CLEVELAND — Last year the Browns had a mantra to rally around and encourage them through hard times—"Smart, tough, accountable." Those three attributes weren't only what they were looking for in the players, but as an organization.
Seven games into the season with just two wins to show for it, that mantra seems to have been lost along the way.
Small mistakes have piled up into massive in-game meltdowns to blow games down the stretch. According to some players, a lackadaisical effort by some on the field and away from it has made the team appear fractured. Repetitive issues that fail to be corrected week-to-week have drawn the frustrations of players, coaches and fans alike.
Where did smart, tough and accountable go?
Head coach Kevin Stefanski sees the hardships this season as a test that has challenged the team's identity. But despite the rocky start to the season, is confident that the good traits that gave this team success in the past.
"You never know what's coming, and it's a test. Everything's a test. Losing is hard and it's no fun, but it's a test for us," Stefanski said. "I do believe in those players. I do believe in those coaches. I do believe in our identity to your point. We just have to go do it. I do believe that everything's in front of us, and you get to really test your resolve right now.”
The Browns' resolve is certainly being tested. Four of the five losses this season have been dropped by three points or less. Players, finding a fire within after a devastating divisional loss to the Ravens, could be heard yelling in the locker room postgame.
There's no question the yelling was a result of frustration from losing, from being so close but not able to pull out a win, from not playing together as a team. Certainly, yelling can be a sign of dysfunction—but it could also be a sign of passion. Of accountability.
Before heading to Baltimore and after comments were made about players needing to commit more to film study and focus on the game, not just at practice but when they leave the Berea facilities each day, the energy in the locker room seemed different. Defensive end Myles Garrett said on Friday that he had seen guys "really taking it to heart," and it felt that way in the demeanors of players leaving the practice fields.
Even in the loss on Sunday, the Browns defense played tougher than they have all season. It seemed that accountability had started to return.
Now, it's time for the Browns to be smart.
The season became much tougher in the loss to the Ravens. The Browns sit at the bottom of the AFC North and took a ding to their divisional record. But for them, it's not the time to panic. With the Bengals coming to town on Monday night, the Browns have a long week to prepare and build off of the changes they saw work on Sunday.
That mantra that they repeated over and over—"smart, tough, accountable"—will be exactly what they need to get the season back on the rails, and that's exactly what they hope they can achieve.
“I think that's all of it. We want to be smart. We want to be tough. We want to be accountable to each other. We want to be a resilient team. It's who we are," Stefanski said. "Again, you're going to get opportunities. We have a great one this week coming up versus a really good football team at our place.”
RELATED: 4th straight loss, this time in the division. Where do the Browns possibly go from here?
Camryn Justice is a reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on Twitter @camijustice.
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