Of Justin Fields and Baker Mayfield winning
By STEVE KING
.@BakerMayfield‘s Mic’d Up energy >>>@Browns pic.twitter.com/4l7El4WuYu
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) September 23, 2021
I want to see Justin Fields shine as a pro.
After all, he’s an Ohio State guy, and most of us are OSU people.
That’s just the way it is.
But I just don’t want to see the Chicago Bears rookie shine in his first pro start, which will come on Sunday against the Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium.
So, can you have it both ways?
Well, yes. Yes, you can.
And so we will.
The Browns should beast the Bears. They know it. The Bears know it. Everyone knows it.
So, then, this is a game the Browns need to win if they want to get to where they want to go. In that way, it is the same lass Sunday’s game, also at Cleveland, when the Brows defeated a team they should defeat in the Houston Texans, 31-21.
That’s what good teams do. They best the teams they should beat, especially at home, and they try to at least split their games against the best teams.
Speaking of home, a good team needs to be dominant in its own building. Win them all at home and at least split on the road. It’s ass formula that works every time it’s tried.
The AFC North teams get a real break this year. They’re playing the NFC North, whose teams have mostly really struggled through the first two weeks. Aside from the Green Bay Packers, the three top AFC North teams — the Browns, Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers — could sweep the other clubs.
Let’s give Baker Mayfield a little more love. The Browns quarterback is off to a great start. All those people who have been ultra- and unreasonably critical of him in the past, need to correct themselves and admit they were wrong.
Come on, people, be adults about it.
Browns elevate TE Jordan Franks:
The Cleveland Browns have elevated TE Jordan Franks to the active roster from the practice squad.
Franks is 6-4, 246 pounds and officially in his second NFL season out of Central Florida. Originally signed by Cincinnati as an undrafted free agent in 2018, Franks has appeared in six career games (all with the Bengals in 2018) and has two receptions for 37 yards. He initially joined the Browns’ practice squad in 2020. A native of Wakulla, Fla., Franks will wear No. 87.
A club can carry up to 55 players on its roster during a given week by elevating one or two players from its practice squad prior to the transaction deadline that precedes the game. The rule allows teams a larger pool from which to select their 47 or 48 game-day active players. Any player elevated from the practice squad for this purpose will immediately revert to his team’s practice squad the day following the game.
Head Coach Kevin Stefanski (9.24.21)
Opening statement:
“Good to see everybody. Excited for the challenge this week. A 1-1 Bears team coming into our place. I think it is going to be a great challenge really for our offense, defense and special teams. I have a ton of respect for this coaching staff so we have to really focus on playing our best to try and get a W.
“I am also excited it is Alumni Weekend for the Browns so we are going to induct some guys in the Legends [program tomorrow] evening. For me to meet some of our Alumni, which I have not been able to do yet, I am really looking forward to.
“Our fans, they were really, really good last week. Like I told the team, we have to be better, I have to coach better and our players have to play better; I am expecting a little bit more from our fans even this week. We can affect the game. When we are playing down there on the lake, they have a major effect on the game. They have a rookie quarterback (Bears QB Justin Fields) starting and making his first start, who a lot of our fans are probably used to cheering for. In this case, we have to make life really hard on their offense. Expect everybody in their seats at kickoff and then really expecting everybody to be loud throughout – do not wait until third down. That is my challenge to our fans this week. Again, they were great last week, and I am asking them to be even better this week.”
On if WR Odell Beckham Jr. is playing on Sunday, given Beckham was not listed with an injury status for Sunday’s game:
“Yes.”
On how Beckham looked in practice this week:
“He looked good. He had a good week, and I think he is ready to go.”
On if he has a sense of how much Beckham will be used on Sunday:
“I do not. Like with every player, I am in constant communication with the player and with their coach so those are things that we talk about throughout the game, but he is ready to go.”
On how much of a difference there was for Beckham being a full participant rather than limited in practice this week:
“Hard to describe it. There were no limitations. He did everything, he took every rep and he felt good coming off of this field.”
On if there is comfort knowing Beckham will not be a game-time decision this week:
“I think it was really just getting through these three practices, and we feel comfortable. That is really what it comes down to.”
On if T Jedrick Wills Jr. is in a better spot than this time one week ago:
“Yes. For sure. He is ready to go.”
On the balance for a player like Wills understanding the importance of walking the fine line of being injured versus hurt when wanting to be out there with the team:
“He pushed really hard to play last week. He worked out before the game. He gutted it out. I have mentioned this before, it sends a great message to your teammates to do that. This week, he did not practice Wednesday or Thursday. He got through it pretty well today. We will see how he responds over the next 24 hours. He is trending in the right direction, but I think ultimately, it is a great message to your teammates when you are injured, you do not stay injured, and you really fight to get back out there and compete with them.”
On if it fair say that the Browns are optimistic that Wills’ ankle injury will not linger for five to six weeks:
“Yeah, I feel good about that.”
On if he will talk with Beckham about being cognizant of not doing too much in his first game back from the season-ending knee injury:
“He is a professional. His attitude throughout this entire process has been really good. He understands that he is out there, and he is going to go and try and help his team win. I think it is pretty simple.”
On if the Browns need more pass rush from the front four:
“As a defense, I think some of those high-leverage moments like third down, we just have to play better defense. Sometimes it is rush. Sometimes it is coverage. We have had good pressure and then you need those pressures to translate into a sack or translate into an incompletion and those type of things. I will tell you, the guys are working very hard. I was very pleased with the week of practice that we had, specifically with our front. I thought the guys really worked very hard this week.”
On if any week can be one where DE Myles Garrett has a dominant performance:
“Yeah, I do think Myles is that type of player. He gets a ton of attention. He is getting chipped. He is getting double-teamed. The production in terms of sacks, as we all know, they sometimes come in bunches, but we have really focused on playing solid defense, being true to our rush lanes and being sound in what we do as a defense.”
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Key dates ahead Sunday: Sept. 26: Week 3 vs. Chicago, 1 p.m. Oct. 3: Week 4 at Minnesota, 1 p.m. Oct. 10: Week 5 at Los Angeles Chargers, 4:05 p.m. Nov. 2: NFL trade deadline, 4 p.m.
