Browns respect Kitchens despite rough ’19
BEREA — Myles Garrett saw an opening, and he didn’t sack anyone.
Instead, the star defensive end sidled up to Freddie Kitchens.
Garrett briefly stuck one arm around the shoulder of his former Browns coach, now the senior offensive assistant for the New York Giants. They chatted for a bit.
The two have a bond that might never be broken. Kitchens stuck up for Garrett after an ugly incident against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019 when Garrett ripped off quarterback Mason Rudolph’s helmet and hit him in the head with it.
Saying, “We do not react like that,” after the Browns’ victory, Kitchens reversed field four days later with, “Everybody here saw the tape. I will support Myles.”
Kitchens even wore a “Pittsburgh Started It” T-shirt, a gift from his family on his 45th birthday, to the movies the Friday before the rematch.
There was not a lot of time for mingling this week as the Browns held two joint practices with the Giants ahead of Sunday’s preseason game. But interactions with Kitchens by Browns players and staff during the session made it clear that they still care about him.
Kitchens’ lone year in charge resulted
in a 5-11 season filled with chaos and marred by a lack of discipline. But the NFL is a people business, and Kitchens has the personality and down-to-earth demeanor to relate his players.
While the teams went through a joint special teams period, Garrett was not the only one who spoke to Kitchens. Safety Sheldrick Redwine, a fourthround pick in 2019, talked to him and shook Kitchens’ hand when they finished. Greedy Williams, a second-round pick the same year, was also close by.
Before practice, running back Nick Chubb said of Kitchens, “Yeah, Freddie, that’s my guy.”
Kitchens was Chubb’s first NFL position coach and Chubb said he carries a message from Kitchens with him to this day.
“The biggest thing from him that I remember is every day I stepped on the field he said, ‘Make today your best day,’ ” Chubb said. “That stuck with me forever. Every time I go on the field, I think about that. I only worry about today; I’ve got to get better today and nothing else matters.”
Before practice, Kitchens was his relatable, affable self. He talked to everyone, from an official to a waterboy.
“It means a lot to me to have Freddie on my staff and be out here with us today,” Giants coach Joe Judge said. “Every single person on our staff is a tremendous help to me. I rely on these guys for their expertise, for their insight. I rely on them for their leadership and the way they develop our players.
“He’s great for me, he’s great for the players. He brings a natural intensity to him. He brings a lot of experience. He brings obviously a different personality. At times he can crank it up intense, at times he can make it really light and loose in the meeting room and you need a combination of both of those.”