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Cleveland Browns
Overall: 119
Title track: 120
Ownership: 115
Coaching: 75
Players: 121
Fan relations: 120
Affordability: 78
Stadium experience: 106
Bang for the buck: 102
Change from last year: -10
It seems like it might take a front-end loader to get the Cleveland Browns out of the bottom of these rankings. A year ago the Browns were 109th; this year they are 119th. Going 3-13 in 2015 probably accounted for most of the drop (the Browns had the second-worst score in sports in "consistently wins more games than they lose"). The latest plan to fix things: Build with as many talented young players as possible, and let them all grow under coach Hue Jackson. It's a new approach, and it might work, but it will take time. And patience.
What's good
In Hue they trust. The team has put its faith and hope and almost anything that comes to mind in new coach Hue Jackson -- and so have the fans, slotting him 75th, the Browns' best ranking this year. They feel they finally have a guy who can turn things around. Jackson is upbeat, aggressive and effervescent, but his season started with his top two quarterbacks being lost with shoulder injuries and a rookie starting in Week 3. Jimmy Haslam touted a "multiyear rebuild" heading into 2016. He wasn't kidding. This build is going to take more patience than 1,000 people should ever have.
What's bad
The Browns' title track rank of 120th is the lowest in the NFL. It is intertwined with two other abysmal ratings: 121 in players (also worst in the NFL) and 120 in fan relations, a byproduct of constant losing and ineptitude. All of this is earned and deserved. The Browns have not had a winning record since 2007. In the years since, they have lost 11 or more games seven of eight seasons. They are on their fourth coach in five years and have started more than two dozen different quarterbacks since 1999. The hope for the future resides in extra draft picks the next two years. If the Browns hit those right, it's a step forward. But the biggest solution will be if they finally terminate the endless search for a quarterback. Until that position is solved, they will continue to wallow.
What's new
The Browns dropped 26 spots in bang for the buck. Since ticket prices are actually among the lowest in the league (despite an 18 percent jump last season), this is mostly due to the product on the field. Things have been so abysmal, that for the first time in years, the Browns were advertising tickets for sale the week before the opener. The Browns spent $125 million to upgrade their stadium, but if they continue to put a losing product on the field, they could play games in the Taj Mahal and fans would not be happy. At this point, it's hard to see how the fans are getting even a slight pop for their buck, much less a bang.
Next: Los Angeles Rams | Full rankings