Why the Cleveland Browns are the Boston Celtics of the NFL

Written by Sam DeCoste

As a wise man once said, “The Browns are gonna be the Celtics of the NFL” in 2019.


Nobody quite remembers who this wise man was; it was probably Ben or Chris from the BenchGate Podcast. But I thought about it. And as much as it was a direct shot at Kevin “The Benchwarmer” Madden, or the world’s least famous Celtics fan, you can certainly make the argument that the Browns and Celtics share quite a few commonalities. Both rosters are overpowered with great players, both teams have pressure to win now, and there is as much potential for winning a championship as there is of internal implosion.


When it comes to intersport comparisons, this one makes plenty of sense. If you don’t watch basketball, then let me tell you a story about the Boston Celtics going back to 2017, and see if you can spot any similarities.


The Kyrie Irving Era


Boston’s recent resurrection back to supremacy began when they acquired All-Pro guard Kyrie Irving from the (guess who) Cleveland Cavaliers in a blockbuster trade. In exchange for the former first overall pick out of Duke, the Celtics surrendered Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, the Brooklyn Nets’ unprotected 2018 first round pick, and a 2020 second round pick. Irving requested that the Cavaliers trade him in the summer so he could have the opportunity to lead his own team, and escape the shadow of one LeBron James. The Cavs granted Kyrie’s wish, and gave him the opportunity to take over Boston. While Kyrie was the focal point of the Celtics offense, the team was glittered with All Stars across the court and the bench.


Irving was rather the final piece of the puzzle in which Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge had assembled so brilliantly. In successive summers, Boston signed top caliber free agents to bolster their roster, inking longtime Hawks center Al Horford to a contract worth $113 million over 4 years and Jazz small forward Gordon Hayward to a 4 year deal worth $128 million. They also drafted excellently in back to back years, selecting Jalen Brown and Jayson Tatum in the first round in 2016 and 2017, respectively, and they have both been key contributors as well.


Unfortunately, two of Boston’s highest profile stars didn’t see the court for long during the 2017/18 season. It only took five minutes for Gordon Hayward’s season to end on one of the most devastating injuries pro sports has ever seen. He missed the whole year with a fractured tibia and dislocated ankle, after suffering the injury on the opening night of the season. And just a month before the playoffs started, Irving was declared out for the season, following knee surgery, after developing an infection in two screws previously inserted into his left knee.


Surprisingly, without Hayward and Irving, the Celtics still managed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals and were one win away from the NBA Finals. But they lost to the Cavs in seven, ending a season in which the Celtics had to adjust on the fly right from the start.

Come the turn of a new season, the Celtics were touted as favorites to win the East with a chance to knock off Golden State in the Finals. Considering Boston was able to reach the Conference Finals without two former All Stars, common sense led the country to believe that adding Hayward and Irving back in the fold would make them into a powerhouse. It made sense to think the Celtics were heading in a positive direction. But the Celtics team bus must’ve took a left turn when the season began because nothing went according to plan in TD Garden last season.


The 2018/19 season in Boston was an everlasting soap opera. For some reason, the Celtics kept losing. And then winning. And then losing some more. And winning again. Then losing even more. The team chemistry was never where it needed to be; the star players weren’t meshing together, questions were being asked of head coach Brad Stevens’ end of game decision making, everyone wanted to know if Kyrie wanted to leave when the going got tough, the team basketball was wildly inconsistent, and the loss column was much too high. It was a roller coaster season in Boston all year long. But how? How could a team so talented struggle so much to win? Were they too talented? Probably.


The team knew they had lots of great players, and a bench stacked with players who could start on other squads. Where there’s talent, there’s personality, and the Boston locker room was full of it, which undoubtedly derailed their chemistry. The team never played consistent basketball all year and finished a remarkably underwhelming season as the East’s fourth seed. Come playoff time, some thought that Boston could flip the switch much like LeBron James does when the playoffs start, and play much better as a team. It certainly appeared that way after they swept the Indiana Pacers in the first round, but that momentum was soon destroyed when they faced the top seeded Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks humiliated the Celtics by winning four straight to end the series and win in five games. Boston’s season ended in the Conference Semifinals.


As free agency looms for the NBA, it appears to be an offseason of transition for the Boston Celtics, and for their biggest star, Kyrie Irving. After two turbulent seasons in TD Garden, Kyrie Irving has turned down his player option with Boston, and he will now be looking for a new home. Now the Celtics need a new focal point for their offense, and find a new team identity. The Kyrie Irving era did not turn out to be what Boston was hoping for. But for another franchise in another league, hopefully their fortunes don’t turn out to be the same.


