The Day After: Matt Rhule "can't wait to attack next season"

[Sir Purr]

Some have argued that the time in April, May, and June isn't particularly helpful. NFLPA president and Browns center JC Tretter wrote last week on the union website that this season's success shows that offseason programs aren't a prerequisite.


"We do not need to be brought in during April-June to practice against each other - it's simply unnecessary," Tretter wrote.


To suggest that Rhule disagrees with Tretter would be underselling the point.


"I think it's vitally important that we have it," Rhule said flatly. "And I hope that we have the full offseason."


Of course, he can't know whether that's possible right now, with the country still in the middle of a pandemic. But his general hope is that he'll have the time to work with his team he didn't have as a rookie head coach.


He referred to the eye problems he struggled with during training camp as another issue for him, but he hopes coming through a difficult time will help him and the team in the future.


"Every bit of adversity, while it stinks at the time and people start to question, 'Hey is this going to work?' it's so much better in the long run," Rhule said. "It stretches you, it makes you grow, it makes you learn. So as far as this year, yeah, I would have loved to have had the offseason and all those different things. But I tell you what, I went through a training camp, meeting players for the first time, couldn't see really well, in pain all the time, this was one of the hardest years of my life.


"We competed right to the end through it. Doing that, now I'm sitting here looking at it like I can't wait to attack next season, I can't wait for this offseason. We handled this year, and I think we did it with class. Do I feel like I got cheated a little bit? Yeah, maybe. But it'll pay off in the long run. I believe that with all my heart."