The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Drama overshadows football even in victory
The story when the Browns play rarely is just about football.
The Browns won their fourth straight home game Dec. 8 when they beat the Bengals, 27-19, at FirstEnergy Stadium. They needed a 61-yard interception return by Denzel Ward in the first quarter, a goal-line stand in the fourth quarter, field goals of 53 and 31 yards by rookie Austin Seibert plus 99 rushing yards on seven carries in the second half by Nick Chubb to make it happen.
So, naturally, the story that created an Internet sensation was Baker Mayfield trashing the Browns’ training staff when he responded to reports wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has been battling a sports hernia since training camp that will require surgery in the offseason.
“It wasn’t handled the right way in our training room,” Mayfield said bluntly. “I think it could have been addressed earlier on. Obviously hindsight is 20-20, but he probably would have missed the first one or two (games), but it is what it is. It’s too late to do that. But he’s playing through pain. That shows you the type player he is.”
Mayfield took to Twitter about 90 minutes later to put the toothpaste back in the tube.
“My intentions were not to throw our medical staff under the bus,” Mayfield tweeted.
“No, I don’t know all the facts about Odell’s injury. It was emotionally answered because I can sense his frustration and I care about my team and putting us in the best position to win.”
Mayfield’s comments will reverberate long after talk of what the Browns did to keep their slim playoff hopes alive dies down.
The Browns are 6-7, still two games behind the Titans and Steelers (both 8-5) in the race for the second wild-card spot with three games to play. The Raiders and Colts are 6-7. The Bills at 9-4 are clinging to the first wildcard spot.
Inexplicably, the Browns ran the ball only eight times for 30 yards in the first half against a Bengals team last in the league defending the run. Mayfield attempted 16 passes and was sacked on another pass play.
The Browns adjusted their blocking schemes at halftime and turned those numbers around – 19 carries for 116 yards and 10 pass attempts in the second half when the Browns outscored the 1-12 Bengals,
“I told them on Monday we would find out individually and collectively about the character of our football team and they would find out the character about their teammates.” — Browns coach Freddie Kitchens
13-6.
The Browns were outgained, 451 yards to 333 yards and lost the time of possession battle, 34:31 to 25:29. Mayfield threw two interceptions and Dalton threw one pick — the one Ward returned for a touchdown.
To lose yardage, time of possession plus the turnover battle and win the game is reflective of how inept the Bengals are.
Still, the Browns had to grind to win the game. They could have
packed it in after the crushing 20-13 loss in Pittsburgh last week, but they didn’t. They have won four of their last five games.
“I told them on Monday we would find out individually and collectively about the character of our football team and they would find out the character about their teammates,” Coach Freddie Kitchens said after the game. “I thought our guys did a good job of putting (the loss to Pittsburgh) behind them the best that they could because it was an emotional game. But we have to understand this is just one of 16, and those 16 individual games are precious in their own right. I think we learned a lot this week.”
The outside noise has
been deafening this season — high expectations that haven’t been met, Duke Johnson demanding a trade, the trade that landed Beckham, trading guard Kevin Zeitler to the Giants for defensive end Olivier Vernon, Kitchens being a first-year head coach, Kareem Hunt being suspended for the first eight games, Myles Garrett being suspended for the last six games and some stories I’m sure I am forgetting.
Someday the Browns will reach a maturity level when the story will be about football. That will be a turning point for this franchise.