BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Kareem Hunt’s comments Monday about some teammates not giving 110% in the 38-24 loss at Arizona were an eye opener.
Usually they are a sign of deeper problems that the head coach does not want aired publicly.
Not Freddie Kitchens.
“I think Kareem is a great competitor,” Kitchens said. “I think Kareem puts everything out on the field every time he walks out on the field – practice, games, it doesn't matter. He loves the game of football, and I don't think there's anything wrong with challenging your teammates.
“I've said this before about Kareem and Nick [Chubb], those two are great competitors. They're always working hard. So I think that's where it is.”
Hunt didn’t feel some Browns gave a premium effort, which led to their eighth loss of the season and put their already slim-to-none playoff hopes on life support.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield appreciated Hunt speaking up, because Hunt has played for an organization that knows how to win whereas the Browns are still trying to figure it out.
“Kareem has been in a place in Kansas City that knows how to win so his level and his standard of accountability for everybody to do their job is very high,” Mayfield said. “That is the type of guy you want to bring in here. I do not think it was anything personal to anybody, but Kareem, bringing him in was huge part for us raising the standards. We want that. We want guys to be able to have accountability.
“It does not need to just come from me all the time. Having a guy like that and Nick Chubb is our silent assassin so having Kareem being a vocal leader is important for us.”
Last year as the season wound down Mayfield spoke in similar fashion like Hunt did on Monday.
“We are seeing exactly who is in it for the right reasons,” Mayfield said. “There is still that small slim chance that we can make it. We have to have a lot of help, but we are playing to get better. We have to. We are playing to finish this thing out the right way and the way the people that have worked so long for this season – it has been a long grueling season – but people around here deserve for us to finish the right way.”
Slanderous accusation – Mike Silver of NFL Network reported earlier this week that receiver Jarvis Landry told multiple Arizona Cardinals players to “come get me” as Odell Beckham Jr. had done throughout the season according to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer and Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports.
Wednesday Landry fired back, emphatically.
“I did not feel like I had to address it,” Landry said. “I think that the passion and the team I play for that they trust and know my heart and know that I am in this and I would never look to another team during a game, especially that we are losing and say come get me with a worse record than we have.
“Mike [Silver] or whoever the source was, it is all about clicks now and I get it, but at the end of the day, don't try and slander my name. If you did not hear me say it directly, you should not have to be able to report about it.”
Before Landry stepped in front of cameras and microphones Beckham said he was not going anywhere in 2020 and would return to the Browns, contrary to reports he wants out.
“I have been saying that,” Landry said. “I think John [Dorsey], Freddie [Kitchens], Dee and Jimmy [Haslam] and everybody already knew that. I do not know where it came from. I do not know who put that out. He is a guy that to be able to go and do what we want to do, he is going to have to be a part of it. I am happy that is put to bed.”
Kitchens didn’t have much to say about the most recent report when asked earlier Wednesday.
“I can only go off of what I'm shown, what they communicate to me and I haven't seen anything in that nature,” Kitchens said. “I know the speculation. I don't know where it started, but I got the report. I haven't seen that, so I wouldn't even care to [comment on it]. That's like commentating on speculation. It really does no one any good.”
Getting closer – Defensive end Olivier Vernon is improving but might miss his sixth game in seven weeks.
“I think he's close, I don't know if he'll get there at the end of the week,” Kitchens said. “We'll see.”
Glory days – The Browns announced the big summer concert for FirstEnergy Stadium Wednesday morning.
The Stadium Tour featuring Def Leppard and Motley Crue with Poison and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts will come to Cleveland on July 3, 2020.
Injury report – DNP: C JC Tretter (knee), OT Kendall Lamm (knee), DT Sheldon Richardson (back)
Limited: WR Odell Beckham Jr. (groin), WR Jarvis Landry (hip), LB Tae Davis (knee), RB Dontrell Hilliard (knee), RT Chris Hubbard (knee), S Eric Murray (knee), DE Olivier Vernon (knee), CB Denzel Ward (ankle),
Full: DE Porter Gustin (neck)