Dangerous Vibes in the Land of Cleve


It may be a little hard to believe now, but just a few years ago, or even this time last year, the Browns were the NFL’s laughing stock. Perennial losers. A joke. It all started at the top, where the Browns couldn’t find a quarterback to save their lives. We’ve all seen the infamous Browns jersey crossed out with the name of every Browns starting quarterback going back to 1999. They have not made a playoff appearance since the 2002 season, but they never reached a lower point in franchise history than the 2017 season, when they became the second team since the merger to finish the season 0-16. Winless. For an entire season. Absolute rock bottom. And somehow, head coach Hue Jackson lived to see another season.


In the 2018 draft, the Browns were picking first once again, with an arsenal of high profile college quarterbacks to choose from. It was massively important the Browns picked the right man this time, or else they would be adding another name to their Browns Bust Hall of Fame. For much of the buildup to draft day, Sam Darnold from USC and Josh Allen from Wyoming were the favorites to go off the board first. But within the final 48 hours, word started to come out that the Browns were leaning towards the Heisman Trophy winner —Baker Mayfield from Oklahoma — instead. That’s exactly what they did. In the moment it was not the most popular decision, with many believing that Darnold and Allen were better prospects, and that Mayfield was not the answer at quarterback Cleveland needed. But in fact, Cleveland found their poster boy. Their Kyrie Irving.


Although it took Mayfield until Week 3 to see the field in relief of Tyrod Taylor because Hue Jackson didn’t think the Heisman Trophy winner was ready. Well, when Mayfield came off the bench, he led the Browns to a comeback victory over the Jets in primetime, their first since the 2016 season. A couple weeks later, Hue Jackson was finally fired after going 3-36-1 in two and a half years. Gregg Williams took over as interim head coach, and Freddie Kitchens was promoted to offensive coordinator in relief of the also fired Todd Haley. To end the season, the Browns won five of seven games, and Baker Mayfield was prolific. He ended the season with 3,725 yards in the air, 93.7 passer rating, and a record 27 touchdown passes, a new high for an NFL rookie. They ended the season at 7-8-1, their best mark since 2014.

When the 2018 season concluded, Gregg Williams’ tenure was up, and the Browns had an opening, arguably, the most coveted coaching vacancy in the entire NFL. They could hire whoever they wanted. Any young coordinator looking to be a head coach would’ve loved the opportunity to coach this group of young, talented players and turn the Browns franchise around. Ultimately, the Browns decided to hire an in-house candidate in Freddie Kitchens, the interim offensive coordinator, the man who developed Baker Mayfield into one of the most productive rookie quarterbacks in recent memory.


While Kitchens did a fine job for Mayfield’s early development, the Browns may have jumped the gun on this hire. Don’t get me wrong, Kitchens did a fine job in his eight games wearing the headset, but now the pressure is on. The Browns are taking a gamble that Kitchens is the man for the job, and hopefully for them, his lack of experience or tactical prowess won’t inhibit the Browns from reaching their astronomical potential.


For the first time in a millennium, the Browns are expected to win. Their roster is mega talented, with new pieces coming into the fold, including Olivier Vernon, Sheldon Richardson, Morgan Burnett, Kareem Hunt (I know, but he’s talented nonetheless), Greedy Williams, and of course, Odell Beckham, Jr. These are the pieces they’re adding to an already stacked team, with great players like Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, Jarvis Landry, David Njoku, Nick Chubb, and of course, the franchise quarterback, Baker Mayfield.


Across the board, at every position, the Browns have one of the most complete rosters in pro football, and they are ready to win right now. But so was Boston. They were ready to conquer basketball with a surplus of superstars. Could we see deja vu in Cleveland, the city which Kyrie was drafted?


The locker room in FirstEnergy Stadium is gonna be real dangerous with personality this fall, and none bigger than Odell Beckham, Jr. What if Odell speaks out about his targets? We can’t forget the reason the Giants got rid of their golden boy, because he’s a locker room nightmare. Don’t be surprised to see Odell Beckham kick a Gatorade table or throw a flag at a referee next season when he has to face a little bit of adversity, and have it be a distraction in the media for a whole week.


While Baker Mayfield may be the long awaited answer at quarterback the Browns have been looking for, he may also be Cleveland’s worst enemy when things go south. He’s not afraid to say what’s on his mind, whether it be taking shots at his former head coach, or throwing his teammates under the bus for requesting a trade. It could get ugly if Mayfield is not in sync with his receivers, or if he questions Freddie Kitchens’ decision making, or if he’s upset when the Browns aren’t winning games. It would be Kyrie calling out Brad Stevens and getting upset with Gordon Hayward all over again. There is no doubting Mayfield’s ability to lead or to play at a high level, but his explosive personality could just as easily force him to burst when the Browns go through a rough patch in 2019.


If things don’t always go Cleveland’s way, helmets will be tossed, nets will be thrown, and the media will be asking questions. When you stir this all into the pot, and the Browns season could blow up quickly.


All eyes are on Cleveland. Like Kyrie's Celtics, everybody wants to see what unfolds in Cleveland, whether they Browns are competing for a championship or if the locker room reeks with dysfunction, because both are just as likely to happen as the other.