BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Nick Chubb doesn’t shy away from contact on a football field, but he avoids questions about himself as well as he evades defenders.
The Pro Bowl back enters the 17th and final week of the 2019 season with a 92-yard lead on Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey for the NFL rushing title, which would be the first for a Browns runner since Leroy Kelley won it in 1968.
“I haven’t looked, but people are encouraging me, telling me the numbers,” Chubb said Monday.
Although Chubb was limited to 45 yards on 15 carries by the Ravens Sunday, he has racked up 1,453 yards on the ground in 2019.
McCaffery has 1,361 yards rushing while Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry has 1,329.
“I care because everyone cares,” Chubb said.
Chubb said Monday he’d trade his Pro Bowl selection and rushing title for a playoff berth “right now” but with the Browns eliminated from the playoffs and underwhelming at 6-9, Chubb hasn’t been able to bring himself to appreciate the historical significance of the achievement, should he pull it off.
“I appreciate it, but, it’s hard to appreciate it now because things haven’t as well as I wanted them to,” Chubb said.
Chubb has secured the fourth-best rushing season in franchise history behind Hall of Famer Jim Brown, who owns the top three with 1,863 yards in 1963, 1,544 yards in 1965 and 1,527 yards in 1958.
Feud continues – Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield took to Twitter to fire back at Colin Cowherd after Fox Sports radio posted a segment Monday of Cowherd criticizing Mayfield.
“He was booed because he’s cocky, snarky, has too many commercials, and is in love with himself,” Cowherd said prompting Mayfield to respond to the post.
“I’m not in love with myself... but you are, that’s for sure. Also, thanks for the follow on IG! Your constant support is appreciated! Glad I can help out your business!” Mayfield tweeted.
Swan song – Sunday’s game was likely the last for Joe Schobert as a Brown at FirstEnergy Stadium, barring significant progress in talks with the team on a new contract.
“When you get home, you think about it, definitely, it was a possibility or it is a possibility, but I don't look to far ahead in the future that way, so we'll see what happens,” Schobert said.
As for talks with the team on a new deal, “I haven't heard anything,” Schobert said.
Schobert explained why he’d like to stay despite the Browns’ inability to turn it around on the field.
“This is the place that gave me my chance in the NFL,” Schobert said. “Just since I've been young, I've been a loyal guy, just the way you grew up, you play in the Waukesha West Youth Football system, you go to Waukesha West High School, you commit to a college, I mean, this day and age people transfer all the time, but stay in college for four years and you get to the NFL and it's the team that brought you into the league.
“There's a certain amount of respect there, there's a certain amount of pride in trying to turn it around and play for the team, play for the city and be a successful team. The NFL, at the end of the day, is a business, so it's different than all the previous levels of football I just talked about, but that's just the kind of guy I am.”
Welcome back – The NFL allowing Myles Garrett to return to the building during his indefinite suspension recently is a welcome sight for Schobert.
“Obviously, it's just nice to see him around,” Schobert said. “It's been I don't know how many weeks it's been since I've seen him, but it's just good because he's a part of the team. He's a part of the family. It was probably good for him to be out of the building for a little while to just clear his head, hopefully not look at too much social media stuff and just reset and refocus because everybody in here knows the kind of guy Myles is, and when he's in the locker room he only adds to the presence here, so it's always good to have him around.”
Garrett lost his appeal of the indefinite ban last month for ripping the helmet off Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph and hitting him in the head with it in the closing seconds of the Browns’ 21-7 victory Nov. 14.
Garrett will be required to meet with the commissioner’s office in the offseason to seek reinstatement under the terms of his suspension.
