Bitonio goes home for 100th start of career
Joel Bitonio easily
BEREA — recalled that Ray Farmer was the Browns general manager who drafted him in the second round in 2014 and that Andy Moeller was his first position coach.
As for the 11 Browns quarterbacks who preceded Baker
field during Bitonio’s tenure, the three-time Pro Bowl left guard is a little fuzzy.
“There’s a lot. I’m not on Joe Thomas’ level of memorizing,” Bitonio said Thursday. “If I had a piece of paper, I could probably figure it out.”
For an organization that until 2020 had no concept of continuity, Bitonio has been a stalwart. He’s playing for his fifth coach (counting interim Gregg Williams) and fourth GM. Since 2014, the Browns have a 38-81-1 record.
They went 11-5 and made the playoffs for the first time in 18 years last season, but even that was star-crossed for Bitonio. He sat out the wild-card playoff victory at Pittsburgh after testing positive for COVID-19. He made his postseason debut in the divisional-round loss at Kansas City.
In today’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium, Bitonio will become the 12th Brown since 1999 to reach 100 games played. It will also be his 100th start. He is fourth on the list of most starts in the franchise’s expansion era, trailing Thomas (167), Orpheus Roye (102) and Alex Mack (101).
Judging by the celebration at Friday’s practice, it appears Bitonio will serve as game captain against the Chargers.
“Anytime you get to put on the helmet, it is an honor and it is a privilege to play this game,” Bitonio said. “To be here for the 100th time and hopefully a bunch more is pretty dang cool. You think back to your first game and all of the games in between, and there are a lot of memories there. It kind of goes quick. I heard about the 100 a couple of games ago, and
I was like, ‘Man, it feels like yesterday I was getting back out here and getting things started.’”
It took some cajoling, but Bitonio thought back to his first game on Sept. 7, 2014, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. The Browns trailed the Steelers 27-3 at halftime, but then-offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan decided to go no-huddle and run the
ball. The Browns tied it 27-all with 11:15 remaining before Shaun Suisham dashed the Browns’ hopes with a 41-yard field goal as time expired.
“I’ve never been more tired than my first career NFL game. ... I was gassed,” Bitonio said. “It was a crazy environment. We ended up losing, shocker. I had all the
emotions. We were getting blown out, we came back, one of the biggest comebacks in Browns history, then we ended up losing at the buzzer.
“That atmosphere and that experience was a heckuva way to start your NFL career. I just remember sitting on the sideline and I was like, ‘I guess this is why they have oxygen.’”
It seems fitting that Bitonio will reach the milestone in Southern California. Born in San Pedro and a graduate of Woodrow Wilson Classical High School in Long Beach, Bitonio guessed his cheering section will number 30 to 40.
“We are going to have a lot of people there — friends, family, old coaches,” Bitonio said. “I do not really know if anybody knows it, per se, but it is pretty special for me at least to be in front of them and play in front of them.”
The group may bring some birthday signs as well, as
Bitonio turns 30 on Monday. “I’m getting up there in age, I guess, in football standards,” Bitonio said. “I feel good. I feel like I am in a good place. I still feel young. It is weird to be like, ‘Oh, he is an old guy. He is 30.’”
Offensive coordinator Alex
Van Pelt said the Browns gave Bitonio a game ball after Sunday’s 14-7 victory at Minnesota.
“Probably could give him one every week,” Van Pelt said, adding that Bitonio has elevated his game this year.
Right tackle Jack Conklin said Bitonio is playing some of the best football of his career. “You can just see the maturity and the understanding and how well he gets himself in the right position,” Conklin said.
Bitonio wasn’t sure he would reach 100. In 2015, he was limited to 10 games because of an ankle injury. In 2016, he played five because of a foot injury.
Van Pelt described Bitonio as resilient for all the changes — and injuries — he’s endured with the Browns.