Romeo keeps cool as Browns stay hot

The coach (still) isn’t ready to talk about the playoffs.

BEREA (AP) — The NFL validated the Cleveland Browns’ playoff chances on Monday by sending out a release that spelled out a scenario by which the club can clinch a postseason berth next Sunday.

Apparently, Romeo Crennel hasn’t seen the league’s official memo.

“Playoffs?” the Browns coach said, playfully mimicking Jim Mora’s infamous rant without the high-pitched whine or razor-edged sarcasm. “Playoffs? I don’t know anything about playoffs.”

Might be time to start brushing up, coach.

With three games left, the never-do-it-the-easy way Browns (8-5), who had to survive three onside kicks in the final three minutes before holding off the New York Jets 24-18 on Sunday, control their playoff destiny.

Hang on. Playoff destiny? The Browns? C’mon.

No kidding. As the snow starts falling, it’s beginning to look a lot like the playoffs in Cleveland.

And Crennel, who began this season with his job in serious jeopardy, is having a hard time grasping the concept.

“We play the Buffalo Bills on Sunday and we have to improve in order to be ready for Buffalo,” Crennel said, again stiff-arming the playoff talk. “That’s our focus. That’s been the focus all year, to try and get ready for the next game.

“We’re not the New England Patriots. We know that we can improve and we have been working every week trying to improve. Sometimes, that improvement is more evident than other times. If we keep working, then we give ourselves the best chance. That’s what we’re going to do.”

Crennel’s coolness on the subject aside, there’s a very real possibility the Browns could be ticketed for the postseason by this time next week. Cleveland, which currently holds a one-game lead for the AFC’s second wild-card berth, can lock up a playoff spot with a win over the Bills (7-6) combined with a loss by Tennessee (7-6) at Kansas City and a loss or tie by Denver (6-7), which visits Houston on Thursday.

With their final two games against disappointing Cincinnati (5-8) and disastrous San Francisco (3-10), it’s conceivable the Browns could run the table, finish 11-5, and not need to rely on others to get them in.

That’s presumptuous, and if this whacked-out season has taught us anything, it’s that nothing can be assumed.

Still, the Browns are showing signs of being playoff-worthy.

Coming off a self-inflicted loss at Arizona one week earlier, they showed patience in building a 17-6 lead over the Jets and then withstanding a frantic comeback for their third road win.

While their opponent may have been weak, and the Browns couldn’t relax until Joe Jurevicius recovered a slippery kick with 27 seconds left, the stomach-churning final minutes had the makeup of a big game.

“We’re in the playoffs right now,” running back Jamal Lewis said, referring to the raised intensity and meaning of late-season games. “Three games left ... we’re trying to win all of ’em.”

Crennel’s one-game-at-a-time mantra has worked to this point. Cleveland’s players have bought into the philosophy, but that didn’t stop a few of them from sneaking a peek at the scoreboard for updates of Tennessee’s overtime loss to San Diego on Sunday.

With the schedule down to its final weeks, it will be much tougher for the Browns to ignore the big prize lying ahead. The playoffs, a place they’ve visited once since 1999, are within their reach.

“There are a lot of things we can and need to do better,” Crennel said. “We’re still a work in progress. If we keep working at it that’ll give us a chance.”