BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – On the 18th Sunday, the Browns will rest.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski has made the decision to sit key players in the regular season finale against the Bengals in Cincinnati, including quarterback Joe Flacco.
“We're going to use this opportunity to rest some guys,” Stefanski said. “I feel like we've earned that opportunity with how we took care of business the previous week. As you guys know, with the roster limitations, you cannot rest everybody. So our full intent is to go down there, play well and get a win.”
Here’s our top Brownie Bites from Wednesday.
QB 5 – Jeff Driskel, signed off the Arizona Cardinal practice squad late last week, will start in Cincinnati. “Jeff's a guy with the system, knowledge from Arizona, is helpful to get out there,” Stefanski said. PJ Walker will be the backup. He's been great for us. He started in games and won for us, but just felt like this was the right thing to do for the team in this particular instance to give Jeff an opportunity to show us what he's capable of as well.” Driskel looks to become the fifth Browns starting quarterback to win a game this season. According to NFL research, Cleveland joins the 1984 Chicago Bears to make the playoffs with five starting QBs. Flacco will not be the only regular to rest. “Throughout this course of this season, we've had a lot of our depth play in these games,” Stefanski said. “But this is another opportunity for some guys backups and some maybe younger guys to play, and it gives us an opportunity to see them, it gives us an opportunity to see them compete. So I'm excited about that part.”
Case closed – Myles Garrett will likely end the regular season with 14.0 sacks and Defensive Player o the Year prospects will not factor in the head coach’s decision to play the All-Pro defensive end. In Stefanski’s eyes, Garrett has done enough. “I don't know that Myles needs to do anything more on a football field to convince anyone how important he's been to our football team,” Stefanski said. “Said it before, I'll say it again. I mean he's the best player on the best defense in the National Football League. That counts for something. And I would say just talk to the coaches that he goes against, ask them what they think about him as a player, the type of impact he has on the game. So we'll see if he plays on Sunday. But I don't think that should be a determining factor in any way, shape or form.”
Father of the year – It didn’t take Flacco to feel welcome within the Browns locker room. It also helps that he lit it up on the field by throwing for over 300 yards in four consecutive starts for the first time in his career and in team history. Flacco joked about the impact on the locker room he feels he’s had in a short amount of time. “If I messed up in high school, I mean, I could be these kids' dads,” Flacco said. “There's something that they probably do look at me a little bit differently just because of that. To get a sense of what kind of impact, who knows? I'm just being myself and trying to help 'em win games. And I think when you're yourself, that's the best chance you have to impact people. So hopefully I've had something.” Cornerback Greg Newsome II dropped a dad joke for Flacco. “I mean just how he dresses, got the dad look,” Newsome said. “Nah, but we definitely get that vibe from him being a guy who's been in the league for a long, long time, knows a lot, so he's very smart, and we just try to use him in any way we can just to help our growth as individuals, as men and as players.”
Celebrate good times – Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has encouraged, if not required, his players to celebrate making plays. Newsome has become the master of celebrating as evidenced by the blinking 2024 glasses he wore during his media availability Wednesday. As for the celebrations themselves, they come natural to the cornerback. “Actually, I really honestly don't practice it too much,” Newsome said. “Just whatever I feel at the time is just kind of what I do.” Not everyone appreciates Newsome’s moves during games, including some fans, and that’s just fine by him. “Yeah, I mean some fans hate it. Some fans say I celebrate too much, but it's whatever,” Newsome said. “That's what Schwartz loves. He loves celebrating our brothers successes and I feel like that's one of the things about me. I love seeing my guys succeed, so I'm always going to be over there celebrating.”
