By STEVE KING
Addition by subtraction.
That’s what happened on Friday when the Browns got rid of one wide receiver with three parts to his name, Odell Beckham Jr., and in doing so paved the way for another wideout with three parts to his name, Donovan Peoples-Jones.
Beckham was a cancer who dropped passes, didn’t produce and whined to the extent that he became one of the biggest pains in the neck in team history. Peoples-Jones is a team-oriented, big, strong, fast player with excellent hands who is in need of more playing time to display his skills and help jump-start a Cleveland pass offense that has really struggled recently, especially in getting big chunk plays downfield.
Hello and welcome, Peoples-Jones. Good riddance, Beckham.
The sad part — the funny part, the interesting part — is that there will be any number of teams ready, willing and able to sign him. They will look down their noses at the rest of the NFL in a holier-than-thou, we’re-the-smartest-guys-in-the-room kind of way, and say, “Please step aside so we can administer the magic pill to make OBJ the comeback player of the year.”
Yeah, right.
DE Myles Garrett (11.5.21) – Transcript provided by the Browns Media Center
On how disappointing the situation with WR Odell Beckham Jr. has been:
“Just sad to see him go. He is a good guy, good character and a good player. He has always done right by me. He will be my friend regardless of where he is. Wish the best for him. If it does not work here, I hope it works somewhere else. I know there are no hard feelings with people here. I know he has to hold his head high and keep working to get back to the type of player he was before.”
On if was surprised with how the Beckham situation transpired this week:
“It was quicker than anyone expected. We got a little bit more communication between upper management and players and a little bit more knowledge of what was going on because it seems like it happened overnight and things kind of snowballed. Wish we would have known and that is the tough part. I feel like that happens a lot in the league where things that are just happening to players and we have to react instead of having some communication about them.”
On the situation potentially causing players to have to pick sides between Beckham and QB Baker Mayfield:
“I do not know. I do not know the full story and never will. There is a lot that transpired between OBJ’s side, Baker’s side, (Head Coach Kevin) Stefanski, (Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager) Andrew (Berry) and everybody. When you talk to them, you can ask them, but no one will truly know the truth. We just have to move on from here. We have to pick up the pieces and keep on [going]. He is gone, and we still have to win. We still have a game on Sunday.”
On if he has talked with Beckham since Tuesday:
“Yeah, we talked.”
On his conversation with Beckham:
“He was disappointed and rightfully so. The man just wants to play ball. Whether it is here or somewhere else, he is going to do his best for that team. It is unfortunate.”
On if Beckham did not feel like he was going to get enough opportunity with the Browns:
“I do not know. I am on the opposite side of the ball so I can’t tell you what they were going to or what was going to happen. The man had one touch last week, and he was disgruntled. I can’t tell you rightfully so, but he is the No. 1receiver, and the No. 1 receiver, you have to expect some things are going to come with that. For it to spiral out of control like this, I feel like it should not have gone this far, but I do not make those decisions. At the end of the day, we have to come together as a team and put it on ourselves for the people in this building. At the end of the day, nobody is going to stop and wait for us to pick up the pieces.”
On the impact on the team with Beckham leaving, given players saying positive things about Beckham:
“I am hoping there is not much drop off. I know he was a leader and a positive figure in the locker room. He worked hard, but we have to have somebody in that room – whether it is (QB) Baker (Mayfield) taking another step, (WR) Jarvis (Landry) taking that role or another receiver, an O lineman or whoever it is – we just need someone to step up to fill that void that he left. I feel like we have guys who can do that. You just have to find it within himself.”
On if he reached out to Beckham or vice versa:
“I reached out to him. I heard about the news, and I wanted to talk to him. I knew he was probably going through a lot. I think I might have been the first person to reach out to him – I am not sure – but I just wanted to get his side of the story and try to figure out what was going on because obviously, I am not going to get their side first so I wanted to get it from him, get it from them and try to see the grey area. At the end of the day, I do not make decisions, but I get to try and [make] peace with it. We all do, and we have to move forward.”
