. If Watson goes above and beyond to become a stellar human being and role-model, maybe I'll be able to actually root for him too, who knows, but just like I can dislike a Haslam or Mangina or Sashi or OBJ and still root for the team, that's where I'm at now with rooting for the team vs individual.

[MSURacerDT55]

Whatever Watson may have or have not done, he has his maker to answer to. As far as my Fandom, it never changed. 

[Reginaldm9]

I’m a teacher and my room is completely decorated in Browns stuff. I’ve got jerseys up, team decals, mementos from games I’ve been to. My classroom looks like a library sports bar.

I’m not so sure I can keep all of those decorations up now. A likely sexual predator was just awarded a massive contract by the team I have loved and likely will always love, but I can’t have my students think that this is a decision I support or that this move should be celebrated. I’m on spring break now, but I’ll need to go in and complete a remodel here in the coming week. 
 

I don’t think I’m strong enough to not watch the games. It’s the sunken cost fallacy at this point. I want to walk away as a person who should serve as a role model. I want to tell my wife that I can’t throw away my convictions for entertainment, but I don’t think I can do it. I’m one of those people who said I couldn’t root for a Deshaun Watson led team, and I know I can’t. But I can’t also just not see what’s going on. 
 

It’s been a rough week to be a Browns fan, because I’ve figured out that I don’t have the ability to flip this off like a light switch. This is all a bunch of lame rambling, but I feel like I’m in Cleveland Browns purgatory. It’s a place where winning will bring me no joy so there’s kind of no point in watching? Idk…

[Browns1987]

I would love for you to add a question regarding educational level. I doubt many educated people are 100% onboard with getting Watson in the way we did.

I didnt want Watson, not sure yet how to answer the second question. We are actively helping a potential sexual predator get away with it by paying him peanuts on the year he could be suspended, meaning that his pockets wont suffer the consequences of his actions. 

[ReggieCamp]

I've been disillusioned with the NFL for a long while now. Scumbags and deviants continually pay little to no penalty for their crimes and go on to win titles (Pete Carroll, Ray Lewis, Ben Roethlisberger, etc.). I always hoped the Browns would avoid the derelicts, but alas, now the face of our franchise is no better (maybe worse) than Roethlisberger. I wasn't around for the Jim Brown days (I'm not that old), but it seemed like ignorance was bliss back then. We have no such luxury today.

I already took a big step back from football years ago, and this will certainly not bring me closer to it. If I was truly taking the moral high ground, I would've quit the NFL a long time ago, though.

[DawgX]

I didn't want to pursue him originally. For a few reasons:

- Him being a possible sexual predator

- I still had faith in Baker

- Didn't want to give up the draft capital and players I thought it would cost

Not gonna lie, once we appeared to have burned the bridge with Baker, I was more open to trading for Watson simply because our QB situation was about to get real ugly. Had no desire to trade valuable draft picks for a guy like Jimmy G to be a bridge QB.

Now that the trade has gone down I have mixed feelings. As of now, it's hard to imagine truly rooting for Watson like I could for Baker if he were to bounce back. That's just how I feel now... maybe that'll change, maybe it won't.

With that said, we acquired a young top-tier QB for honestly less than I thought it would cost. Yes, the fully guaranteed money is obviously not desirable, but I wouldn't be surprised if that becomes more of a thing in the league as time goes on. The annual money Watson will be making is totally reasonable, though. But anyway, the fact that we didn't give up any young players, nor did we give up any second round picks seems like a pretty big win on our end.

At the end of the day, I'm not sure if I could ever quit this team. If I could, I would have a long time ago. I'll still be watching every week and rooting hard for this team to win every week.

[AkronsWitness]

2 hours ago, LETSGOBROWNIES said:

Like I’ve said before, if I knew how to quit this team I’d have done so about ‘03-‘04.  I’m here for the duration.

I didn’t want Watson, still don’t.  However I’m sure he’s gonna make a superb play and I’m going to half drunkenly scream “**** yeah Deshaun!!!” In my living room and feel hella gross about it immediately after.

If and when we ever win a Super Bowl with him, it’s just not gonna feel as good as it could have had we done it differently.

As far as the barbs from other fanbases, it is what it is.  I don’t feel the need to defend the actions of the team nor do I think they’re all that dissimilar from any other team. The league’s history is filled with guys who’ve raped, murdered abused, done horrific things.  There’s no team with clean hands here.  I don’t like it, but the NFL is a take it or leave it proposition and I guess I’m just not ready to leave it.

The difference between Watson/Ben situations is that I feel like it's wildly known the majority of Browns fans are uneasy with the decision while Steelers fans tried to defend Ben....and still do.

I don't think anybody on here is defending Watson for his accusations

Edited March 19, 2022 by AkronsWitness

[LETSGOBROWNIES]

6 minutes ago, AkronsWitness said:

The difference between Watson/Ben situations is that I feel like it's wildly known the majority of Browns fans are uneasy with the decision while Steelers fans tried to defend Ben....and still do.

I don't think anybody on here is defending Watson for his accusations

Maybe.