BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Last week Browns running back Nick Chubb posted a message on his Instagram story.
It read: “I’m whatever Cleveland needs me to be.”
The NFL’s rushing leader continues to answer the call every time he touches the ball.
“That’s just a Batman quote. I like Batman,” Chubb explained. “That’s pretty much it. Don’t look too deep into it.”
Cleveland is far from Gotham and Chubb might not be a capped crusader, but he’s has his own signal on gamedays at FirstEnergy Stadium when fans chant, “Chubb!, Chubb!, Chubb!” as encouragement to head coach Freddie Kitchens to put the ball in his hands.
“Yeah, I hear it,” Chubb said. “It gets me hyped. It gets me excited.”
That’s as close to the spotlight as you’ll find the 2018 second-round pick. Like Bruce Wayne, Chubb prefers to work in the dark. Anonymity is his greatest weapon.
Chubb's enemies aren’t the Joker, Penguin, Mr. Freeze or Poison Ivy. They're Ravens, Steelers, Bengals and this week – Cardinals.
Chubb, who has racked up 1,281 yards – 38 more than Tennessee's Derrick Henry and 61 more than Carolina's Christian McCaffrey – this season, doesn’t act or talk like a superhero, but he sure plays like one.
“You get a team of 53 Nick Chubbs, you're going to be doing something right,” left guard Joel Bitonio said.
Now he’s three games away from the Browns’ first rushing title since Leroy Kelly ran for 1,239 yards in 1968.
"It will mean a lot to me only because how hard I worked and it paid off for me,” Chubb said. “That’s really the biggest thing for me is just when I work hard, it shows and I get the results that I want.”
Vernon out again – Defensive end Olivier Vernon was ruled out again Friday.
Vernon, who played 12 snaps at Pittsburgh Nov. 14 where he registered one tackle, will miss his fifth game out for the last six with a knee injury originally suffered Nov. 3 at Denver.
Back on the Lamm – If right tackle Chris Hubbard can’t go Sunday and has to miss his second straight with a knee injury, Kendall Lamm would likely make his second straight start in his place.
“He played well coming back,” offensive coordinator Todd Monken said. “It took him a while. We have had him back for a few weeks but just getting himself back where he trusted himself. We liked what we had during training camp and then unfortunately during the first game getting hurt but coming back I think it was a good step forward. I thought the O line played well.”
Suggs sacked – The Browns won’t have to face one of their biggest tormentors Sunday in Arizona.
Linebacker Terrell Suggs, who racked up 19 sacks and nine forced fumbles in 29 games against the Browns in 29 games, was released by Arizona Friday.
Suggs ranks ninth in NFL history with 138 career sacks.
Injury report – OUT: DE Olivier Vernon (knee), S Eric Murray (knee)
QUESTIONABLE: C JC Tretter (knee), RT Chris Hubbard (knee)
EXPECTED TO PLAY: WR Odell Beckham Jr. (groin), WR Jarvis Landry (hip), LB Sione Takitaki (illness), TE Demetrius Harris (shoulder), RB Dontrell Hilliard (knee), CB Greedy Williams (shoulder), CB Denzel Ward (ankle), TE David Njoku (knee), WR KhaDarel Hodge (Achilles)
