The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Bitonio knows what Cleveland fans want
Fans to Bitonio: “I want to see one more before I die”
Joel Bitonio, 6-foot-4, 320 pounds, is impossible to miss in line at the bank, pumping gas, or sitting at a restaurant. His easy smile and personality make the Browns Pro Bowl left guard very approachable for fans.
It doesn’t matter if the fan and Bitonio never met before. When he or she talks to him about what they expect from the Browns this season, it’s like they’ve been best of friends since Bitonio was a rookie in 2014 and the fan is asking for a special favor.
“They’re always excited for Browns football. But you get an extra thing when you see some older guys around and they’re like, ‘Man, I was there in ’64 when they won (the Browns beat the Baltimore Colts in 1964 for their last NFL championship)’ or ‘I watched in ’64 and I want to see one more before I die.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, gosh, that’s a lot of pressure.’
“I’ve been here long enough now that you’ve seen the lows. But it’s good to be around hopefully some highs and we can get them a win. Those guys have these memories of their families with people in their past and they want to have those memories with their kids now. It’s just cool how much tradition there is throughout the Cleveland Browns (fan base).”
The Browns lost their 2021 opener, 33-29, in Kansas City on Sept. 12. They have a chance to get back to even on Sept. 19 when they host the 1-0 Houston Texans.
The sellout crowd at FirstEnergy Stadium will try to make hearing difficult for the Texans, just as the Arrowhead crowd made it difficult for the Browns. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski is concerned enough about crowd noise that on Sept. 15 and again on the 16th, he had loud crowd noise blaring from the speakers alongside the practice fields in Berea to simulate what to expect even at a home game. Last year crowds were limited because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“I’m excited, man,” running back Nick Chubb said. “It’s been almost two years. I know the Dawg Pound will be out. The stadium will be rockin’.”
Las Vegas has made the Browns 11.5-point favorites. The Browns coaches and players have more respect for the Texans than bookmakers do.
The Texans held the Jaguars to 76 yards rushing while beating Jacksonville, 37-21, in the opener. Part of that is because the Jaguars trailed 14-0 after one quarter and 27-7 at halftime. The Jaguars were forced to pass and ran only 16 rushing plays the entire game. But Bitonio also says the Texans’ defensive line presents a challenge for the Browns heralded offensive line — especially because starting left tackle Jedrick Wills (ankle) and Chris Hubbard (triceps injury) might miss the game.
“Those guys are really active,” Bitonio said. “Jacksonville threw the ball (51) times, so they had a lot of pass rushes and a lot of games up front. They move quite a bit.
“They might not have the biggest guys up front. But they change gaps on you so it’s a tough challenge for sure. But I think the main thing you take away is how hard they play and they never really give up on a play.”
Jaguars rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence was sacked only once. He threw three interceptions.