The Cleveland Browns are not known as an organization that consistently makes good decisions, and they’ve shown the NFL world that nothing has changed over the years.
The Browns continued to play Watson, likely because the team already awarded him a $230 million contract, despite him being arguably the worst quarterback in the league this season. After Watson went down with a ruptured Achilles, Cleveland was forced to turn to veteran Jameis Winston against the Baltimore Ravens.
The result? Cleveland witnessed its best quarterback play of the season en route to a shocking 29-24 upset of the Ravens. Winston finished the day 27-of-41 for 334 and three touchdowns in the victory, which saw the Browns score their highest total so far this season.
One reporter couldn’t believe the Browns stood by Watson for as long as they did.
“The Browns wasted an entire season due to Sunk Cost Fallacy and everyone could see it happening in real time. Just totally maddening,” tweeted Ben Axelrod.
Fans reacted to Cleveland’s organizational incompetence online.
“And they never truly made the decision. It took an injury to force the hand,” one fan responded on Twitter.
“Now what will they do since it’s all been exposed? So sad they cheated the fans and the other players,” one fan added.
“Absolutely maddening! They should focus on future potential, not past mistakes,” one fan added.
“The team I saw today could make the Playoffs. Most likely too little too late. But the last 9 should be fun,” one fan added.
It’s sad that Cleveland’s fans have to endure this sort of stuff constantly. It’ll be interesting to see if the NFL forces a relocation out of Cleveland to see if a new city can bring a respectable football team and energy to the league.
