Wednesday, Aug. 19 (PM) – Struggling cornerback Justin Gilbert needs someone outside the Browns locker room to stand up for him. I’ll take the job.

No, I’m not going to try to say what he’s going through thus far in his short career is merely a speed bump and that before you know it, he’s going to look like the second coming of Clarence Scott or Frank Minnifield. Hardly. Gilbert may be out of the NFL by next season – or even at some point this year – if he doesn’t improve by leaps and bounds.

Rather, I’m going to criticize the way he’s being covered – but not by members of the Cleveland media, who has been more than fair to him. It’s some members of the Buffalo Bills media who did him wrong on Monday during the first day of combined practices between the two teams at Buffalo’s training camp site near Rochester, N.Y.

There were some – some, not all — Buffalo media members who, as they stood there watching Gilbert get toasted to a golden brown for play after play after play, were laughing out loud at him and making sarcastic jokes about him on social media.

What a bunch of unprofessional buffoons. I think I can say that after being in this business for 39 years.

What these knuckleheads need to understand is that when they’re at work – and, even when they’re not – they are public figures of sorts who represent the media outlets for which they are employed. If they act mature and sensible, then they make their employers look good to others. But if they act like a bunch of liquored-up frat boys on a night on the town, then they make their employers look the same. It’s that simple.

Their job is not – we repeat, is not – to do comedy routines, especially when they’re weak and amateurish. If people want to see that, then they’ll go to a comedy club or watch Comedy Central.

They are given access to information, people and places that fans would kill to have. As such, then, their job is to accurately, fairly, professionally and objectivity paint a picture of what they observe for these fans. They need to check their likes and dislikes – their egos — at the door and assess a player’s performance from a football standpoint, not a personal one. Leave the MAD magazine stuff at home.

Doing anything other than that is to embarrass themselves and their bosses – and nobody wants to embarrass his bosses.

Guys, act like you’ve been there before. You’re better than that.

You are, aren’t you?