The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Players cite penalties, picks
One thing was for sure after veteran wide receiver Jarvis Landry and the Browns absorbed a 43-13 shellacking from by Tennessee Titans in the 2019 season opener Sept. 8 at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Landry wasn’t having any of it after the game when a local TV reporter asked what he thought about people saying the Browns may have paid too much attention to the preseason hype swirling around the team.
“I don’t care what nobody says. Don’t even ask me that question,” Landry said.
Before his brief, contentious exchange with the reporter in the quiet locker room, Landry offered a straightforward assessment of a disappointing effort by the Browns that sent many fans in the sellout crowd of 67,431 heading for the exits midway through the fourth quarter.
Chief among the many blunders made by the Browns were 18 penalties that cost them 182 yards and three interceptions thrown by second-year quarterback Baker Mayfield.
The last of those picks was returned 38 yards for a touchdown by Tennessee cornerback Malcolm Butler.
“There were a lot of selfinflicted things that hurt us,” Landry said. “Ultimately, it comes down to us. It was not so much about what they did.”
Many national sports publications and websites pointed to the Browns as a team to watch this season after last season’s 7-8-1 finish and Mayfield’s emergence as one of the NFL’s top young quarterbacks.
At least for the first 60 minutes of this season against a solid Tennessee squad, the Browns bore a closer resemblance to the teams that went 1-31 during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
“We do not care about anything going on outside our building,” Landry said about the contrast between those high expectations and the disastrous performance in the season opener.
“This is not something that is going to define us,” Landry added. “This is something that at some point was going to happen. Now it has happened and we have to watch film, correct our mistakes and get ready for the next game.”
The Browns travel to New York to face the Jets on Sept. 16. Kickoff is 8:15 p.m.
Dressing at the locker next to Landry’s was Odell Beckham Jr., the threetime Pro Bowl receiver obtained by the Browns from the New York Giants in a March 2019 trade that was the talk of the league.
Held out of action in all four preseason games and nursing an unspecified hip injury, Beckham was solid but not spectacular in his first game appearance for the Browns.
Targeted a game-high 11 times by Mayfield, Beckham had a game-high seven receptions and teamhigh 71 receiving yards.
The same as Landry, his friend and college teammate at Louisiana State, Beckham rejected the suggestion the Browns got a bit full of themselves with the preseason predictions of a return to glory.
“I don’t know what that means,” Beckham said. “No disrespect, but we don’t really listen to y’all. This is still football. There is really no hype or expectations. There is a confidence within this group. There is no expectations to listen to. It’s just all noise.”
The plethora of penalties on Cleveland’s side of the ledger stood out for Beckham as a leading cause of the deflating performance.
“You’re not going to win many games starting firstand-20, first-and-30, or getting a big play and having it called back,” Beckham said. “We have to be more disciplined.
“It’s the first game,” Beckham added. “Whether we lost by one point or 40 points, it still says an ‘L’ on the record. It’s nothing to panic about. Adversity has to come at some point in the season. Why not be right now?”
As for dealing with the loss, Beckam said the 24hour rule applies.
“We just have to let this one go. Can’t get it back, Can’t change the outcome,” Beckham said.
Beckham said the hip injury had no impact on his ability to perform.
“Once the lights come on and the stadium fills up, you feel different,” he said. “(The hip) is something I’ll continue to work on throughout the season. I’ll be in there (Sept. 9), staying on top of the rehab and staying disciplined in my routine.”