Season-opener ended in a tie
- Bryan Schaaf
- September 15, 2018
- 1746
At the time of this writing, the Cleveland Browns have officially ended their long rub with futility. And yet thousands of suffering football fans across Northeast Ohio still aren’t happy.
The reason? A late-game flurry saw the Browns only draw close enough in their season-opener with rival Pittsburgh to end in a tie.
Remember, this is the team that only won one game over the past two seasons and the same team that, even prior to their last win near the end of of the 2016 season, hadn’t won a second game before that since Dec. 13, 2015.
This is the team that was playing against a quarterback on Sunday who has won more games in their home stadium than any Cleveland quarterback in franchise history.
To those folks who still aren’t happy that the longest active losing streak in American professional sports finally came to a close, I must ask, “What in the world is wrong with a tie?”
Perhaps it’s my upbringing in a sport where ties are not only widely accepted but sometimes downright necessary in order to achieve success.
Some of my best, most memorable results over the years as a coach have actually been ties. That is, holding down the fort and frustrating more talented opposition to such an extent that they never have the opportunity to distance themselves from you on the scoreboard.
In the process of building a team up from the cellar, tangible results — even those that aren’t necessarily victories — are something to build on.
For the Browns, it’s hard to get much lower than they’ve been for the past 24 months.
I don’t believe there’s anybody in Northeast Ohio today who’d suggest the team that’s gone 1-31 had anywhere near as much ability as the Steelers. So why are they so bummed about a tie?
I think largely it relates back to our culture. We’re Americans, darn it! And Americans have a fierce desire to win stuff: our independence, World Wars, getting our order in first at those divided McDonald’s drive-thru kiosks. It’s an old-school, macho John Wayne-esque mentality. It’s the classic Ricky Bobby “If you ain’t first, you’re last” viewpoint.
But to suggest anything short of victory isn’t a positive just isn’t sensible.
In sports there’s a saying that goes like this: Before you can win, you have to be hard to beat.
For some, that may include moral victories or some small statistical measurement to hang one’s hat on. In soccer, that can manifest itself in a tie because, quite pragmatically, if you don’t give up a goal, you can’t lose.
Statistically speaking, ties are quite rare in the NFL these days. Of all the predictions I’d caught before last Sunday’s season-opener with Pittsburgh, nobody predicted a draw.
So, in a sense, the Browns have already beaten the odds.
As the team continues to build, all signs suggest they’re heading in the right direction. If you’re a Browns fan and you’re still struggling to make amends with last weekend’s result, don’t be such a downer.
After all, it could’ve been a loss.