With the Cleveland Browns’ offseason underway, ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Grossi made it clear that he wanted the team he covers to re-sign Joe Flacco — especially if the alternative would be signing Jameis Winston.
So when the Browns, in fact, signed Winston — and thus, not Flacco — the longtime Browns analyst/columnist reacted accordingly, implying that the team had spited not just him, but the entire Cleveland fanbase.
“I probably owe the Cleveland Browns an apology for this reason: I’m sorry I had so much fun watching this and covering this team at the end of the year,” Grossi said on The Really Big Show on Wednesday. “We’re not supposed to do that. We were all supposed to be in mourning and bag the season. We weren’t supposed to have so much fun. OK? That’s the way I interrupt this move. ‘Shame on you guys for enjoying the fact that our starting quarterback that we paid $230 million to wasn’t on the field. We want to win with him, not with anyone else.’
“That’s the feeling that I get on this move: It’s the fans’ fault for finally have joy of watching a quarterback make great throws and lead the team and get popular. So that’s the feeling I get. That’s my fault for finally enjoying what I was seeing on the field.”
https://twitter.com/ESPNCleveland/status/1767921036115288373
The thing is, Grossi’s opinion on the matter isn’t far off from what a lot of Browns fans are thinking right now. In fact, many fans are of the opinion that the team didn’t re-sign Flacco in order to avoid a potential quarterback controversy with Deshaun Watson, who — as Grossi alluded to — has thus far been underwhelming since being acquired by the Browns in a blockbuster trade two years ago.
The general thinking among such fans is that the Browns want to avoid having a backup quarterback who is more popular among the fanbase than Watson in case the Clemson product underperforms coming off his shoulder injury. After Watson suffered his season-ending shoulder injury last November, Cleveland signed Flacco, who proceeded to become a fan favorite while leading the Browns to a Wild Card berth en route to being named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year.
Yet despite the former Super Bowl MVP’s success and public desire to return to Cleveland, the Browns bypassed re-signing him in favor of Winston. While one could argue that Cleveland was merely going with a younger and still viable option, it’s fair to wonder if other factors were at play.
As for Grossi’s comments, obviously it’s hard to imagine that the Browns made this move purely out of spite for the fanbase. But it’s also more than understandable for Grossi — who has never been shy to be critical of the team — to question why the team moved on from arguably the best quarterback Cleveland has had since the franchise returned to the NFL in 1999.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.