Three quick things to think about as the Browns get ready to play the Carolina Panthers on Sunday in their home opener:
DON’T BURY THE LEAD: Were you aware of that, that the Browns were staging their home opener on Sunday? I don’t say that facetiously, because I truly believe that it has gotten buried a bit under all the other stuff going on with the Browns, especially the quarterbacks, namely Deshaun Watson. But as important as that is, and the quarterbacks are always important, the main story is obviously the game. The Browns are coming off a big win last Sunday over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and, with three of their next four games at home, they have a chance to get on a roll and gain some momentum, even more than what they have now after rallying to beat the Bucs. It won’t be easy, certainty, but it will surely be in the realm of possibility to beat Carolina. However, if that is to happen, thenWatson has to play like he did in the second half last Sunday, and the defense has to do what it did in the second half in keeping Baker Mayfield in check.
GOOD FOR A GOOD GUY: It’s always nice for a new head coach to get his first win, and just as Todd Monken did that last Sunday when the Browns topped the Buccaneers, former Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski did that on Thursday NightFootball when his Atlanta Falcons just obliterated the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau Field, 35-14. I was thrilled to death that that happened, because when you’re going someplace new, that first win is paramount with the fact thatit gets everybody’s attention and allows you to move forward with some confidence from the people around you. Stefanski is as good of a person as there has ever been in the Browns head coaching job, just a marvelous individual in terms of his character, his class and his demeanor. He was kind, considerate and cordial to the media all the time, even though a lot of those people didn’t fully appreciate it. I hope he does well in Atlanta, and that he can build a great team there, just as he tried to do here in Cleveland.
ONE OF OURS, AND ONE OF THE BEST EVER: More good news, as former running back Nick Chubb will retire as a Brown. After he left Cleveland, he went several other places, but it was always thought that he would come back here to retire because this is where it started, and this is where it flourished, for him. He’s one of only a handful of players from the expansion era who stand out in terms of their greatness for the duration of the team’s history from 1946 until now. In fact, I think he is on the Mount Rushmore of Browns running backs with, of course, Jim Brown, Marion Motley and Leroy Kelly. He may be the best, or at least one of the best, second-round picks in the NFL Draft the Browns have ever had. Plus, like Stefanski, the coach for whom he played, Chubb is as good off the field as he is on it — just a class act all around.
Steve King
