Alright, guys, let’s talk about that infamous 0-16 Browns roster from 2017. Man, what a wild ride that was. I remember it like it was yesterday. I started that season with such high hopes, you know? Like every year. But boy, was I in for a rude awakening.
First off, I went and dug up the roster. I wanted to see all those names again, all those guys who fought through that brutal season. I pulled up the official roster from the Browns’ website and started going through it player by player. It brought back a lot of memories, some good, mostly not so good.
- Quarterbacks: We had DeShone Kizer, Cody Kessler, and Kevin Hogan. I remember thinking Kizer had potential, but man, he struggled.
- Running Backs: Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson Jr. were our main guys. They actually weren’t that bad, but they didn’t have much to work with.
- Wide Receivers: Corey Coleman was supposed to be our star, but injuries messed him up. We also had Ricardo Louis and Rashard Higgins, I thought they tried their best.
- Offensive Line: Joe Thomas, our legend, got hurt, and that was basically the end of our season right there. Joel Bitonio was solid, but the rest of the line was a mess.
- Defensive Line: Myles Garrett was a rookie, and he showed flashes, but he was also injured a lot. Danny Shelton and Emmanuel Ogbah were okay.
- Linebackers: Christian Kirksey and Joe Schobert were decent, but they were on the field way too much because our offense couldn’t stay on the field.
- Secondary: Jason McCourty was our best corner, but he’s not a shutdown guy. I felt bad for those guys, they were always getting burned.
After I reviewed the roster, I started watching some game film from that season. It was painful, I’m not gonna lie. Turnovers, missed tackles, blown coverages, you name it, we did it. The offense couldn’t move the ball, and the defense was always gassed. It was a recipe for disaster.
I also read some articles and checked out some forums to see what other fans were saying at the time. There was a lot of anger, frustration, and of course, sadness. I recall some folks organized a “perfect season” parade after we officially went 0-16. Can you believe that? We were a laughingstock.
But you know what? I didn’t give up on the team. I kept watching, kept hoping, and kept supporting. It was tough, but I’m a Browns fan, and that’s what we do. We stick with our team through thick and thin.
Eventually, I started documenting my thoughts and feelings about that season. I wrote down my reactions to each game, my frustrations, my hopes for the future. I needed an outlet for all that pent-up emotion.
What I Learned
Going through all that stuff really made me appreciate how far the Browns have come since then. We’ve had some ups and downs, sure, but we’re not the laughingstock of the league anymore. We have a real team, with real talent, and real hope for the future.
That 0-16 season was rock bottom, but it also taught me a lot about resilience, loyalty, and the importance of sticking with your team, no matter what. It also taught me that sometimes, things have to get worse before they can get better. We had to hit rock bottom to realize we needed a complete overhaul, and that’s exactly what happened. So, yeah, it was a rough time, but I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. It made me a stronger fan and it made the good times that much sweeter.
