When the 1-13 Jets face the Browns on Sunday in their final at home, they must look across the field and see hope for themselves.
The Browns were 0-16 in 2017. Even so, they entered Sunday’s game with a record of 10-4, are a virtual guarantee of reaching the playoffs and still have an external chance of winning AFC Norte.
There is a lot of progress in a short time for a Cleveland franchise that – as well as the perception with which the Jets are marked (10 years after their last appearance in the playoffs) – was considered a black hole.
Is there a Jets fan on the planet who wouldn’t sign up to be in the position that the Browns are in two seasons from now?
“It says a few things,” former Jets general manager and current ESPN analyst Mike Tannenbaum told The Post this week when asked about the Browns’ resurgence. “One is that maybe they were a little closer than people thought. Some of those games in which the Browns participated [in 2017] they were games of a single possession, so close.
“And now, they made some good decisions and the defender [Baker Mayfield] improved. They brought [head coach Kevin] Stefanski in, [offensive line coach] Bill Callahan comes in and has a better offensive line. A combination of all these things and you can change things quickly, because our sport is built inherently for teams to be in the middle, 8-8. ”
The Jets, who lost 9 points to beat the Browns, are two more defeats when they finished 1-15 for the second time in their history, and the reconstruction looks daunting with the need for a new technical team, uncertainty in the quarterback and a list that just isn’t good enough.
Tannenbaum, however, does not believe that the Jets are light years away.
“If you just start with the last two months – they faced the Patriots at MetLife very closely, that game was really competitive, a one-score game to the end,” said Tannenbaum. “Watch the Raiders game [a 31-28 loss in the final seconds]. Obviously, they had a reasonably good chance of winning that game. And they beat a good Rams team on the road.
“So, the closet is not empty to any extent. ”
Neither does the Browns, who thrived under the leadership of Stefanski, a coach who seems to have pressed all the right buttons.
Stefanski was in Minnesota commanding the Vikings’ attack, while the Browns fought 0-16.
Asked how difficult a 0-16 reconstruction task looked, Stefanski, in his first year in Cleveland, having inherited a team that made 6-10 last year, said: “It is difficult for me to go there because I was not here At that time. But I can tell you everything we’ve done since I got here, and everything that has been one day at a time and build this thing meticulously in terms of layout and personnel.
“So, with Andrew Berry getting on board and taking the reins [as general manager], what he did was bring in the right people, ” Stefanski continued. “We hire good football players and good people, we hire a technical team that I felt very convinced of. ”
Stefanski also proved to be the right person for the job. Interestingly, he was considered an “offensive” coach, just as Adam Gase was when he was signed by the Jets before last season.
The difference, however, Stefanski proclaimed himself as the CEO of the entire team, not just the attack – unlike Gase, who did not have much to do with the Jets defense.
“I just tried to be myself,” said Stefanski. “But I am the coach of the team, so I think the players understand that I am not the offensive coach, I am the head coach. I also have a strong impression of the technical committee that we set up here.
“Andrew drew up a plan in the off-season and identified the guys he wanted to pursue through commerce, the free agency, the draft. He addressed several areas that we think are important. I know that everyone looks at the offensive line, and that’s fair. We went out and got a guy from the free agency [Jack Conklin], developed a [Jedrick Wills] and brought in Coach Callahan, who I think is the best in the business. ”
Gase, who tried to build two programs with little success with the Dolphins and Jets, admired the construction of the Browns from afar. Of course, on Sunday he will take a close look.
“They did a good job of building that thing from front to back and got the right kind of guys in the front, whether it’s the O line or the D line, ” said Gase. “They obviously have an elite pass [Myles Garrett], and they have a line which is doing a very good job, creating holes and creating a very good racing game [led by Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt].
“They surrounded the quarterback with many skilled players who help it stand out and get better and better. Arriving this year, many people were wondering if [Mayfield] was going to play. He played very well this year and they have won many games. ”
If you are thinking that this is exactly what is missing from the Gase Jets – strong offensive line and skill players around quarterback Sam Darnold – you are not alone.
Asked if he sees the work the Browns have done rebuilding themselves and becoming competitors in such a short period of time, as a sign of hope for a franchise like the Jets, Stefanski said: “It is very difficult for me to get there. We maintain our sales and focus on what lies ahead. ”
What Stefanski commented on was what his team was up against on Sunday, and he seemed to echo Tannenbaum’s opinion of the Jets.
The Browns ‘first-year coach stood in front of his team on Wednesday morning and told them: “Just put on tape” the Jets’ victory over the Rams last week.
“I know that they won the game last week; you can see the result, ” he said. “But I also wanted to see how they won. That was a physical group out there, taking the ball, attacking the blocks, running the ball, getting explosive. I think the tape was jumping in the guys’ faces. ”