Rookie linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was drafted for his speed and he will get his NFL baptism against the Chiefs' offense that can turn any game into a track meet. (Cleveland Browns)
Browns’ upgraded speed on defense gets supreme test in Game 1 against Chiefs
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Takeaways from Browns practice and interviews …
The Browns concentrated on upgrading team speed this year. Right out of the chute, the Chiefs on Sunday will test that speed on both sides of the ball.
Because playing Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce can easily turn a football game into a track meet.
Nobody knows that as much as safety John Johnson, who was with the Rams in 2018 when the Chiefs posted 51 points and 546 total yards – and lost to the Rams, 54-51.
“We had five takeaways and scored twice on defense, so 54-51 does not really tell the story, but it was a shootout,” Johnson said. “They had some opportunistic plays and so did we.
“I do not want that to happen with this one coming up. I want it to be low-scoring and high-scoring on our end. It was just all-around a great game. I go back and watch it, there was a bunch of great football all over the place.”
Mahomes threw for 478 yards and six touchdowns in that game, but was intercepted three times, one for a touchdown. The Rams also returned a fumble for a touchdown.
Rams quarterback Jared Goff had the last laugh, however, with a 40-yard scoring pass with 1:49 to go.
Two of Mahomes’ interceptions occurred after that final score.
“Those are tough ones,” defensive coordinator Joe Woods said of the Chiefs’ drawing opponents into hyper-speed shootouts. “Those aren’t exciting for us. You see those games as being classics. That’s not a classic for a defensive coordinator.
“You hope it doesn’t turn into a game like that, but you understand that you have a very explosive offense. So we really have to rely on doing our job, try to keep a lid on the defense and just be great making plays in space.”
Kevin Stefanski game-plans for shootouts. He traded punches last year with the Cowboys (49-38 win), Bengals (37-34 win), Titans (41-35 win) and Ravens (47-42 loss).
After besting the Steelers, 48-37, in the playoffs, the Browns lost to the Chiefs, 22-17. Mahomes racked up 293 yards and 19-3 lead in the first half before being knocked out of the game on a hit by linebacker Mack Wilson.
“I think, you know, obviously it is Coach Reid, it is Patrick Mahomes and it is a great offense. We get that,” Stefanski said. “It is a great challenge for our defense. I know our offense versus that defense is another great challenge. We know how they play. It is physical. It is fast. They give you a bunch of different looks. We need to just play the game that is called for in that moment.
“How it shakes out, I do not know.”
By the way, it’s no dishonor nor a death knell for a defense to be posted up by the Chiefs’ offense. Those Rams who gave up 51 points in 2018 finished third in the NFL in points allowed and third in yards allowed. That Rams team made it to Super Bowl 53.
“We had a bend don’t break mentality that year,” Johnson said. “We played good enough football to win, and that is all that matters. Stats, rankings and all of that stuff does not matter. As long as you can win games and if you have fourth-down stops and two-minute stops at the end of a game, I think you have a good enough team to go to the Super Bowl.”
Belief in Chase
Despite a badly missed PAT on his final kick of preseason, Chase McLaughlin earned the trust of special teams coordinator Mike Priefer throughout his first camp with the Browns. Priefer said that McLaughlin was ahead in the kicking battle when Cody Parkey suffered a quad injury.
“As I told him – he and I have had good discussions – he has not had a great camp, but he had a good camp,” Priefer said. “I think he is a solid, good kicker who has bounced around the league a little bit as kind of a fill-in for guys when they were hurt. Now, he has had his opportunity – some people say that it might be by default, but I figured he was well on his way to winning that job anyway. I think he has done enough to win the job. Now, he has to keep getting better every week. He has to make the kicks when we need him to make them and kick off well. I am excited about where he is. Hopefully, he can come through for us.”
Priefer was quick to pull the trigger last year on Austin Seibert after a bad first game. He doesn’t expect that to happen with untested Chris Naggar waiting in the wings on the practice squad.
“[Seibert] had a very poor camp, and so Week 1 was kind of the last straw type thing,” Priefer said. “I think Chase has had a good camp. I hope we are not going to pull the trigger. I hope he goes out and kicks well and he is our kicker for the entire year.”
Brownie bits
Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney missed a second practice in a row because of illness, but Woods said he expected him to be OK for Sunday’s game …
Woods expects a wide range of tasks for rookie linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah in his first NFL game in Kansas City – even if he isn’t announced as a starter. “We’ll match him up in coverage at times, blitz him at times, we’ll drop him in zone. Give him a little bit of everything, but not too much,” Woods said …
Receiver Jarvis Landry has said last season was the biggest personal challenge of his career because of pressing to come back from offseason hip surgery and then playing through cracked ribs early in the season. “I’m getting better each and every day, sticking to my routine and trusting the process. I’m definitely in a good place but there’s room for me to get better,” he said …
Nobody is willing to state that receiver Odell Beckham Jr. will be 100 percent ready to go for Kansas City. We might have to wait for Sunday to get an answer: “I think at this point that’s where we’re at right now,” said offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. “He’s out here at practice. He’s done some good things. Just wait to the end of the week to see where he stands.”
