Browns turning back to Kizer today vs. Titans

CLEVELAND — DeShone Kizer hasn’t lost hope the Browns can turn their season around. Heck, if St. Pius did it, so can Cleveland.

The rookie quarterback was once on a team that started 0-11, found its groove and won 11 straight games while making an improbable run all the way to the title game.

“In seventh grade playing for St. Pius,” Kizer said, smiling. “We had a not-so-good-baseball team. So I’ve been here and I’ve overcome some losses and a tough start. Obviously it was in CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) baseball, but at the time it was pretty cool.”

With Kizer starting today after a one-week benching, the Browns (0-6) will try again to get their first victory as they host the Tennessee Titans (3-3), who are coming off a comeback win against Indianapolis.

Kizer is making his own comeback, returning to the starting lineup after spending last Sunday’s game in Houston watching and learning from the sideline as Kevin Hogan took some lumps — and threw three interceptions — in a 33-17 loss.

Kizer said the one-week demotion rekindled his competitive fire and he came back to practice determined not to surrender his starting job again.

“There’s no other place I’d rather be than right here going through the things that we’re going through,” he said, “because I’m learning who I am personally, and I’m learning about everyone around me. And it’s just going to make it that much sweeter when we do figure this thing out and I figure this thing out and become the quarterback I want to be.”

As for that youth baseball team he once pitched for, Kizer said the dream season lacked a fairy-tale ending in the title game.

“We got destroyed,” he said. “Absolutely destroyed.”