Written by Thomas Moore

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After their loss on Sunday, the Cleveland Browns are now 0-5 on the season, losers of a franchise-record 11 consecutive games.

The Browns are also the only team left in the National Football League that does not have a win this season.

“I don’t like being 0-5,” quarterback Brandon Weeden said. “We all had a part in it, but I feel like I was a big part of it. I’ve got to change something. I’ve got to do something to give this team a chance to win. Being the quarterback, you can’t put it all on your shoulders, but you’re the guy.

“Being 0-5 stinks. That’s really all I can say. I want to win more than the next guy. We’ll get there. I can see it. I think a lot of people can see it. We’ve got a really good group of guys and there’s not another group of guys I’d want to go through this battle with than the 53 that are in this locker room.”

It’s great that Weeden is willing to take responsibility for his role in the current situation, but eventually it’s time to stop talking and start winning – especially when you consider that the Jacksonville Jaguars are 32nd in the NFL in offense (there are only 32 teams) and 30th in defense, but have still managed to post a win this season.

“It stinks,” safety T.J. Ward said. “The way we started (against the Giants) like that to completely mess it up, it’s unacceptable. We gave the game away. We gave it away on offense, defense, special teams, all the way around.”

Ward’s right, of course, the Browns need to stop getting in their own way, but eventually it’s time to stop talking and start winning – especially when you consider that the Buffalo Bills are so bad that they have given up 90 points in their last six quarters of play, but have still managed to win a game this year (two in fact).

“It’s a real disgusting taste in your mouth and as a team we’re hungry,” free safety Usama Young said. “We’re starving for a win.”

Browns fans everywhere share Young’s hunger, especially in light of the Browns losing 22 of their last 26 games dating back to the end of the 2010 season and 37 of their last 51 since the start of the 2009 season. But eventually it’s time to stop talking and start winning – especially when you consider that the Tennessee Titans have the worst point differential in the NFL at minus-93, but have still managed to win a game this year.

There are plenty of bad teams in the NFL that have still managed to win a game. The Washington Redskins lost their eighth consecutive home game on Sunday (and that’s with a “hands-on owner” and a “Super Bowl-winning coach”); they have two victories on the season. The Kansas City Chiefs have not led at any point during a game this season, but they still have a win (it came in overtime).

And yet, just as they are the only team in the NFL without a logo on their helmet, the Browns are still the only team without a win.

“Right now, to this point, we have been in every game,” running back Trent Richardson said. “We’ve just got to finish every game. It’s frustrating not having won yet because we practice too hard and did too much this summer and in the spring program. We work too hard not to have a win. If we do one play better than we do each week, we’ll be up on teams and we’ll win. We’ve got to make sure we finish games.”

Yeah, hard work is great, but is a win simply too much to ask? Even the Colts have won a game this year.

“We’re going to put 46 guys active in orange helmets with white and brown stripes and we’re going to play,” Browns coach Pat Shurmur said. “That’s it. That’s the mindset of everybody in that locker room. We’re just going to do that. No, there are no excuses. There really isn’t. We have a very proud team and you just keep pushing.”

Pushing. Practicing. Battling. Working. Starving.

Everything, it seems, but winning.

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Joe Haden was back in the building on Monday, his four-game suspension now officially in the books.

“I would like to apologize to my fans, Haden Nation, the Cleveland Browns organization, front office, all the coaches,” Haden said in published reports. “I hurt a lot of people. I hurt myself for sure. But I hurt a lot of people with the decision I made, and I just want everybody to know that I sincerely apologize from the bottom of my heart. There’s no script. Nobody told me what to say. I just feel that and I want everybody to know that it was a mistake. Everybody makes mistakes, but my mistake happened to hurt a lot more people than I thought.”

Haden also made it sound as if he at least understands the mistake he made.

“It was just a mistake, just a very dumb mistake and it wasn’t in any intent to hurt anybody or hurt the team or hurt anybody in that kind of way,” he said. “It was just a young man making a decision I shouldn’t have made. I should have been more knowing what was going on, but ... I’ve definitely served my suspension, everything is up and I honestly just want to move forward and come out here and play.”

The concern now is how ready Haden is to play after not stepping on the field for a month. Would it be so hard to see Haden pulling a muscle because he is not in game shape?

“I went back to D.C. and I did the same thing as I would do for the off-season, or like I train for the combine,” Haden said. “I own a gym in Washington, a Haden’s Sports Performance, and I was just back there working out with my dad, training like I was getting ready for OTAs. I’ve been working out on the field also, so I’m gonna start working early, doing footwork drills, hang out with the coach today so I should be good.”

We should know pretty quick as the Browns face the Bengals and A.J. Green on Sunday. In three career games against the Browns, Green has 11 receptions for 209 yards and two touchdowns.

Welcome back, Joe. Better get to work.

(Photo courtesy of The Plain Dealer)