BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – It’s easy to take things out of context or take someone’s comments at face value.
That’s what Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski believes happened with left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. Monday.
Here’s a few Brownie Bites from Wednesday.
Not what it seems – Stefanski defended Wills, who said Monday he made “a business decision” not to play against the Ravens and rest his aching and surgically repaired knee, on Wednesday. “It was a poor choice of words,” Stefanski said. “He did not [mean that]. I know what that phrase means. That's not how he meant it.” Stefanski denied Wills' decision not to play against Baltimore led to him being replaced by Dawand Jones prior to the bye week. Wills had surgery last December and missed the first two games of the season but said Monday he was also still dealing with a bruised knee and cartilage damage. “I wouldn't categorize it as setback,” Stefanski said. “It hasn't recovered how quickly he would want it to, and there's obviously times that you maybe tweak an injury or you feel it again and those type of things, but yeah, it's been a tough rehab for him.”
Keep away – Jameis Winston’s 334-yard and three touchdown performance in a 29-24 win over the Ravens was washed away after he threw three interceptions in a 27-10 loss to the Chargers before the bye but that doesn’t mean Stefanski is going to get conservative offensively. “Jameis has played a lot of football in this league,” Stefanski said. “He understands what it takes to win. He understands obviously taking care of the ball is paramount to what we do. He also is a player that can make throws down the field and you want to just make sure that you're always being smart, but you're not just being conservative for the sake of being conservative.”
Don’t judge a book... – The Saints’ offense started the season explosively scoring a combined 91 points and winning their first two games. They have totaled 136 points combined and gone 1-7 since. “They're excellent on offense,” Stefanski said. “They have dealt with a lot of injuries. Their top two receivers, the quarterback was out for three games. They've had injuries along the offensive line, but they're a major challenge for us. Our players understand how big a challenge this is.”
Banged up – Linebacker Jordan Hicks is healthier and ready to return but revealed he was hospitalized for two days following a 21-15 loss to the Giants September 22 due to an infection. “Spent two days, yeah, getting antibiotics,” Hicks said. “I mean, I was feverish. The infection was real. So played that game and then ended up breaking my rib during the Giants game. So it was an onslaught of things.” Hicks also revealed he strained his triceps a week later during a 20-16 loss at Las Vegas. The injuries caused him to miss four of the last five games. “There's a lot of things that nobody will ever know about this game and what players go through and what we have to deal with on a weekly basis,” Hicks said. “Getting checked out at the hospital Tuesday afternoon, Tuesday evening, and then being in practice on Wednesday, right? It's just something that you do and you deal with and yeah, you guys don't have to know that, right? But me in the back, I know what I deal with and I know what I have to do to get back onto the field.”
Roster move – The Browns signed cornerback Chigozie Anusiem from Washington’s practice squad to their active roster. Anusiem is a rookie out of Colorado State who was originally signed by the Commanders as an undrafted free agent and has spent the entire season on the Commanders’ practice squad.
Quote of the day – Winston on the approach for the 2-7 Browns coming off the bye: “One play at a time. We cannot fall victim to what's behind us. We cannot press too far to what's ahead of us. We have to focus on one day, one play, executing it perfectly, one play at a time.”
Injury report – LIMITED: LG Joel Bitonio (pectoral); FULL: LB Jordan Hicks (elbow/triceps), WR Jerry Jeudy (knee), QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson (finger), OT Jedrick Wills Jr. (knee)