THE MOMENT OF TRUTH FOR FREDDIE KITCHENS

By STEVE KING

To hear most everybody tell it, this is a low moment — perhaps THE lowest, in fact — for Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens.

His team, much ballyhooed coming into the season, has greatly under-achieved. At 4-6 and having just escaped the grip of a four-game losing streak, the Browns are hanging in the playoff chase by a mere thread, if they are still hanging in at all.

Then there’s the ugly – and costly – fight with which his team was involved a little over a week ago, casting a real pall over the Browns’ first win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in five years and knocking his best defensive player, defensive end Myles Garrett, to the sideline for an indefinite period following his suspension by the NFL. The impact of that suspension was reinforced when Garrett’s appeal was denied on Thursday.

All of this – including claims that Kitchens has lost control of his team, or else why would Garrett have acted like he did? – has caused some, including a few in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio, to campaign for his firing.

And the guy has been coaching for just 10 games – in his entire career, at any level.

Yes, other than actually losing his job, it seemingly could not get any worse for Kitchens.

But sometimes a man’s true ability does not show itself until he is severely tested, with his back to the wall. Could it be that that will be the case with Kitchens?

After all, General Manager John Dorsey saw something great in Kitchens when he hired him. If Dorsey was right, then Kitchens will show it now and pull himself out of this mess.

How?

By winning, not just over the outmanned Miami Dolphins on Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium, and also the following Sunday in Pittsburgh in the rematch with the Steelers, but beyond that, all the way through the rest of the regular season.

That would do it – and in a big way, as it would likely earn the Browns a playoff spot, almost certainly as a wild card.

But even if that doesn’t happen quite that way – even if the Browns simply finish strong, yet miss the postseason – then Kitchens will be exonerated.

It’s up to him. As tough as this situation seems, it could be just what Freddie Kitchens needs.