On if he can come to peace with the situation by Sunday:
“Whether I come to peace with it or not, I will use that frustration as fuel. We have to go out there and make plays regardless of he is out there or not, which he will not be, but we will all have to do that. I think we will be just fine.”
On if Beckham picked up the phone right away when he called:
“Of course. I have had a good relationship with him since he has been here. He has been there for me so likewise.”
On how he has helped navigate the team through the situation so it is not a distraction for Sunday’s game:
“Try to make sure we realize we lost a big game last week, which we should not have lost. We had plenty of opps that we squandered to let something like this weigh heavy on our minds, and we already know. Another division game coming up to be worried about. I know he is one of our guys and we all like him and we all respect him, but the story goes on. We have to keep on doing the best we can because last week was not that so we have to find a way.”
On if he reminds the team that all that it wants to accomplish is still in front of the team:
“They were aware at the beginning of the season. We are 4-4 so we have to keep everyone aware and keep putting it in everybody’s mind. What we have done, we can be better, and if you think you have done enough, then you have not.”
On if he was aware Beckham wanted to be traded or released from the Browns prior to this week:
“He did not make that known to me. Obviously, he was frustrated. We knew he wanted the ball more. Everybody knew he wanted the ball more. That is not mistaken by anybody. He never said anything about wanting a trade earlier this year, at least not to me. To upper management? I do not know.”
On his tweet earlier this week that good or great is not good enough and what is above great:
“What is above great? Legendary. I guess I have to be that. I have gotten the sacks, but I have not gotten the ball out. I made some plays in the run and got some TFLs, but I need some forced fumbles. I need some bigger plays. I need something that is going to change the momentum of games. Sacks have been great, but it is knocking them back and points off of the board. We need to start getting points on the board from us being on the field. I think I can be the cause of that, whether it is me dropping back or being a force in pass rush.”
On the difference to be able to get the ball out, given he has attempted to this season:
“It is sometimes tough when you are going out there being in the game, you are trying to get the ball out and then it seems like they are throwing it fast or you have to work through a couple of guys, three guys or whatever it is. Then you just are occupied with just getting there. Once you get there, he holds the ball, and you are just taking him down so you did not get the ball out. It is kind of just working that fine line.”
On walking off of the field on Sunday with his arm around Beckham and if he knew it was a crucial juncture:
“I knew he was frustrated. I knew he was really frustrated. That is my guy. I want the best for him. I want to see him prosper. I never want to see him down like that. That was it. It was a tough game for everybody. I did not do enough. He did not – nobody did enough on the field. To see him disappointed from the game, his performance and all that happened, I threw my arm around him just trying to tell him that whatever happens, know we are going to be alright.”
On how disappointed he is that it got to this point with Beckham:
“If it works out for the better, I will be glad. Whether he is here or somewhere else, I just want to see the people involved come out better and on top of things. If he makes it back to his former self somewhere else, that is OK – he is happy somewhere else, and that is fine by me. Now if we improve, we are better on offense and we start rolling and working in complementary football, then I think it worked out for both parties and I think there is no need to be disappointed.”
On if the past week can be a galvanizing moment for the team:
“I think so. I think it will bring us together. It did the first time he went out, even though that was against anyone’s wishes, but we found a way. I think this year, we are going to do the same thing. We just have to bring our heads together. We know it is different circumstances, but it is the same result. We have to do like we did last year and make the most out of it.”
On why chemistry may not have ever developed between Beckham and QB Baker Mayfield:
“I have no idea. I do not think you can blame it on any single person or any scheme. It just did not happen. It did not transpire. At the end of the day, that did not happen, and it just makes my job a little bit more entertaining.”
On if he shares concerns with fans on social media that Beckham could end up contributing to a team that hurts the Browns’ chances for or in the postseason:
“No. Hell, it might happen, but I am not worried about it. I am not scared of it. There are great receivers everywhere who we have to worry about. If he goes to another good receiving corps, then we have to step up and prepare for it. We know what he can do – we see it on the practice field all of the time – but there is no need to be worried about where he could go because we have a game Sunday, and we already have some dominant receivers we have to worry about. There is no need to worry about the possibilities of him going anywhere else. Twitter is going to make up enough stories as is it.”
