Mitchell Schwartz made it to the Super Bowl in four years with the Chiefs. (Getty Images)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
MIAMI BEACH, FL
Notebook leftovers from Super Bowl week …
Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the reigning league MVP who’s approaching legendary status in only his third season, is being protected by two offensive linemen cast aside by the Browns.
Mitchell Schwartz is completing his fourth season as Chiefs right tackle. Austin Reiter is completing his first as Chiefs starting center.
And the team’s top reserve lineman is Cam Erving, a Browns’ first-round draft pick in 2015.
As you might expect, each is thankful for the events that landed him with Kansas City.
Reiter recalled the unusual circumstance of joining the Browns off the Redskins practice squad in October of 2016.
“Cleveland claimed me and two weeks later I’m starting against the Redskins, the team I’d been with for a year and a half and drafted me,” he said. “I remember thinking, ‘People have been telling me the NFL’s crazy, anything can happen.’
“I think this [starting in the Super Bowl] is probably one of the best examples of that.”
Erving struggled for two years after being taken in the first round in 2015. He made 17 starts at four different positions. He was traded in the 2017 training camp for a fifth-round pick.
“I was a little upset at the time,” he said. “I felt I could have helped the organization more. But the structure just wasn’t set up for me there. God doesn’t make mistakes. Once I realized that, I just tried to take things in stride here.
“There were definitely some ups and downs. A lot of adversity I had to face. Through and through, I enjoyed my time there. I made some great friendships that are going to last a lifetime.”
The trade to Kansas City was the best thing to happen in Erving’s career.
“Definitely. That’s no knock on Cleveland. Everybody needs a change of scenery sometime. That was mine,” he said.
As for Schwartz, his consecutive-snaps streak, which he established in four seasons in Cleveland, came to an end this year at 7,894 -- some 2,469 snaps (about 34 games) shy of Joe Thomas’ streak of 10,363. Schwartz missed three plays with a knee injury and then returned to the game.
“I was actually kind of happy it ended with an actual injury issue, not something stupid like an equipment issue,” Schwartz said. “It was disappointing in the moment that it was over.”
Crimson pride
San Francisco’s Kyle Juszczyk would seem a good future fit for the Browns.
First, he’s one of the most versatile fullbacks in the NFL, and new coach Kevin Stefanski is a fan of the position. Second, he was born in Medina and prepped at Cloverleaf High School. Third, he played at Harvard University – alma mater of Chief Security Officer Paul DePodesta and General Manager Andrew Berry, of course.
He’s not a lifetime fan of the Browns, though, because he grew up when they were doormant for three years and then struggled as an expansion franchise.
He is a big fan, however, of Berry, who was a three-time All-Ivy League defensive back.
“I’m extremely excited for Andrew Berry,” Juszczyk said. “I got there the year after he graduated. He was an absolute legend. Two-time All-American, 4.0 [GPA], pre-med, coach [Tim] Murphy, our head coach there, was absolutely in love with him. Talked about him all the time. Used him in recruiting. The DBs just raved about him. I’m really happy for his opportunity.”
It’s no surprise fullback-lover Kyle Shanahan pounced on Juszczyk as a free agent after his rookie contract with the Ravens expired in 2017. The 49ers made Juszczyk the highest-paid fullback in NFL history. His contract runs through 2020.
Wait ‘til next year
Other than Andy Reid, who is looking to win his first Super Bowl 15 years after losing with Philadelphia, the Chiefs coach who should most benefit with a win has to be Eric Bieniemy, Reid’s offensive coordinator.
Both of Reid’s previous coordinators – Doug Pederson and Matt Nagy – were hired by other teams as head coaches without even getting to the Super Bowl. Bieniemy received three head coach interviews this hiring season – including from the Browns – but remains perhaps the most notable minority candidate overlooked in the NFL hiring process.
“I’ll say this,” Bieniemy said. “The interviewing process, whether with the Browns, Giants, or Carolina, I thought they all went great. I enjoyed the process. They took a lot of information. There was a tremendous amount of value.
“For whatever reason, I wasn’t chosen and that’s OK. I’m not asking for anybody’s sympathy. I enjoy what I do. I’m going to continue chopping wood. I work for a great organization, the Clark Hunt family and have an opportunity to work every single day for Andy Reid.”
Bieniemy would not comment on the degree to which the Browns explained their philosophy of using analytics in personnel and game-day decisions.
“I don’t want to get into the details of the interviewing process,” he said. “Each organization is different. Every organization is going to run their team the way they want it to be done. That’s their right.”
Fraternal order of special teams
Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub once was touted as the likeliest of his coaching fraternity to graduate to head coach. But it was the youthful Joe Judge, Bill Belichick’s special teams coach, who nabbed the head coaching position of the New York Giants this time around.
Toub was happy for Judge. But at 57, Toub sees the parade passing him by.
“There was a time, that’s all I ever wanted to do,” he said. “Didn’t matter where. But now it’s got to be the right job. I see things going on at different places. If you don’t have a quarterback, you’re going to get beat up and gone in a year. I’m at the point where I’m happy with what I’m doing. I want to be the best special teams coach I can be. If I don’t get one, it’s fine. It would have to be a perfect situation.”
These special teams coaches are like a fraternity and pull for each other. Toub says the next one to follow Judge and Baltimore’s John Harbaugh into the head coach ranks should be the Browns’ Mike Priefer.
“He would be a good head coach. Great communicator, has worked both sides of the ball,” Toub said.