Browns’ reward for 12 losses is 4th pick in draft

Associated Press

BEREA

The growing pains were agonizing, the mistakes numerous. the progress difficult to spot.

The Cleveland Browns had another one of those seasons.

Losing, though, has its rewards in the NFL, which compensates its worst teams with high draft picks to help them get better.

After going 4-12, the Browns, with one of the league’s youngest rosters, will have the No. 4 overall selection in April and Cleveland fans are already frothing at the chance to bring in a college star like Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III to be their savior.

As he packed his bags for the offseason Monday, Browns cornerback Sheldon Brown issued a warning to that line of thinking.

“My thing is, if you’re dependent on a draft pick to come in here and change your life, then you’re kidding yourself,” he said. “This game is too hard.”

It certainly has been for the Browns, who haven’t made the playoff since 2002. They’ve lost at least 11 games in each of the past four seasons and a minimum of 10 in eight of the past nine.

Green Bay (15) won more games this season than the Browns (14) have won in the past three seasons combined.

And consider this stat: The defending Super Bowl champion Packers outscored the Browns 560-218.

So while some think Griffin, the Heisman Trophy winner, is the answer to all of Cleveland’s prayers, Brown believes the Browns already have the players they need to win consistently.

“The guys here have to step their game up to another level because they’re experienced,” he said. “Most rookies get hurt because they get tired and they don’t understand the speed and the strength of this game at the professional level.

“So I’m never sold on high draft picks.”

It was a turbulent first season in Cleveland for coach Pat Shurmur, who because of the NFL lockout didn’t have an offseason to install his new West Coast offense or get to know his team on the field.

He made his share of mistakes, but Brown, who was previously with Shurmur in Philadelphia, is confident Browns president Mike Holmgren hired the right coach.

Shurmur has his detractors, but there’s no denying that the Browns, who went 0-6 in the rugged AFC North, played hard for him.

Shurmur will discuss his rollercoaster rookie year today, and Holmgren and general manager Tom Heckert are scheduled to meet the media Thursday.

Colt McCoy made 13 starts this season, but missed his final three games with a concussion. The Browns have a better sense of what McCoy is, and there’s a strong argument to be made for sticking with him in 2012 after investing so much time into his development.