BROWNS O-LINE COACH WYLIE BREAKS ANKLE

Browns offensive line coach Bob Wylie broke an ankle during practice and underwent surgery.

A team spokesman said Wylie got hurt during Thursday’s workout as the Browns prepared to face the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. There were no immediate details on how the popular Wylie, who is in his second season with Cleveland, was injured.

Wylie is resting at University Hospitals and will likely miss the home finale.

Wylie was relatively unknown before his appearances on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” series this summer made the bigbellied coach a favorite with Browns fans. This week, the team released a video with Cleveland’s offensive lineman pushing Wylie on a blocking sled while dressed as Santa Claus .

On Wednesday, Browns guard Joel Bitonio said Wylie is “one of the best human beings I’ve been around. He’s a great coach but what he does off the field he takes care of the people in the building and he’s just a great dude.”

games before the coaching change.

“It’s all about the players,” Kitchens said. “It’s the players making plays and the players being good in critical situations. Sometimes as coaches, we put a little more emphasis on ourselves than we do everybody else. More importantly, it’s those other people that make you successful or not.”

Mayfield and the offensive players like working with Kitchens because Kitchens asks players for their input. Kitchens adds plays they want to run and weeds out the ones they don’t like.

“They’ve done excellent execution of the plan, and

you have to understand we’ve been playing some really good teams down there that were ranked high against us, too,” interim head coach Gregg Williams said regarding the Browns’ offense.

Kitchens’ success isn’t a surprise. He spent the last 11 seasons as an assistant coach with the Arizona Cardinals. He was the Cardinals’ quarterbacks coach from 2013-16. Carson Palmer had career highs and Cardinals team records in 2015 by passing for 4,671 yards and throwing 35 touchdown passes. The Cardinals were 13-3 in 2015.

Even if Kitchens isn’t a “lock” to continue as Browns offensive coordinator in 2019 and beyond, the next head coach would be wise to consider him before pushing him out the door.

“I like it here — I like it here a lot,” Kitchens said. “Everybody around here knows that I like it here. I love the town of Cleveland. Cleveland and I get along well.

“I didn’t have a dad as a coach. I didn’t have a starting point in this league. I grew up the son of a tire maker at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber plant in Gadsden, Alabama. (Dr.) Benjamin E. Mays said, ‘Those who start behind in the game of life, must start running faster to catch up.’ I feel like I’ve been running fast my whole life. That’s the way it’s going to continue. Whether it’s here or what, I’m just here to do a job right now this week and this year.”

Kitchen’s resume is getting better by the game.