Local reinforcement – The Browns signed veteran guard Rodger Saffold to the practice squad and Saffold likely will get to play this weekend as the Browns gear up for the playoffs. “It's very exciting, but it's just like everybody's been saying, the work has only just begun,” Saffold said. “I mean, I've been in the playoffs for years. It's a grueling experience. Takes a lot of hard work. You got to adapt during the game. There's a lot of challenges, so we got our work cut out for us.” Saffold, a 14-year veteran and two-time Pro Bowler, is a Bedford, Ohio native and grew up a “huge” Browns fan. “Jim Brown was a good family friend of ours. John Wooten used to send me tapes on different offensive linemen through college, and I've been knowing him forever,” Saffold said. “My grandfather used to take me and the fire marshal, we used to all go and watch the games. I had a [Dennis] Northcutt jersey. I got tired of the Rolodex of QBs, but I had fun looking at Braylon Edwards and [Charlie] Frye, you know what I mean? So I've been living and dying with you guys, trust me.” Getting to finally join up with his favorite team after being drafted in the second round by the Rams and playing for the Titans and Bills is a dream. “It's emotional,” Saffold said. “The first thing that I thought about coming over here was just like, oh my gosh, I'm going to be in the facility. I'm going to be in these meeting rooms. I'm going to be walking around doing things that my father and my grandfather wished that they could do. You know what I mean? So the fact that I'm here now and then I got a shot at the playoffs, they both passed, but I know they're looking down happy as shit. This is finally happening. I mean, I was there when we were throwing beer bottles at the refs. I've been with this team forever and I got made fun of for so long, and it just feels so good to just look at you guys and just be like, Hey, we got it now. Screw you.”
Back to work – Defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo and receiver Elijah Moore returned to practice Wednesday. Okoronkwo suffered a torn pectoral muscle on December 10 but received a second opinion on the injury and did not go on injured reserve. Moore remains in concussion protocol after suffering a head injury in the second quarter of last Thursday’s win over the Jets.
Healing process – Rookie offensive tackle Dawand Jones was spotted in the locker room for the first time since undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a torn MCL on December 14. “Definitely sad, but it’s God’s plan,” Jones said. “Whatever it brings me next, you’ve just got to stick with it and put my head down and keep working. That’s all I can do. That’s all I’ve been doing since I got here.” Jones suffered the injury during practice when his foot got stuck in the ground. His hope is to be back by minicamp or training camp. “I went back and watched film. I definitely feel like I played almost a Pro [Bowl] level,” Jones said. “There are some things I need to work on, whether it’s plays, knowing right from left, but besides that I was in a good mind[set]. Year two I feel like, things to work on, I’m going to put those into my game.”
Votes are in – Browns defensive end Myles Garrett and kicker Dustin Hopkins led fan voting in the AFC for the Pro Bowl Games at their respective positions the NFL announced Wednesday. Pro Bowl players are scheduled to be announced Wednesday evening.
Quote of the day – “I hate going to Cincinnati. They've always played us tough. Listen, I think my first year we beat up on 'em and then after that, I mean, they got good. They got good quick. I mean, you got to give credit to those guys. They've had really good football teams and they've beat us a couple crazy ways, too. They've just flat out beat me and the teams I was on, and they've beaten us on fourth downs, on Hail Marys. I think every year we'd look at that and we knew that they probably had our number a little bit and we were doing our best to overcome it. But they're a good football team and they have been for a really long time now. So you got to give them credit.” – Flacco on trips to Cincinnati to play the Bengals.
Injury report – DNP: LG Joel Bitonio (oblique, knee), WR Amari Cooper (heel), CB Mike Ford Jr. (calf), K Dustin Hopkins (left hamstring), RB Kareem Hunt (groin), CB Greg Newsome (knee), TE David Njoku (illness), LB Anthony Walker (knee), C Ethan Pocic (stinger); LIMITED: P Corey Bojorquez (left quad), S Duron Harmon (hand), WR Elijah Moore (concussion), DE Ogbo Okoronkwo (pectoral), RG Wyatt Teller (ankle); FULL: QB Joe Flacco (calf), DE Myles Garrett (shoulder), CB Denzel Ward (shoulder)
