CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – There are a multitude of reasons why the Cleveland Browns are having a once in a generation type of season.
One could point to Kevin Stefanski’s steady leadership, or Baker Mayfield’s growth within his offense or Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt pounding opponents into submission.
For receiver Jarvis Landry, it comes down to one simple word.
“I think it is all about trust,” Landry said.
Trust in Stefanski. Trust in Mayfield. Trust in each other.
“For us, too, time builds that trust,” Landry continued. “I keep going back to practice because I feel like that is where it all starts.
Having an opportunity to show and win the right to have that opportunity in the game, that is something that is very huge.
“Coach Stefanski obviously sees it and does amazing things for our quarterback and does amazing things for our offense as a whole. When you go back to look at it, it is just how you drew it up, and then Baker makes the throw and the receiver makes the catch. That is how it goes. It is a process, but it is something that I think we are figuring out.”
It's been 26 years since the Browns last saw 9-3 where they currently sit atop the AFC Wild Card standings in control of their own playoff destiny.
They can end the NFL’s longest playoff drought at 18 years with a postseason berth this year.
“For us, the more time that we are continuing to spend together, the better we are getting,” Landry said.
Landry has been a cornerstone of the Browns’ resurgence since being acquired from Miami in 2018 topping over 1,000 yards and reaching the Pro Bowl.
This season Landry has been slowed by a broken rib and is on pace for a career-low in receptions, despite leading the Browns with 54 catches, and touchdowns, although he’s caught one in each of the last two games.
Landry has extended his streak of having at least two catches to 107 consecutive games, the second-longest active streak in the NFL and the fifth longest streak in NFL history and he has 71 games with at least five catches, one game behind Antonio Brown of the Buccaneers and Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison.
“Legends. Those guys are guys who I have watched play the game the right way for a long time and that I aspire to have a career similar,” Landry said. “It is an honor to be recognized next to those guys. Those guys are a large part of my inspiration of the receiver that I am and want to become.”
The leadership, availability and presence of the five-time Pro Bowler continues to be invaluable.
“Every time I take the field, I always expect to have a game-changing performance or a performance that will help the team in some type of way,” Landry said. “That has just been my mindset and my drive behind why I play, never really for the recognition. I also understood that if you are available to be out there, you can make plays, and if you are not, you can’t. I think that that is a testament to just being available, and then obviously, all the work that I put in out there on the practice field, just growing up or whatever that has allowed me to make those plays.”
Landry also credits Stefanski’s leadership for the team’s turnaround.
“He is all about the details,” Landry said. “He is all about winning and doing whatever it takes. Even from his first press conference and still his mantra today is ‘We have to put the work in. We have to work.’ That has just been the motto that we have been coming out here and practicing with and playing with each and every Sunday. That is one thing I will give him. He is a man of his words, and he is doing whatever it takes to win.”
While pundits debate Mayfield’s merits as a franchise quarterback, Landry “absolutely” believes in the 2018 No. 1 overall pick, who has thrown 17 touchdowns and no interceptions in the red zone this season and has gone five games and 156 passing attempts without a pick.
“It is encouraging to see how he just continues to come out here and work, regardless of what he does in the previous game,” Landry said. “The things that are said about him in the media or whatever it is, whether he takes it personal or not, I know he comes here to work and challenge himself, and it has paid off. Look, we are 9-3, and you could say that I do not think 20 years ago. It says a lot about that man.”
