Behind Enemy Lines: Five burning Cleveland Browns questions
The New York Jets (0-1) and the Cleveland Browns (0-1) entered the 2019 NFL season buzzing with optimism.
While both franchises dropped their season openers in heartbreaking fashion, their Monday night showdown at MetLife Stadium offers an opportunity for one team to redirect its course.
To gather some intel on the opposition, we asked Browns Maven's Peter Smith five burning questions, in the first edition of our Behind Enemy Lines series.
AD: While Freddie Kitchens is considered to be a brilliant offensive mind, Monday night will only be his second game as an NFL head coach. What has stood out to you early in his coaching tenure?
PS: The biggest takeaway from Freddie Kitchens as head coach is how comfortable he is in his own skin. Especially compared to the previous head coach, he isn't afraid to get input from his coaching staff or players without feeling like his station is being threatened. As a result, he never feels contrived or fake in how he deals with anyone from the media, players or his coaching staff or random people on the street.
AD: This game will feature two second-year signal callers expected to lead their respective teams to the postseason. How does a young Browns locker room respond to Baker Mayfield's leadership?
PS: The locker room adores him on both sides of the ball. They believe in him and never feel like they are out of a game. Last year, receivers never gave up on routes or plays because they never knew when Mayfield might find them and give them the opportunity to make plays in addition to the fact he doesn't care who he's throwing to as long as they are open.
AD: What has the chemistry been like with Mayfield and his wide receivers, particularly Odell Beckham?
PS: They consistently had it working throughout training camp, but from a game standpoint, it's difficult to get a sense of where he and Odell Beckham are. They didn't have any issue connecting in the first game, but it seems like there's more in there. Mayfield has the most chemistry with Rashard Higgins, who he trusts implicitly, but isn't afraid to throw the ball to Jarvis Landry. For the most part, it seems like Mayfield could be throwing to blank jerseys. If a guy is open, he'll give them the opportunity to make a play which had a guy like Breshad Perriman make plays last year. Derrick Willies had three catches in the clutch last year in an overtime win against the Baltimore Ravens. Get open, Mayfield will find you.
AD: Denzel Ward boasts All-Pro potential. Can you discuss his development from Year 1 to Year 2, and what makes him one of the best young cornerbacks in the game?
PS: Ward was an outstanding man corner coming in last year. His raw speed and agility often enabled him to run with most any receiver, which is what earned him such high praise. He also displayed the ability to make plays on the football. Going to year two, it's about Ward's ability to get impactful in zone coverage to be a more complete corner and protect himself from injury with better form as a tackler.
AD: Despite new players in key spots on the offensive line, Mayfield was sacked five times on Sunday. With players shuffling around the lineup, was it just a continuity issue or something you see as a troubling trend in 2019?
PS: The Browns return four starters from last year's group. Eric Kush replaces Kevin Zeitler, who was traded to the New York Giants. Their tackle position is just mediocre in terms of raw talent, but they were able to keep Mayfield protected in the second half of the year. Much of that was due to Mayfield. He has good pocket presence, manipulates defenders well and usually gets rid of the ball on time. Occasionally, he'd extend plays and make some special things happen.
The biggest issue the offensive line had was caused by penalties. They found themselves starting behind the sticks and the Tennessee Titans had pass rushers who could win consistently when they can just attack the quarterback. The second was Baker Mayfield holding onto the ball too long too often, which resulted in some of the hits and sacks he took. And last but certainly not least, Chris Hubbard in particular just played poorly. Greg Robinson getting himself ejected was just stupid. Staying on schedule, getting the ball out on time will help the offensive line immensely, but they also have to play better.
