Browns expecting to have Myles Garrett return for Tennessee game

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

Takeaways the day after the Browns sweated out their eighth win in 11 games to take the lead in the AFC wild card race …

As the Browns head into meaningful games in December, they are making some gains in the war of attrition in this 2020 season of the pandemic.

Fullback Andy Janovich has been cleared through protocols to return from Covid-19 reserve. Defensive end Myles Garrett also is expected to be cleared in time to begin the practice week on Wednesday for the 8-3 and AFC South-leading Tennessee Titans.

That won’t be the case for linebacker Sione Takitaki, however.

Also, the team is expected to be without safety Ronnie Harrison for some time. Coach Kevin Stefanski had no update on Harrison’s shoulder injury on his noontime Zoom call. But later in the day the Browns claimed fourth-year safety Tedric Thompson via waivers from the Chiefs.

The Browns managed to beat the Eagles and Jaguars in the two games that Garrett missed while on the Covid list. They were 2-4 without Garrett last year during Garrett’s NFL suspension.

The return of Garrett will hold up as the best news of the week as the Browns seek to clinch their first playoff berth since 2002. They probably need two wins in their final five games.

“We do not want to win without him. We will do it, but he is a good player, so we want him out there,” Stefanski said. “I think the guys get a big boost when they see No. 95 out there with them. That is just based on how productive he has been for us and the game-changing plays he has made for us throughout the season.”

In missing two games, Garrett fell to a tie for second in sacks (9.5) behind league-leader and two-time NFL defensive player-of-the-year Aaron Donald (10). Garrett and Donald join a four-way tie for the league lead with four forced fumbles. Garrett has made a game-changing play in six of the Browns’ eight wins.

He was missed, too

Janovich’s return should not be minimized. The Browns missed the lead-blocker badly in the tight, 27-25 win in Jacksonville.

In Stefanski's first questionable decision in Jacksonville, the coach elected to activate a fifth wide receiver, Taywan Taylor, over backup fullback Johnny Stanton.

Stefanski wanted to take advantage of balmy weather in Jacksonville to exercise his passing game against a depleted Jaguars secondary.

But the seldom-used Taylor had no catches on one target while the fullback-less offense failed late in the game to convert three short-yardage situations, which kept the Jaguars in the game.

“I love Andy and love when he is out there,” Stefanski said. “But I am not going to say that is the reason we did not convert in those short-yardage situations.”

He did not offer a better reason.

Continuing education

For the second day in a row, the ego-less Stefanski commented about needing to “do a better job,” which seemed an obvious reference to some puzzling decisions in Jacksonville.

Besides the one noted above, Stefanski:

• Opened the first offensive possession in an empty formation from the Browns’ 8-yard line. A sack on first down and tackle for loss of Nick Chubb on second down forced a Browns punt from the end zone, giving Jacksonville field position at mid-field and a subsequent field goal.
• Wasted a timeout and coach’s challenge on an obvious non-catch in the end zone by tight end Harrison Bryant.
• Called for a pass to Kareem Hunt on third-and-inches from the Jaguars’ 22 with 5:48 to play. Baker Mayfield’s pass was way off the mark.
• Elected to go for it on fourth down rather than attempt a field goal from 39 yards to make it a two-score game at 30-19. Hunt’s run up the middle was short by the width of an index card.

“I do not think I have coached my best. I think as a staff, we can do a better job. I know I can do a better job,” Stefanski said.

Welcome to the Internet Age

Receiver KhaDarel Hodge’s role in the offense has increased since the injury to Odell Beckham Jr. And with that comes increased media scrutiny.

Hodge had his first Zoom call of the season on Monday. During the course of his interview, he innocently gave Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel some bulletin board material to fire up his team.

Hodge was asked 15 questions on his Zoom call. The ninth question was, “What would a win against the Titans do for the team’s confidence?”

Hodge replied:

“I think it will help us out a lot. Confidence is major. Once we get rolling, then we will get rolling. I do not look at the Titans as a super team. They can get beat like anybody else. We go into this game expecting to win and we are expecting to do our thing. I see this team going deep into playoffs, as far as we can go. No one can stop us but us. That is how we look at it. That is how we are going to keep looking at it. As long as we play our game, we can beat anybody.”

I cringed for Hodge because I knew what was to come.

Within seconds, the quote “I do not look at the Titans as a super team. They can get beat like anybody else” was Tweeted over the Internet. It became a headline in follow-up stories.

Vrabel didn’t coach under Bill Belichick, but he played for him and knows how the New England coach twists any quote from an opposing team to motivate his team.

Maybe this will go down as a ‘welcome to the NFL in the Internet Age’ moment for Hodge. If nothing else, it's the first time under Stefanski that a quote from a player could be used as bulletin-board material.

Brownie bits

Stefanski’s misguided challenge of the Bryant non-catch was his first loss on coach's challenges in four tries. He later won one challenging a “down by contact” call of Hunt on the second down preceding the incomplete pass to Hunt. So Stefanski is now 4 for 5 on coaches challenges in his rookie season. Quite good …

Cornerback Denzel Ward (calf strain) remains “week to week,” per Stefanski …

Nick Chubb’s big day in Jacksonville -- 144 rushing yards on 19 carries -- had a big impact. It pushed Chubb to sixth in the NFL in rushing (719 yards) despite missing four games. It increased his rushing average to 6.3, highest among running backs and just off Hall of Famer Jim Brown’s personal-best 6.4 in 1963. It also put Chubb on pace for 1,045 yards and keeps alive the possibility of he and Kareem Hunt (projected for 1,026) becoming the sixth running back tandem to surpass 1,000 yards in the same season. Further, it helped regain the team rushing lead for the Browns. They are averaging 161.4 rushing yards a game. Tennessee is third at 158.2.