Browns may clinch AFC playoff fifth seed with replacements at kicker at punter
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Takeaways from Browns practice and interviews …
That 98-yard kickoff return given up by the Browns in Houston – seemingly inconsequential in the 36-22 rout of the Texans – may, in fact, have huge consequences, after all.
As a result of that play, the Browns will have to replace their kicker and punter as the team seeks to clinch the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs against the New York Jets on Thursday night.
Kicker Dustin Hopkins suffered a pulled left hamstring chasing returner Dameon Pierce for about 50 yards on the touchdown return. Coach Kevin Stefanski termed it a “week-to-week” injury. The Browns signed recently released Detroit Lion Riley Patterson and will turn to him on Thursday and beyond.
Also, punter Corey Bojorquez, who doubled as the kickoff specialist after Hopkins’ injury, suffered an injury to his left groin on his last kickoff in Houston and also will miss Thursday’s game. Stefanski did not put a timetable on Bojorquez’s injury. The Browns replaced him with Matt Haack.
Special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone has to break in a new kicker and punter/holder to fill in for injured starters Dustin Hopkins and Corey Bojorquez on Thursday. (Cleveland Browns)
Both Patterson and Haack were signed to the practice squad and will be elevated to the active roster on Wednesday. They joined long snapper Charley Hughlette in Cleveland Browns Stadium on Tuesday for a crash course in dealing with the capricious winds and trouble spots on the adventuresome home field.
Stefanski indicated Haack would serve as the holder – which was Bojorquez’s dual role – on Thursday.
That’s because quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who was the backup holder, is heading to injured reserve. He suffered a hip injury during his nine snaps on the field in Houston after Stefanski pulled the starters in the third quarter. Thompson-Robinson walked with the aid of a cane in the locker room on Tuesday.
DTR’s season-ending injury forced the Browns to re-sign P.J. Walker to the 53 roster to serve as Flacco’s backup because the team had used up their three elevations from the practice squad on him.
These moves put the whole season in proper perspective.
The Browns kicked off training camp in The Greenbrier in late July with their quarterback depth chart consisting of Deshaun Watson, Josh Dobbs, Thompson-Robinson and Kellen Mond. They will clinch the playoffs with Flacco and Walker at quarterback.
Their kicker at the start of camp was Cade York and their punter was Bojorquez. They will clinch the playoffs with Patterson and Haack.
Amazing.
No hard feelings
Flacco is a big story in New York this week. He started nine games the previous three seasons with the Jets, winning only one. Big Apple pundits are recounting the absurdity of the Jets not calling him back after Aaron Rodgers suffered an Achilles tendon rupture on the fourth play of the season.
The Jets have struggled with 2021 first-round flop Zach Wilson, Rodgers-fave Tim Boyle and now Trevor Siemian at quarterback, while Flacco has looked like the reincarnation of Johnny Unitas in four games with the Browns.
“There’s all kinds of things that happen throughout the course of the season and offseason and things like that, and I enjoyed my time while I was there and it is what it is,” Flacco said. “I’m happy to be where I am, that’s for sure.
“Listen, there’s 32 teams in the NFL. They’re just one of those teams. I’ve got a lot of guys over there I really respect and had an awesome few years with in that locker room, so a lot of respect for those guys.”
After the win in Houston, Flacco admitted he was so bitter about not receiving any calls from NFL teams for 11 months that he couldn’t even bear to watch NFL games. I asked him if he wondered in his mind why the Jets didn’t call.
“No, not really,” he said. “The only reason they crossed my mind is because people ask me, ‘Hey, are the Jets going to call you.” Like as soon as something happens, like all your buddies and everybody like that. But other than that, no, it really hasn’t.”
The only victory credited to Flacco in his Jets career was the still-unbelievable 31-30 win over the Browns in Week 2 last year, in which the Jets made up a 13-point deficit in the final 1 minute, 55 seconds.
Flacco started the rally with a 66-yard touchdown pass to Corey Davis. After the Jets recovered their onside kick, Flacco moved the Jets 53 yards in one minute and tossed a 15-yard TD to Garrett Wilson with 25 seconds left.
“It’s definitely the craziest finish and therefore pretty damn memorable,” Flacco said. “I mean, listen, there was like a 99.9 percent chance in that game. You kind of feel like you’re out of it. In one respect, it is so memorable just because of that.
“And on the other side of it, you’re kind of thinking, man, that’s just so random. Like how lucky did we get? There’s so many things that have to happen there, so you see it every week. No matter what. These games tend to come down to the last couple of minutes and that was just another one of those.”
That game proved the beginning of the end for defensive coordinator Joe Woods and special teams coordinator Mike Priefer, who were fired after the season.
Their replacements – Jim Schwartz and Ventrone – have changed the culture of their respective units and are a big reason the Browns are 10-5 and on the verge of the playoffs.
So, along with everything else Flacco has brought to the table, you might credit him for causing those positive changes.
Brownie bits
Patterson, 24, was released by the Lions prior to their Week 15 game against Denver and after missing two PATs in his last three games. They replaced him with veteran Michael Badgley. Patterson was 15 of 17 on field goals and 35 of 37 on PATs, but that wasn’t good enough for the Lions …
Haack, 29, was out of football after being released by the Cardinals in training camp. He punted with three teams in six NFL seasons, including last year in Indianapolis when Bubba Ventrone was Colts special teams coordinator …
Unfazed by the specialist situation, Stefanski said, “We feel good about our plan. We know we’ll have a kicker and a punter that we feel good about. We know that.” …
Expect the Browns to sign a third quarterback to their practice squad before the playoffs. Given what’s happened all year, they may need him …
Cornerback M.J. Emerson, who suffered injuries to his right shin and ankle on Sunday, said he’ll be fine. He was limited at practice.
