Kitchens Starts Instilling Discipline On Browns

One thing about doing something for the first time is you plan it out in your head, but sometimes the results don’t turn out the way you envisioned.

We believe this is what happened to Browns’ coach Freddie Kitchens.

When the long time assistant got his first head coaching job, he probably figured he’d be like the young college graduate who gets his first teaching job. He’ll be the cool new guy, allowing the students freedom of choice in terms of doing their homework, taking tests, classroom behavior, etc.

Sometimes, the students (depending on where you teach) have enough self discipline to handle this. They understand their job to get their assignments done, and they want to please the cool new teacher. They want him to be their friend and their teacher.

Other times, the students take advantage of the laissez faire attitude of the head of the class, and then the teacher has a choice. Does he continue with his original plan, and get run over by his classroom, or does he put his foot down.

Kitchens got the head coaching gig in Cleveland because of his relationship with quarterback Baker Mayfield and the way the Browns’ offense performed in the second half of last year.

He figured he could lead the entire team the way he related to Mayfield, and everything we be fine.

Unfortunately, not all players have the internal drive to succeed that Mayfield has, so when Kitchens gave them freedom, and the Browns started 2-6, and did so while committing stupid penalties, and doing questionable things like wearing very expensive watches during games, and taking unnecessary risks with the football.

After the New England game, Kitchens had enough. Three early turnovers took his team out of the contest early, and after the game, he said things had to change. The penalties and turnovers had to end.

The penalties stopped against Denver the following week, but the Browns lost anyway, falling to 2-6 despite the Broncos playing a QB that hadn’t taken a meaningful snap in years.

In that game, Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. wore cleats in violation of NFL league rules. Kitchens claimed he didn’t notice, but we guess he did and wasn’t happy.

Before the next home game, WR Antonio Callaway showed up late. Kitchens told him he would not dress. A few days later, it was revealed Callaway failed another drug test, and was released.

Then, news came out yesterday that S Damarious Randall missed a practice, and so the coaching staff left him in Cleveland for today’s game.

Fans were upset by this news, but they were the same folks who complained about the lack of a firm hand by the coach. You can’t have it both ways.

Whether this change came from on top or it was Freddie Kitchens realizing being a “players’ coach” wasn’t working, we agree that it was needed.

And kudos to the staff and/or organization for figuring out that the original plan wasn’t working.

Being a leader involves making some tough decisions, and Kitchens figured it out. That’s why unless there is a total collapse by the team, we think Freddie Kitchens will be on the sidelines when the Browns open the 2020 season.

It took a little while, but the toughness we thought we would be getting from Kitchens finally appeared.

A Week Changes A Lot For The Browns

Everyone can relax, at least for a week.

The Cleveland Browns, who were described as disappointing by more than a few pundits, went into Baltimore and punched the Ravens in the mouth, leaving with a 40-25 victory and now sit atop the AFC North at 2-2.

Maybe the Browns did read the press clippings and got a little full of themselves. Their coach was vilified by many as being over his head, he got his job because Baker Mayfield liked him.

However, on Sunday the Browns looked like the team that finished the season in 2018. They did mix in some trickery, a long pass thrown by Odell Beckham Jr., and an shovel pass to Jarvis Landry which turned into an option play. But they were a power team, rushing for 193 yards (yes, 88 came on one run), and overall rolled up over 500 yards.

That’s why you don’t form opinions on NFL teams after two weeks, three weeks, or even four weeks.

Folks were talking about how good the Ravens looked in their first two games, apparently not realizing they were against the Dolphins and Cardinals, neither of whom have won a game in 2019.

Meanwhile, the Browns two losses have come against Tennessee (2-2) and Los Angeles (3-1). Look, we aren’t declaring Freddie Kitchens’ team as Super Bowl contenders, we are merely saying we thought Cleveland could be the best team in the AFC North going into the year, and we aren’t changing our minds.

And the Browns are nicked up too. David Njoku is out for several weeks, and the four guys in the starting defensive secondary have collectively played one game (by Damarious Randall) in the past two weeks.

