DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum How Close are the Browns to a Super Bowl?

Things can change quickly but realistically I'll say 2022.

This year DCs can scheme for Baker better. This upcomong season and next Baker learns to counter all that. 3 years and he's a mature NFL QB. Give our other youngsters 2 and together it can be an experienced group. Need a playoff seasoning year to get the feel of that playoff, 1 game pressure.

I think there's not a clear cut answer to your question. Teams approach this in different ways. There's the short range, "Let's do it now" approach. Then there's the, "Let's build a team for the long haul" approach.

I would think it's possible to go on a feeding frenzy in the FA market and the draft by trading up several times to build a team that could compete for a SB possibly right away. The problem would be down the road a couple of years when the talent we have now develops and needs to be signed to a second contract. So it would serve to give the fan base immediate gratification yet would not be sustainable over the long haul.

The other way may take a little more time but contracts and investments would be structured to make success sustainable. Rome wasn't built in a day, but once it was built it stood for a very long time.

Agreed. I would say 2-4 years is about right as long as we continue to add talent and move in the direction we are going in now.

We can win it in 2020.

WHY NOT US???

I think we have quite a way to go. We were 1-6-1 against teams w/winning records.

We got blown out by teams like the Chargers and Chiefs. We lost to the Texans who showed how far away they are once they got to the playoffs. They were dusted by the Colts who were then steam-rolled by the Chiefs in the next round.

I will say that Dorsey did a lot to upgrade the talent in just one year. He made trades. He used free agency. He drafted well. He found guys w/out a job who contributed. If he can make a similar splash this off-season, we should be a lot closer to becoming a legit team.

We need to see what we have. Who the heck knows what we're going to get with the new coaching, or how effective it will be. Our defensive roster is still quite lacking, but if it is given the infusion it needs, we *could* theoretically be in the conversation this coming season.

Additionally, I think Baker needs to have a really good offseason of learning how to process things. Better defenses were able to stymie and overwhelm us a little to easily and a good part of that falls on him.

He needs to be better, the defense needs to be better, the speacial teams needs wholesale replacement.... then, we're in the conversation.

I don't know how close it is, but I do know it is closer than we have been in quite some time.

As long as you have competent QB play, in this league, you can get to the big game....

Defense doesn't have to be dominant, just disciplined enough to get a stop when the game is on the line against a dangerous opponent....

They say defense wins championships....but, from my perspective, competent quarterbacking is nearly always the key....

I think, barring some kind of terrible setback, we have a 4-6 year window....If we don't do it by year 6, the likelihood starts decreasing....

WINDOW IS OPEN NOW MAC .... well it will be after FA and the draft ...

Depending on injuries ... it could be in 2020 ... u never know ..

When a competent QB can only put 13 points on the board and win a SB, I think it's 100% proof that it's about the team concept.

I agree. I don't think we'll win it next year, but I honestly don't think it's out of the question at this point. I also think we'll be contenders for a long time as long as Baker doesn't some how fall off (he won't).

If you have a top 10 QB you almost always have a shot. I think we'll be in the playoffs next year and will be playoff contenders for a long time.

A great QB gives you a shot. A great QB and stable system gives you a much better shot.

I don't think the 'players' are the biggest part. I think a few above average players, a few good/great players, and a great QB and great system/scheme automatically puts you in contention.

See: Patriots, Chargers, Seahawks, Steelers, Ravens, Chiefs. There is a reason they're always good...QB and Scheme.

The window is open next year...sure it's probably a long shot. But if you have a 2nd year stud QB, you will be in the mix (see Wilson and Mahomes). If the defense is able to progress along with Baker, and we nail FA and the draft, there is no reason we can't compete next year.

We could win it all next year,make it to the playoffs and anything is possible. Favorable matchup, healthy, couple calls go,our way and who knows. In the same breath however,we are at that crossroad of where we take a step into the role of perienel threat or back to another 5 to 7 disappointment.

Yep. With expectations comes pressure. They have to win a game, then do it again the next week, and the next week.

You can't string losses together many times in a season before you played yourself out of the picture.

2020

2 or 3 years from now perhaps.. maybe 4..

I love the sound of this. I believe we are better than we think we are. You are your record inarguably. But I think our play was better than our record. Substantial improvement when we ran Hue and OC off. We had some calls and non-calls hurt us. We played well enough to win, but not well enough to overcome our crappy ST performance more than once.

We are not as good as we want to be, not as good yet as we will be, not as good yet as we need to be. That said, we did some things very well, and we played some solid teams tougher than expected. 2021.

We need to step back and understand that the Browns are experiencing a tidal wave of change. New HC, New OC, New DC...with all the attendant staff changes. It's a total reset. Chemistry is a process, not an overnight success story.

