Browns game captains have played inspiringly of late

Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.

Takeaways from Browns practice and interviews …

Browns game captains are selected by Kevin Stefanski every Friday at practice. Beyond merely calling heads or tails in the pre-game coin toss – and then deferring the opening kickoff -- the game captain is designated by the coach to set an example for his teammates in each particular game.

“I think it is a big deal for people who get chosen,” said receiver KhaDarel Hodge. “It is a way to show respect and acknowledge the work [the captain] has put in. You have to show the team the reason why they chose you, and that is going out, playing hard and giving your best at all times.”

In the past two games, the honor inspired the captain to good deeds.

Guard Joel Bitonio was the captain in Jacksonville, and he responded with possibly his best game. Bitonio delivered the lead block on Nick Chubb’s 13-yard gain on a screen pass on third-and-12 in the fourth quarter to seal the tight, 27-25 Browns victory.

The previous week, linebacker Sione Takitaki made Stefanski look prophetic again when he had his finest game in two seasons with the Browns. Takitaki’s interception and 50-yard touchdown return set the tone for the Browns’ 22-17 win over the Eagles.

“If this was the case, I would make all of the active guys a captain,” Stefanski said with a laugh this week.

Indeed, the best-laid plans of captainship can go awry. Below is a list of Stefanski’s game captains and how they fared in their games.

• Game 11: Bitonio. Blocked for 207 yards rushing and made lead block on Chubb’s game-sealing first-down conversion.
• Game 10: Takitaki. Made first career Pick 6 to give Browns crucial first lead under a driving rain.
• Game 9: Linebacker Malcolm Smith. Made just three tackles.
• Game 8: Running back Kareem Hunt. With Chubb out, he was outrushed by the Raiders’ Josh Jacobs with grauple blowing sideways in 16-6 loss.
• Game 7: Linebacker B.J. Goodson. Made seven tackles, one interception and one hit on Joe Burrow in wild, 37-34 shootout win.
• Game 6: Special teamer Tavierre Thomas. Nothing of note.
• Game 5: Receiver Jarvis Landry. A brutal shot to his ribs by Xavier Rhodes on his first reception hampered him throughout the day – perhaps causing two crucial drops in the second half – and took him seven weeks from which to fully recover.
• Game 4: Safety Andrew Sendejo. Well, he did punch out a fumble by Ezekiel Elliott.
• Game 3: Hodge. No receptions, but his blocking helped Chubb and Hunt combine for 158 yards rushing against Washington.
• Game 2: Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi. One tackle.
• Game 1: Long snapper Charley Hughlett. His snaps were on target, but Aaron Seibert kicked himself off the team by missing a 41-yard field goal and a PAT off the left upright.

Hodge said Stefanski does a good job keeping players in suspense about the weekly game captain.

“We never know who it is going to be until Friday morning. We all huddle up, and I think everybody wonders, and then just to know,” Hodge said.

"He just says a little anecdote or a little something about the player and why he is going be captain for that week, if there is a backstory or something,” Bitonio said.

So whom will it be for Sunday’s contest against 8-3 Tennessee, the biggest game of the year so far?

My guess is right tackle Jack Conklin, who will be playing his former team for the first time.

Zip it

Stefanski declined to say if he spoke to Hodge about supplying Titans coach Mike Vrabel bulletin board material on Monday. On his first Zoom interview of the year, Hodge created a headline when he said, “I do not look at the Titans as a super team – they can get beat like anybody else.”

It’s not exactly like emblazoning the quote on a T-shirt – who would do such a thing? – but it didn’t fit with Stefanski’s rules of engagement.

“I will always keep any interactions I have with the players internal,” the coach said. “I will just tell you, I support our players. I am not the thought police. I am not going to tell them what to think, but I do make sure that they understand what is important is how we work, and we are not about bluster. We are about just making sure we put our work in.”

Does Stefanski buy into using opponents’ quotes to inspire his team?

“Always. You are always looking for anything that you can get your hands on,” he said.

Myles to go

Myles Garrett’s first practice after missing two weeks on the Covid reserve list was deemed a success and a good sign he might be able to pick up where he left off before contracting the virus.

“We are going to make sure that we are smart about how we get him back out there,” Stefanski said. “Checking in with him yesterday, he looked really good and then see how he looks today and just keep an open dialogue with him.”

Bitonio observed Garrett closely in one-on-one pass rush drills against offensive tackles.

“I can’t speak to exactly how good his shape is, but I know his pass rush moves are still there,” he said. “He was still bending and moving the way he always moves. There was a move today where I thought he was going to fall, and he just somehow keeps his feet and can turn the corner better than anybody in this league, I think. I think he is back. I think his legs feel good.

“I know he did have some symptoms so he was coming back from them and feeling good. He says he is feeling good now. The first week was a little tough with the symptoms and everything, but since then, he has felt a lot better, and I think he is going to be ready to roll this weekend.”

Defensive coordinator Joe Woods said that by the end of the week, “We will know what he is capable of on Sunday.”

Brownie bits

Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt had the best take on Baker Mayfield’s missed easy throws in Jacksonville. His coaching points to Mayfield: “Do not overanalyze it. It happens. He made four, five or six different throws in that game that were big-time throws in tight windows down the field with great accuracy and then he missed a couple of easy ones. You just do not overanalyze it. Just throw it to the guy that is open. If he is open, just throw it to him. Very simple coaching points.”

…

With Ronnie Harrison down for at least three weeks on injured reserve, the Browns are shorthanded at strong safety behind Karl Joseph. They’ll try to get newly claimed Tedric Thompson up to speed ASAP, but he still is going through Covid protocols before arriving. Thompson spent three years in the Seahawks’ defense after they made him a fourth-round pick in 2017, and that’s the system that Joe Woods employs with the Browns, which made Thompson attractive. “Realistically, we will try to get him up to speed, just like when we got Ronnie here. It was the same dynamic. He is going to have to be ready to play for us as soon as next week,” Woods said …

Three Browns are leading vote-getters at their positions in AFC Pro Bowl fan voting on NFL.com. They are defensive end Myles Garrett, guard Joel Bitonio and fullback Andy Janovich …

For the second year in a row, Nick Chubb is the Browns’ nomination for the NFL’s Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. One winner from among 32 team nominees ultimately is chosen. Chubb could just about retire this honor. There is no better example of sportsmanship than him.