Berea, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – In an offense that features Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, it’s almost criminal that the Browns are averaging just over 18 points per game.
Even more astonishing is the dynamic duo have only accounted for 1 touchdown through 5 games, but that’s where the Browns are at under first year head coach Freddie Kitchens.
“We haven’t been playing to our potential,” Landry said. “We haven’t been the disciplined football team that we would like to be. We haven’t been making enough plays, whether we’ve been put in position or not. Our playmakers really haven’t been given a lot of opportunities to make plays.”
Surprisingly Beckham leads the team with 23 catches, one more than Landry, this season but he has just 4 combined, despite 13 targets, the last 2 games.
“I hate losing, period. So, anytime we lose and I don’t feel like I did anything to help win the game I’m going to be frustrated,” Beckham said. “It’s just the bottom line. I’m a winner in my heart and I hate losing.”
The Browns are 2-3 and it could be much worse, or a lot better.
They fell apart in the fourth quarter of Week 1 against Tennessee that saw a 2-point deficit turn into a 43-13 rout. A subpar performance highlighted by Beckham’s lone touchdown of the season – an 89 yarder in the fourth quarter – got them by the Jets. Brain cramps by Kitchens against the Rams cost them in a 20-13 defeat before they demolished the Ravens 40-25. Then came the embarrassing no-show clunker they should’ve lost by 40 at San Francisco Monday night that saw them score 3 points and give up 31.
The well-rested 4-1 Seahawks swoop into town Sunday before the bye week and a trip to New England. That 2-3 can turn into 2-5 in the blink of an eye if they fail to get it together starting with Seattle.
“Right now, the season can go either way,” Beckham said. “We’re at the fork in the road.”
From Landry’s perspective, there’s not much more the receivers can do on their end.
“I feel like we know we’ve been kinda doing all that we can,” Landry said. “Guys have been taking advantage of their opportunities. We’ve just got to find ways to be more intentional, I just believe in that. We’ve got to find ways to get guys that we believe that’s our game-changers the ball and the defense has got to try to stop it. I don’t think it should ever be about us. I think the defense should have their hands full and should have to stop us.”
It starts with getting No. 13 more involved.
Kitchens has tried.
Monday night Beckham opened the game with a 20-yard completion to Landry, his 500th career reception, plus a couple of handoffs.
But that’s not enough.
“I don't call plays, right? So I just say just from my perspective we just have to be intentional. We have to just deliberately get [Beckham] the ball,” Landry said. “Get all of our playmakers the ball; guys that are going to make plays for us, just get them the ball.”
Landry mentioned play calling more than once Thursday afternoon but the theme of his message was consistent – get Beckham the ball.
“I'm not calling plays or designing anything, but at the end of the day, obviously he's a key part of our offense whether the ball's in his hands or not,” Landry said. “We've got to find ways for other guys to continue to make plays, but the way that it's been going, we haven't really been making enough plays without him touching the ball.
“So we've definitely got to find a way to include him even more in the offense and be intentional with it. It doesn't matter if the defense knows it. We've got to be intentional with getting him the ball. Getting playmakers the ball, period.”
Quarterback Baker Mayfield has struggled this season. He’s completing less than 56 percent of his passes and thrown twice as many interceptions as touchdowns but he’s still young and Beckham has offered and is willing to help carry the load for No. 6.
“He has a lot on his plate right now and we all need to do a better job of playing better, take something off his plate,” Beckham said. “I’m more than happy to take something off his plate and put it on me.
“I can take it. I can handle all this stuff, so just put it on me and see what happens.”
No one is panicking, yet.
But the urgency to get on track can be felt within the locker room, including among the top two receivers.
“Our focus has to be on we may not be as good as we thought we were and we need to find ways to play to our potential,” Landry said. “We just haven’t been playing to our potential.”
