The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Mt. Rush More is perfect fit for D-line
Freddie Kitchens is grateful for many things, and right at the top of the list is the fact he and his staff are coaching the Browns’ defensive line instead of coaching against it.
Myles Garrett and Olivier Vernon are the ends. Garrett is usually on the right side, but on any given play the opposing quarterback could break the huddle and see Garrett on the other end of the line.
Sheldon Richardson and Larry Ogunjobi are the starting defensive tackles.
It is going to be pass rush unchained in the aggressive scheme of defensive coordinator Steve Wilks.
A Twitter survey seeking a nickname for the defensive line elicited some clever responses – “Vitamin D” from Ed Bonchak; Mount Rush More from @ITSteveYoung; Browns Hounds from Justin Fitch; Dawgrassic Park from @ReelDawg75; Danger Dawgs from Eric Ohman; The Sack Street Boys from @BarnhartGregory and The Boneyard from @sam_filkins are all compact enough to fit on a T-shirt or headline.
“Any time we can make an offense change, that’s advantageous for us,” Kitchens said after practice July 28.
“I think (Garrett and Vernon) definitely do that. The guys inside do that, too. I think our defensive line is going to be a strength of our team. I’ve said that for a while. I still believe it, but I know they need to continue to get better every day before we get to that point.”
Vernon and Garrett will likely do the most sack dances, but Richardson and Ogunjobi are just as critical to any success the Browns have this season because the best way to force opponents to pass is to show them they can’t run. Last year, the Browns ranked 28th when they allowed an average of 135.2 yards a game. The 20 rushing touchdowns allowed ranked 31st. Arizona, coached by Wilks, allowed a league-most 25 rushing touchdowns.
“The chemistry of the team — the young guys are eager to learn and the old guys, if you want to consider me old, the same thing,” Richardson said. “Guys want to be great and build this franchise back to what it used to be.”
Richardson is in his seventh NFL season and first with the Browns. He played four years with the Jets, one with Seattle and one with Minnesota.
Ogunjobi is in his third season. The Browns drafted him 65th overall in the third round in 2017, making him the first player ever to be drafted from University of North Carolina-Charlotte. He made one start as a rookie and 16 starts last season. He made 32 tackles and one sack his first year, then 52 tackles and 5.5 sacks in 2018.
“I feel like the sky’s the limit,” Ogunjobi said. “I have to keep working hard to master my craft, continue doing the little things each and every day to raise my football I.Q. and work off the guys around me to make plays.
“We want to be able to collapse the pocket from all phases, from the interior and outside, not allowing those escape lanes. We want to stop the run, not allowing those runs of five, six yards or more, just one-, two- or three-yard runs instead of big gaping runs, really just squeezing out everything you have to stop the football.”
The Browns allowed 18 runs of 20 or more yards last season — fourth-worst in the NFL behind the Jets (24), Arizona (21) and Miami (20). Not coincidentally, all four teams replaced their head coach.
The Browns’ defense ranked 22nd with 37 sacks.