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There is only one question this week but it's a big one. Based on what we have seen so far, if the Browns lose to the Broncos this week, should Freddy Kitchens be fired?
Big $: My answer is short and sweet. The earliest I believe that firing Freddie could of been considered was halftime against the Titans. The latest it SHOULD of happened was immediately following the Titans debacle. The team was lost and looking for guidance and the coach was even more confused. This nonsense led to the team quitting and the filth and muck that attached itself to the season has yet to be shook. I believe we’ve reached manziel-ian levels of incompetence and the more it lingers the harder it’s going to be to right the ship. Freddie must go.
The Ice Cube: The answer is “yes, but ….” I freely admit that the former used car salesman had me sold at the beginning of the year. Given the way he had the offense clicking in the second half of last year and the “us-versus-the-world” rhetoric that flowed in his Southern drawl, I believed Freddy was the right guy to lead this team back to relevance. I now have a severe case of buyer’s remorse. I have had enough of the platitudes and excuses that now fill the post-loss pressers. If he “doesn’t coach penalties,” then why the hell are the Browns still getting flagged a dozen times per game at the season’s halfway point. If Freddy doesn’t coach them, he sure as shit doesn’t coach his players how to stop committing them, either. It is abundantly clear that Freddy is not ready for his role. He may be a proficient coordinator, but he ain’t head coach material, at least not yet. It was maddening that the Browns still had multiple opportunities to make a game out of last week’s loss against the bulletproof Patriots. But, like in too many instances throughout this season, Cleveland keeps pulling a Plaxico Burress and shooting itself in the leg with mindless penalties, unbelievable turnovers, baffling play-calling, and ridiculous replay challenges. Should Freddy be fired if the Browns lose to Denver: Absolutely. He has earned that fate, but Jimmy Haslam cannot pull the trigger now. Who is going to take Freddy’s place, especially mid-season? The first step is for Freddy to give up play-calling duties, so he can focus on his role CEO. Maybe then he can finally start to show some growth himself.