Culture is one of the most overused words in football. Every new coach promises to change it, and every losing team claims to be working on it. The real test comes when a team falls behind and has to decide whether it still believes it can win. One former Browns player says this year’s team has passed that test again and again.
The Browns shared Dave Zastudil’s thoughts on the team’s 4-2 start.
“The only thing I can think to say [about the Browns] is you have a coach that has come in here and developed some kind of culture that hasn’t been here before. When you have a young team, a team that’s not running the ball well, they still believe they’re going to win. To play that well in the fourth quarter throughout this year, teams that are down 10-0 that are under .500, they don’t quit, but they don’t believe they can win. This team believes they can come back and win. To me, that’s all culture. If you’re not running the ball, you’re not passing all that great, but you’re making some big plays, but you’re believing in yourself, defense is believing in itself, and you’re coming back winning games in the fourth quarter, that’s all culture. That’s what Coach Monken has installed in these guys. They believe,” Zastudil said.
It's all about team culture. pic.twitter.com/up84NlUZRb
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 22, 2026
Zastudil has watched plenty of Browns teams from close range. The Northeast Ohio native punted for Cleveland from 2006 to 2011, a stretch that included plenty of seasons when falling behind early meant the game was over.
His mention of a 10-0 deficit points straight to Sunday’s win over the Baltimore Ravens. The Browns trailed by 10 after the 1st quarter, had just 46 yards of offense at halftime and still won 13-10 on Andre Szmyt’s field goal as time expired.
That pattern has played out all season. Every one of Cleveland’s 4 wins needed a go-ahead drive in the 4th quarter, and Deshaun Watson leads the NFL with 4 game-winning drives.
Zastudil was honest about the flaws, too. The Browns are averaging fewer than 18 points per game, and Quinshon Judkins is averaging about 3 yards per carry. Teams with those numbers are not usually leading their division in late October.
The difference is how the team responds. Todd Monken set the tone after the 34-10 loss in Jacksonville, when he described a chippy week of practice in which his players were angry rather than discouraged. After the win in Tampa Bay, he dismissed the idea that the Browns would simply be the same old Browns, and his players have adopted that edge.
Culture alone will not carry a team through 17 games. The Browns still need to start faster and run the ball more consistently. But a team that believes it can win any game has a better chance than most, and that belief will be tested again Sunday in Tennessee at the start of a 3-game road trip.
NEXT: One Browns Player Is Falling Short Of Expectations
