Less than a week after firing head coach Hue Jackson, the Browns (2-5-1) face a tough Kansas City Chiefs team at home. The Chiefs are 7-1 and in first place in the AFC West.
WKSU commentator Terry Pluto says this will likely be a painful game for Browns fans to watch. However, he says this matchup should also give fans hope.
That's because Browns General Manager John Dorsey gets most of the credit for building a winning team in Kansas City. Dorsey was their general manager from 2013 through 2016.
"The year before John Dorsey was there, they were 2-14. And the first thing he did was he settled down their quarterback situation. He brought in veteran quarterback Alex Smith. And one of his last moves before he left was drafting current quarterback, Patrick Mahomes. He went 2-for-2 in quarterbacks."
When Dorsey was fired, the Browns hired him right away at the end of last November.
'The guy that brought in that talent is now running the Browns'
Why was Dorsey fired in Kanas City?
For one, Pluto says the Chiefs have an elite coach in Andy Reid. "You have two strong personalities there, and sometimes they didn't play nice."
Second, the front office thought Dorsey spent too much money. "But they didn't want to wait," Pluto said. "They wanted to win now. Dorsey spent some money and some went well and some didn't. But the bottom line is, they had winning records all four years he was there, and they went to the playoffs three times. He delivered what they wanted him to do."
The key difference
Pluto says the key difference between the Chiefs and the Browns is the coach.
"Andy Reid and Dorsey came in together," Pluto said. "They knew they had to make this work. When the Browns hired Dorsey, they told him he had to keep Hue Jackson. He barely knew Jackson, so there wasn't a whole lot of connection there. So in the back of his mind he's thinking, 'I may not get going until 2019 when I'm able to bring in my guys.'
"When you look at the Chiefs, you see a lot of talent. And the guy that brought in that talent is now running the Browns."
