BEREA- The Cleveland Browns will finally be on HBO Hard Knocks after years of waiting around. The Browns were hesitant about being on the show for many years but are apparently willing to be on it now. Many Browns fans and NFL enthusiasts around the world may wonder why HBO chose the Browns for 2018.
There are so many storylines that made Cleveland the obvious choice. The garbage about the teams winless season and they don’t deserve to be featured on the show are ludicrous points. The Browns traded for Tyrod Taylor and Jarvis Landry. Carlos Hyde, Duke Johnson and the rookie running back Nick Chubb are vying for the starting job. Does anyone know for sure which running back will start pounding the rock for this team? It could be any one of them at this point. Josh Gordon’s return continues to be storyline and it should give Browns fans something to get excited about. Will David Njoku have a breakout year? How will Denzel Ward perform at corner back? Better yet, the Browns have a serious battle at corner back this year with T.J. Carrie, E.J. Gaines, Demarious Randall and Ward! A lot of people also want to see how Baker Mayfield performs. Will Myles Garrett give Mayfield a hard time by nailing him at practice? There are so many questions to answer and the Browns have a lot of youth that could become part of the Browns culture in 2018.
The timing couldn’t be better for Cleveland to be the series. This team went 0-16 and there is just too much doom and gloom with this franchise. However, they are being dubbed the AFC Wild Card sleeper with enough talent to go 9-7. Make no mistake, the offseason in Cleveland may have the best in the league. Cleveland finally put the emphasis on acquiring playmakers which makes this team a playoff sleeper all of a sudden. The realistic expectation is that Cleveland will finish 7-9 and third place in the AFC North. Chemistry is what Cleveland needs to build right now. However, if team chemistry is there by week three, the Ravens and Steelers may have a fight on their hands.
This was a hot topic on ESPN’s First Take. Max Keller tried to explain why this is a good decision by HBO while Stephen A Smith ridiculed it. Hard Knocks is known for a lot of comedy and occasionally some fights. There is usually no shortage of dramatic moments as well. People are going to find out what the Browns struggle with and what they excel in. HBO picked a team that could experience an immediate turnaround. HBO obviously wants to do something different and fresh this year.