But our constants are there: Dorsey, in whom I trust! Kitchens, whose offensive philosophy will remain. A solid core of players at the skill positions, whose growth SHOULD continue. Some great pieces on D, but it needs augmenting by draft/FA.

And Baker, who growth was exponentially accelerated by becoming the starting QB early in the season...it didn't break him...he thrived.


Lawdy, if we're in the playoffs next year, we'll all be on fire.

We have a franchise QB, on his rookie deal. We also have a franchise DE, and a franchise CB on their rookie deals.

Better make a run at it before all the money drains away.

BANG. YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT.

Oh wait. We must TEMPER our expectations or someone's getting fired.

SCREW THAT. We're all big boys. We can handle disappointment.

WE'RE A POSSIBILITY NOW, DAWGS.

ALL ABOARD THE ISLE!!!!!

JUST like New England for the past 10 years?

SUSTAINABLE IS POSSIBLE WITH A QB.

Both of these answers are right.

If we have another off-season like the last one, I could very well see us in the next SB.

I could also see us struggle for an 7-9 season even after a good off-season.

We have a lot of new coaches and a lot of young players and even with a good off-season won't have a ton of depth.

Players could progress a lot this year and be injury free, or they could struggle in new schemes and get hurt.

This question will be easier to answer in September, but even then it will be hard to predict.

IMO -

we are close enough that we can expect to win most games on our schedule - and we can think there is a realistic chance that we could win the tough weeks.

we are close enough that any loss will sting and there won't be any moral victories.

close enough that every single game matters to our play-off spot and seed.

close enough that with an 'average' NFL draft, a little luck in free agency and with luck with injuries we could go deep in the playoffs.

close enough that while we won't be considered front runners for the title - we'll be in the very next tier of teams.

I feel we will get to the playoffs next year. How far we go is just a matter of getting experience.

Well, we might very well not be ready, with a young QB still learning the NFL, an entirely new coaching staff, and still missing some impact players. We can close the talent gap pretty quickly, but how long it will take the QB & coaches to reach elite performance level, who knows?

However, this thing about comparing who we beat vs. who we lost to is a dumb argument. The Chiefs were 3-4 vs winning teams in the regular season...does anyone think they have a ways to go? With the way the Saints & Steelers1 games went, we could've easily been 3-5. It's just a nonsense way to just the progress of a team, because there are so many variables that play into individual game outcomes.

I don't think my argument is "dumb" and I would appreciate it if you could make your own argument w/out belittling me. Thanks.

Realistically we should be a playoff team next year, at least a legit Wild Card contender ... like up to the last weekend

The next year we should be AFC contenders or better

The plan was 5 years. This is year 4. I think we're actually ahead of schedule with the transition of Baker to the NFL. I think we will surprise a lot of people including many of the fans. Will could make a real push in 2019 and be serious favorites in 2020.

It's interesting how on one thread there's talk about how we don't have 11 players who need replaced, but you come here and we're still 2-3 years away... go figure.

I don't think it's a matter of not replacing the bottom 10 or 11 players. I think we have 10 draft choices, not 11.

It's a matter of not having to replace them all this year.

Maybe push a pick or two in to next draft, and move up a time or two to bump a player maybe in the top 22 down a few slots.


Building the bottom of the roster is important. I have stressed that for years. You build rosters top to bottom, and bottom to top.

Now that we are at least decent, building the bottom of the starting roster is important. That is when you build depth.

Everybody good enough to start last year might not be good enough to start this year.


As I said in another thread, it wouldn't bother me if we drafted just 5-6 players in this draft. Move up and or trade for future picks. Maybe some of both. It's a sound strategy.


I did like Sashi putting money in the bank in the way of picks.

This might be the draft where we cash in, move up and get 3 really good players at impact positions.

The next Super Bowl or the 2020 season and 2021 Super Bowl?

I think we can compete as early as next year. I agree with Mourg, get in the playoffs and anything can happen. Confidence and momentum are big factors. If the team gets off to a good start next year, I think the sky will be the limit.

I kind of have this vision of the team getting off to a fast start next year, double digit wins, and then getting bounced in the playoffs because they didn't have to deal with much adversity during the season.

And the other team?

Until they win the division, I'd say the Browns are pretty far. Let's not get ahead of ourselves now. We have talent, just still a long way off until we've solidified a scheme and long term solution with the coaching staff.

Hmm..

Bungles are on their way down.. new coach, new coords, new system.. it's going to take them awhile

Rats have a new QB thats running out of the pocket too much.. he's gonna get whacked sooner or later

puttsburp is getting older and they have some internal problems

Browns are looking better than they have in years, new HC is liked by the team and has shown some good results..same with the QB..

I don't think it's that much of a stretch that we win the AFC North this year

Win the division and there ain't that many more games till the SB..