Browns owner Jimmy Haslam showed some introspection and an important grasp of his own shortcomings with the team during a Zoom teleconference with reporters after Sunday’s practice session. Haslam admitted he bought the hype over substance with his own team a year ago.
“I think we probably all of us, including ownership, learned a lesson last year about tempering expectations, and I don’t think we managed that as well as we should have,” Haslam stated with wife, Dee, by his side. “I think you’ve got to be realistic. This team hasn’t been the playoffs since 2002.”
He also acknowledged the need to properly gauge the competition. Haslam is more grounded but still quite optimistic about the team he’s helped assemble in 2020.
“We’re in a tough division. Baltimore and Pittsburgh are arguably two of the best teams and best franchises. So I think you have to be realistic there. We’re still a young team. On the other hand, we feel really good about Andrew [Berry, GM] and [Kevin [Stefanski, head coach], our coaching staff, our personnel group and the talent that we’ve been able to assemble. So we’re excited going into the year but realistic.”
It’s a nice step for Haslam, who was one of the primary drivers of the hype machine in Cleveland at this time last summer. The Browns sputtered and fizzled to a 6-10 record despite a lot of top-end talent, resulting in Haslam firing GM John Dorsey and head coach Freddie Kitchens.