Jimmy: Don't get in Dorsey's way

With the Browns season only a couple of weeks removed, I have to admit to being surprised at the level of excitement I still have for our (notice how they are now "our") football team. I mean, as many of my (handful of) readers are aware, I'm a baseball guy first, football guy second.

Maybe it's the sheer novelty of an almost .500 season. I mean, think about it folks: The second half of the season, we (notice I said "we") didn't stink! Not only that, but management is so high on this group that they didn't even retain the coach who, in eight measly games, won more than his predecessor won in two-and-a-half years. What it means is that this organization may now actually have – gulp – standards! And high ones, at that! Who knew?

Well, for one, Browns General Manager John Dorsey knew. Clearly, the man knows how to run a football team – a rare commodity for the past two decades in this city. The apparent ease with which he runs this organization – from talent evaluation with the current roster to drafting future cornerstones of the team – is a breath of fresh air.

If you stop and think about it, this is the first off-season in a long, long time the topic hasn't been who the Browns would draft to play quarterback. We (notice I said "we" – only a few months ago it was "they" – I can switch my allegiance on a dime) can now concentrate on other positions that need some upgrades so the lofty expectations that exist amongst the Browns faithful for next year might actually occur.

In the past, even the most optimistic Browns fan was thinking, "If everything goes right, maybe we'll at least be respectable." Those hopes bear an uncanny resemblance to my feelings with pretty much every column I write, so I feel your pain, Bro. And every year, year after year, Browns fans suffered similar disappointment after being confronted with another loser, bearing another uncanny resemblance to how I felt every two weeks with my Observer articles. (Small world, huh?)

Think of it this way: If you had to choose between a good football team and a well-written column by me in the Observer, but could only have one, which would you choose? Since roughly 100 percent of you voted for the Browns, you're getting exactly what you opted for – from the Browns and from yours truly.

You're welcome.