The Browns, who entered the season with one win in their last 32 games, should be 2-0 right now. Kicker Zane Gonzalez honked a field goal in overtime against the Steelers in Week 1. Then, on Sunday against the Saints, he missed two field goals and two extra points. Cleveland tied Pittsburgh and lost to New Orleans by three points. Even for a franchise as hapless as this one, fans used to losing in new and extraordinary ways were not amused. This includes LeBron James.
"He better not say my bad," an exasperated James said. "No, he better not. He might get his ass whooped."
It should come as no surprise that the Browns have reportedly decided to move on; Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot tweets that the team will sign former Dolphins kicker Greg Joseph. And ESPN's Adam Schefter says that Gonzalez had been kicking with a groin injury and he will undergo an MRI.
The team also kicked the tires on Blair Walsh and Cairo Santos, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. Walsh has his own history of agonizing misses, and general manager John Dorsey knows Santos from their time together in Kansas City.
One name conspicuously absent? Dan Bailey, the second-most accurate kicker in league history who was released by the Cowboys earlier this month because he was making too much money.
So where is Bailey? ESPN.com's Adam Schefter reports that the kicker has already rebuffed four teams who inquired about his services and, yes, one of those teams was the Browns.
The Vikings might be a more attractive landing spot for Bailey should they part ways with rookie Daniel Carlson, who missed all three field-goal attempts against the Packers, including two in overtime.
The Cowboys released Bailey midway through a seven-year, $22.5 million contract that would have paid him a base salary of $3.4 million in each of the next three seasons.
Meanwhile, Browns fans took to Bourbon St. after the latest loss to do what Gonzalez couldn't.