Corey Coleman said he's been "humbled" by a rookie season of highs and lows.
The Browns receiver, whom the team drafted 15th overall this past spring, had high hopes for this year after a strong showing in training camp and breakout performance against the Ravens in Week 2.
But a broken hand, offensive struggles and other dynamics have put those aspirations on hold for the time being as Cleveland searched for its first win of the season.
"I had big goals before the year and stuff," he said Monday, "and I didn't reach them and I know family and friends back home, they're really excited to see me play ... I just feel like I let a lot of people down just being me."
Coleman, who broke his hand in practice back in September, has been working to rediscover a rhythm on offense. Compounding matters, too, has been the Browns' misfortune at quarterback. Coleman admitted it's been hard to establish chemistry with the team's signal callers as they rotate in and out of the lineup because of injuries.
"It is hard. It is really hard, but we have been through a lot of quarterbacks. I have missed six games. That is hard to come back [from]," he said. "I had goals before the season, and it is hard to accomplish them when you miss six games and you go through four or five quarterbacks. I think that is hard for any player."
To be sure, Coleman flashed the kind of potential he showed earlier this year against the Giants when he nearly juked cornerback Janoris Jenkins out of his shoes and caught a late touchdown pass. This past weekend, however, Coleman netted just three catches for 26 yards on 11 targets in what was Robert Griffin III's first start in three months.
"It's just consistency with him and the quarterback being on the same page and practicing enough and being in those situations enough. You can't always simulate game conditions like they were yesterday," head coach Hue Jackson said, referencing Sunday's snowy weather.
"That is why I said last week and to keep taking all of you back, I said if things do not go as well, that is OK, too, because I know there was a potential of that. I have been doing this long enough to know it was not going to be perfect. Those things happen. We all have to play better.
"For us, for this football team, it starts with the quarterback. He has to get in rhythm, and I have to help him get in rhythm, and then the rest of the offensive players have to help that, too. They have to be where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be there so that he can throw the ball with assurance and pinpoint accuracy, and then we have to make the plays when they are there to be made."
Coleman agreed, saying "It's on us as a team to put a full game together."
Coleman said he remains optimistic about his future and Cleveland's future.
"I know it's going to turn around here because we put in too much time and too much hard work and we come together as a team each and every week," he said, "and we've still got the same goal and the same mindset to try and get our first win. The tables are going to turn.''
