If you’re one of the Cleveland fans who hates what has become of your team so much that you’re planning to protest at the next home game, Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has a message for you: He hates himself, too.
But Ryan still says he hopes fans don’t hate the Browns enough to turn their backs on them.
“I look at myself in the mirror, and I hate me,” Ryan said today.
Ryan added, however, that he’s hoping the fans can be persuaded not to follow through on a planned protest, which would include skipping the opening kickoff of the Monday Night Football game against the Baltimore Ravens on November 16.
“I hate me, too,” Ryan said. “So, they hate me. That doesn’t mean you turn your back. I’ve got a kid who flunked a class one time. I don’t turn my back on him, I go get him a tutor and help him. Now he’s a straight-A student, as far as you know.
Ryan’s comments come after Browns owner Randy Lerner issued a statement in response to the planned protest. But while Lerner’s statement was a bit confusing, Ryan was direct in his promise to fans that the Browns are going to get better, starting Sunday at Chicago.
“Bottom line is, my God, a little adversity happens, you don’t turn your back,” Ryan said. “You fight, you rub your hands together and you fight harder. That’s what we’re going to do on defense. It starts with Chicago. . . . We’re going to get after it this week.”
If Ryan is right and the Browns pull off the upset on Sunday, maybe that will be enough to convince Cleveland fans not to protest. But if Browns fans go through with it, they might want to do something other than skip the opening kickoff. After all, the special teams are about the only thing going well for the Browns this year.
