Cleveland, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Kareem Hunt is making the most of his second chance with the Browns – on and off the field.
Off the field, Hunt has kept himself out of trouble. The talented back has quietly done a variety of work in the community, including visiting high schools to talk to students about the dangers of making poor life choices, similar to ones he made that resulted in his release from Kansas City and an 8-game suspension.
Since Hunt has returned to the field, the Browns offense has seemingly transformed.
“He is a huge weapon to have,” center JC Tretter said. “He is just another weapon that, similar to Nick [Chubb], we know if we get something blocked up for him, he can take it to the house. He has been a great addition. He has done everything we have asked him. He has been willing the first week back to be a blocker and do all those things just to help the team. That has been a great asset for us.”
Head coach Freddie Kitchens has been able to integrate Hunt without reducing Chubb’s touches.
“Sometimes when a person is down and feels like people have given up on him, sometimes that is when you see the best in people,” Kitchens said. “I think Kareem is certainly that. He has a big supporter within myself, this organization, John Dorsey and his teammates more importantly.
“Kareem has a big hand in that by returning the favor with his support and of course, his skill on the field. On and off the field, Kareem has continued to try get better each and every day, and he has been doing a great job of that and staying focused in doing that.”
Hunt scored his first touchdown as a Browns in Sunday’s 41-24 victory over Miami. He has 79 yards on 18 carries – a 4.4 yards per carry average – and has caught 15 passes for 99 yards.
“I think Kareem has had a tremendous impact from the standpoint of showing how unselfish he is and then once he has the ball in his hands showing how explosive he can be,” Kitchens said. “You always have to account for where he is, and I think that opens up other guys so I think he has been a tremendous asset.”
Alive and well – Sunday’s win resurrected the Browns’ playoff chances.
At 5-6, Cleveland is 10th in the crowded AFC field for the second Wild Card, 1 full game behind the 6-5 Titans, Colts, Raiders and Steelers but Kitchens isn’t looking at scores or the standings.
“No, I do not because if we do not do what we are supposed to do, it does not matter anyways,” Kitchens said.
Riding a 3-game win streak, the Browns have taken a major step towards turning what was once a disappointing season around.
“We kind of had to go into playoff mode a couple of weeks ago,” Kitchens said. “It is just one game at a time once you get to the playoffs. That is the way it should be all year. These guys have just bought into that kind of mantra of 1-0 this week, and that is the only thing we care about.”
Since the team's 2-6 start Kitchens’ players have bought into it.
“We are far from where we need to be and where we want to be,” Tretter said. “Everybody knew the talent we had in the building. We knew we just had to fix some things and get some things corrected, and we started doing that. We still have a long way to go, and we can’t really look at it like we have accomplished anything yet.
“We are still a sub-.500 team and we have a lot of work to go. We have to keep going one week at a time and control what we can control.”
The combined record of the Browns’ 5 remaining opponents – including winless Cincinnati twice – is 17-25.
Dead horse – Defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson credits Kitchens, and his sometimes-lengthy team meetings, for leading the turnaround.
“Big part,” Richardson said. “He hits on everything — a little bit too much, beats a dead horse sometimes. But we need it. We definitely need it.”
Tretter believes the meetings have helped galvanize the team and their goals.
“I think any time you can get the whole team together and get us all on the same page of what we are trying to accomplish that week and that day, it is good,” Tretter said. “I think the more we are all on the same page, the better and it is what the team needs.”
Day to day – Kitchens didn’t have much to say about defensive end Olivier Vernon’s prospects this week.
“I do not know yet about Olivier. That will be a day-to-day kind of thing moving forward,” Kitchens said.
Tight end David Njoku, who was designated to return from injured reserve last week, is anxious to get back on the field after practicing last week. Kitchens was also non-committal about his availability this week.
“I do not know that yet. We will just have to see,” Kitchens said. “It is a day-to-day kind of thing. I think our tight ends have been doing a pretty good job.”