The loss of Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams perhaps didn’t matter as much against Baltimore because they likely would have played a lot a zone to keep tabs on Ravens’ QB Lamar Jackson, but when they return, the defense, which has performed very well, could and should be better.

Still, in the NFL you are only as good as your next game, and the Browns have to travel to San Francisco to take on the 49ers, one of the remaining unbeaten team, on Monday night.

Kyle Shanahan’s team has compiled a 3-0 record beating Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, that have combined to win one game, but they did beat Tampa Bay, who if not for a missed short field goal against the Giants, would be 3-1.

Much like the Ravens on Sunday, the Browns’ defense will be the toughest one faced by the Niners, so it is a game the Browns could win before they head home to take on another NFC West foe in Seattle, in their last game before the bye week.

The Browns played like they were supposed to on Sunday.

Did they make some mistakes, sure, but all teams do, perfect games aren’t played in the NFL. The victory showed the team that both the fans and the national media fell in love with in the second half of last season, was still there.

Now the challenge is to keep it going, and follow up that performance with another one next Monday night. That’s what playoff teams do. They show up every week.

That’s what Kitchens and his players need to do going forward.

Browns’ Reboot Begins Big Time

As NFL teams started making moves last week, the cynics out there were making subtle jabs at Browns’ GM John Dorsey for not being involved.

On Friday, Dorsey basically told those people to shut up.

The GM started the procedure to get the brown and orange to a competitive level with a trio of moves and left the five picks the organization has accumulated in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft intact.

First, he traded a 4th this year and a 7th in 2019 to Miami to get WR Jarvis Landry, a three time Pro Bowler. The Dolphins are over the salary cap and wanted to dump the receivers’ salary and Dorsey was happy to take him off Miami’s hands for a relatively cheap price.

Landry was averaged 100 catches per season in his four years with the Dolphins and gives the Browns a reliable target, one who will catch the football.

True, Miami targeted him a lot, and his average yards per catch is low, but he is only 25 years old and to get him for nothing higher than a fourth rounder is a feather in the new GM’s cap.

Next Dorsey showed he’s the guy in charge of things in Berea by trading the 65th overall pick next month for QB Tyrod Taylor.

Taylor is the perfect bridge quarterback for the Browns, holding the position for whoever the team selects with the first overall pick in April. And make no mistake, they will pick the future franchise QB in the draft.

Taylor is the antithesis of what Browns’ fans have seen over the past two seasons, meaning he takes care of the football.

He’s 29 years old, has a 22-20 record as a starter (with Buffalo), and he led the league in interception percentage last season at 1.0%.

He’s not a gunslinger, barely throwing for over 3000 yards in his best yardage years, but he does not make the crucial mistake. Plus, he’s mobile too, rushing for more than 427 yards in each of his three seasons as the Bills’ starter.

He will allow whatever rookie is drafted to sit and watch for awhile. Fans who think this trade will give Cleveland the option of not drafting a QB with the first overall pick are crazy.

It also shows the GM is in charge as the team didn’t go after Hue Jackson’s guy, A.J. McCarron.

And with the next move Dorsey made, the Browns might be looking for another passer too.

He sent last year’s starter DeShone Kizer to Green Bay for CB Damarious Randall, a former first round pick, and a swap of draft picks in the 4th and 5th rounds.

The best thing for Kizer is to watch for awhile, and he will get that opportunity in Green Bay. Even if Taylor were to get hurt this season, it wouldn’t have been good for the Browns to put Kizer back in.

His confidence had to have been shattered by last season’s disaster.

Randall has started 30 games in the NFL in three seasons, picking off 10 passes, and defending 32 more.

He is the first piece in rebuilding a secondary that is currently a weakness for the Browns. We believe another piece will be added with one of the five picks Cleveland has in the firs two rounds, and also with a high priced free agent, maybe the Rams’ Trumaine Johnson.

There are rumors that Randall may be moved to free safety with the Browns, who have said Jabril Peppers will move to strong safety.

It was a day the Browns started to get better, and there are rumors another big move will come before the free agent signing period gets under way.

The asset accumulation period is over, and the talent acquisition phase has kicked in for the Cleveland Browns. Hopefully, the days of one win in two years are over.