Ward: Playoff success no fluke, repeat likely
‘We learned what to expect next time,’ top cornerback says.
When Denzel Ward talks about applying education to his career with the Browns, take him seriously.
His father was a middle school principal in suburban Cleveland who would be 50 now. Paul Ward also was an athlete and competitor who drove himself to stay in shape. He was in a spin class, doing intense stationary bicycle exercise, when he suffered cardiac arrest on May 2, 2016.
Accounts of Paul Ward’s death were all over Cleveland television. One school co-worker called him “a world-class educator.” The son quietly reveres the memory of his father.
Denzel Ward is a soft-spoken, thoughtful young man who can seem difficult to get to know. In the sports-talk world of high expectations for football players drafted where he was (No. 4 overall out of Ohio State four days short of the second anniversary of his father’s death), soundtracks can grow harsh.
Through his first three seasons as a Brown, in which he has lost 11 games to a mixture of concussion, injury and coronavirus, he has retained a calm, which was evident Wednesday.
It was three days after Ward played at Kansas City, having missed the playoff win at Pittsburgh due to COVID-19. He didn’t talk about living up to draft expectations, which has been hard to do amid his time lost. He spoke of what he has learned.
He said a months-long mixture of time around defensive coordinator Joe Woods and position assistants Jeff Howard and Brandon Lynch was genuinely educational.
Woods, Howard and Lynch played defense in college at Illinois State, Eastern New Mexico and Middle Tennessee, respectively. None reached the pros. All have Ward’s respect.
“I learned a lot from Coach Woods and the rest of the staff ... the position coaches, Coach Lynch, Coach Howard, all taught me a lot ... changing my technique, critiquing my technique,” he said. “That helped improve my game this season from past seasons, just understanding the game.
I felt there wasn’t a game this year, and I’m speaking for the rest of the guys on defense, we didn’t go into the game prepared.
“Those guys are great teachers. I look forward to being able to work with them.”
Ward was 10, well ahead of his high school career at Nordonia, when the Browns went 10-6 in 2007. They have wrapped up their first winning season since then, at 12-6. He missed five games, including the two recent wins over Pittsburgh. Everyone knows the Browns are better when he is on the field, and he is convinced the best version of himself will show up next season.
“I thought I grew quite
well as a player this year,” he said.
It’s possible Cleveland could keep him for three more years without signing him to a contract extension, which would entail picking up his fifth-year option for 2022 and using the franchise tag on him in 2023. This week, General Manager Andrew Berry and Ward both steered far clear of any specifics in this area.
Ward seems open to staying in Cleveland for the long haul.
“That was my first playoff game,” he said. “Guys have a lot to be proud of.
“We may not have gone as far as we’d like to, but we definitely have the team and the staff to get back to where we just were.”
He didn’t apologize for a conspicuous slip at Kansas City when he reacted
to a slick red-zone move by Chiefs All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce. He declined to dwell on the late Chad Henne scramble that prevented one last Browns drive in a 22-17 loss.
“It’s a football game,” he said. “There’s gonna be multiple plays you wish you have back.”
He talked 2020 big picture. “It definitely was a different season, with COVID and doing everything virtually, “he said. “There’s a lot to be proud of. Just enjoying the whole ride was what I appreciated the most, being around my teammates and coaches.
“It was good for all of us to be able to experience a playoff game, and playing a pretty good team at that, the Chiefs. We learned what to expect next time. I think we’ll be ready next year.”