Preseason records are usually a poor indicator of what’s to come during the regular season, something the 2008 Lions illustrated well by winning all four of their exhibition contests before going 0-16 the rest of the way.
The 2016 Browns went the other way. They lost all four of their preseason games and then went 1-15 during the regular season, which may leave some in Cleveland hoping that this year’s summer record is also an omen of things to come.
The Browns secured a 4-0 record with a 25-0 win over the Bears on Thursday night. It’s the first time that the Browns have gone unbeaten in the preseason since 1986, which coach Hue Jackson noted while speaking to the media after Thursday’s game.
“A year ago we were 0-4, so these guys came back with a different mentality,’' Jackson said, via Cleveland.com. “We understand it’s just the preseason, but you’ve got to start someplace. They accomplished something that hadn’t been done in 31 years, which is be 4-0 and that’s a credit to them. ... I can see something building in the locker room, and that’s what you want. We all know football’s a whole lot different in the regular season, coming up against Pittsburgh.”
With a rookie quarterback and young players all over the field, the Browns are likely to have some more painful outings in the weeks to come but Jackson’s right about having to start somewhere and that having that start be a winning one is better than the alternative.
