Ex-Browns coach to call plays for Giants against Cleveland
CLEVELAND — Freddie Kitchens was fired after one stormy, discouraging season as Browns coach.
This weekend he’ll get a shot at some personal payback.
Kitchens will call plays for New York on Sunday night against Cleveland after Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday. Garrett will consult remotely with Kitchens, who still isn’t sure which quarterback he’ll be working with.
Giants starting QB Daniel Jones is dealing with two leg injuries, and if he can’t play, backup Colt McCoy, who started 21 games for the Browns from 2010-13, will start against his former team. The decision on a starter probably won’t be made until Saturday.
As for Kitchens, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski isn’t expecting the Giants to do much differently.
“First of all, I hope Coach Garrett is feeling OK,” Stefanski said opening his Zoom call. “I do not think it changes much. They have an offensive philosophy that they believe in. They have a system. We have plenty of games worth of what that system looks like.
“I do not think it changes much, regardless of who is calling plays on Sunday night.”
Maybe not. But the Kitchens and McCoy situations are interesting subplots for a matchup that already has high stakes for the Giants (5-8) and Browns (9-4), both pushing to make the playoffs.
Giants coach Joe Judge said Kitchens was the obvious choice to assume Garrett’s role as play-caller based on his experience.
He’s not worried about Kitchens’ history with the Browns affecting his decision-making.
“I have no apprehension of putting Freddie in there,” Judge said. “Just because of familiarity with the team, to me it would be more of a strength than anything else. I think ever yone here is professional. Ever ybody has some kind of f amiliarity with the players you’ve coached, coaches you’ve worked for previous organizations or you’ve worked at.
“It’s a small league and that’s just the nature of it. So, look, when the ball kicks off, you kind of tune out some the outside no ise and you get tunnel in there and it’s just a game.”
Kitchens has been coaching New York’s tight ends this season. But it was innovative play-calling when he was elevated during the 2018 season from running backs coach to interim coordinator that helped him get Cleveland’s coaching gig.
At the time of his hiring, he was a popular choice as owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam turned to the former Alabama quarterback, who endeared himself to Cleveland fans with his straight forward approach, Southern drawl, connection to Browns QB Baker Mayfield and aggressive playcalling.
But a 2019 season that began with massive expectations — and talk of playoffs — quickly fizzled as the Browns underachieved, finished 6-10 and Kitchens was added to the long list of Cleveland coaching f ailures.
Kitchens will be f acing a Browns defense that has given up 80 po ints in the past two games, 82 if you count the safety Cleveland gave up while trying a series of laterals in the final seconds of Monday’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods said Kitchens taking over really doesn’t impact his pregame preparation.
“They have a formula,” Woods said. “They have been on a nice little winning streak and playing well. They have a formula offensively, and they are going to stay with that. I will probably go back and just take a peek just to see what is there. I think with what they are doing, they have had a lot of success and I think it will stay pretty much the same.”