Deshaun Watson’s toughness was legendary in Houston, and now it’s showing with the Browns
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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 …
Deshaun Watson didn’t throw in the portion of practice open to media and was listed as limited with a right shoulder injury.
That injury appeared to be the result of a direct hit to the shoulder made by Tennessee safety Amani Hooker after a run by Watson up the middle in the third quarter of the Browns’ 27-3 win over the Titans. Watson didn’t miss a play and later converted a fourth-and-1 sneak just prior to tossing a 43-yard touchdown to Amari Cooper to cap the scoring.
Earlier in the game, Watson left the field but did not miss a play as a result of an apparent cheap-shot forearm smash by Arden Key to Watson’s throat in the first quarter.
Don’t expect the minor shoulder injury to keep him out Sunday against the Ravens.Watson had a well-earned reputation in Houston of playing through some pretty bad-looking injuries in his four seasons with the Texans.
Watson did miss the final nine games of his rookie season in 2017 after tearing his right ACL at practice in early November. Other than that, the only game he missed because of an injury was the last game of the 2019 season with a lower back sprain, but the Texans had locked up the AFC South title and he was right back on the practice field for the playoffs.
There were three legendary examples of Watson’s toughness during his time in Houston.
* In the fifth game of 2018, Watson was smashed on a run for the goal line pylon by Dallas linebacker Jaylon Smith. Watson didn’t miss a play. He didn’t practice the following week but did play a full game against Buffalo.
The extent of Watson’s injuries weren’t revealed until the following week when doctors would not clear him to fly with the team to Jacksonville because of a collapsed lung and fractured rib. He was driven in a custom bus 12 hours from Houston to Jacksonville and played that whole game.
* In the eighth game of 2019, Watson was accidentally kicked in the left eye by Key, then with the Raiders, while spinning out of pass pressure. Watson continued the play with a closed left eye and tossed a touchdown pass to tight end Darren Fells before falling to the ground in pain. He finished the game.
* In a wild-card game against Buffalo after the 2019 season, Watson survived simultaneous hits by linebacker Matt Milano and safety Micah Hyde to complete a 34-yard pass to Taiwan Jones and set up a game-winning field goal. A third hit by 340-pound tackle Jordan Phillips leveled Watson right after he delivered the ball.
“It comes with part of the game,” Watson said of his physical toughness in the line of duty.
As for the famous bus ride, he recalled, “I had a couple of cracked ribs and a punctured lung so I couldn’t fly. So, they said I could drive and the biggest concern was what could happen afterward. Nothing much can really happen. The lung is just bleeding inside. So, it just got a recovery versus time, and then the ribs are going to heal on their own.”
I asked him why he would play with a punctured lung and cracked ribs when he wasn’t even cleared to fly on an airplane.
“Well, I mean, for me personally, I just wanted to play,” he said. “For me at that time, it was the best situation for me and the team. And we went down to Jacksonville, won that game, and it helped out.”
So I don’t think a sore shoulder is going to keep him out Sunday against the Ravens.
Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz wanted the Browns to lead the league in bad-assery. After three weeks, they are No. 1 in that unofficial metric. (Cleveland Browns)
No worries?
Something very unusual happened in the Browns’ 27-3 win over Tennessee. The Browns’ vaunted running game was held to 2.51 yards a rush (78 yards on 31 attempts).
How unusual was that?
In the Kevin Stefanski era, that was the third-lowest rushing average by the Browns in 55 games. The lowest was a 2.35-yard day against the Ravens in 2021 and second was a 2.50-yard day in 2020 against the New York Jets. Both of those were Browns’ losses. So it was by far the lowest rushing average in a Browns win – almost a yard worse than a 3.44-yard day in a win over the Ravens in 2021.
“I didn’t even know what the number was,” Stefanski exclaimed when asked about the rushing figure.
Running backs coach Stump Mitchell has maintained the Browns – well, at least the running backs -- should average 5.0 yards a rush in the running system authored by offensive line coach Bill Callahan and Mitchell.
Newly promoted feature back Jerome Ford agrees with that.
“I do. I think it’s our O-line, our O-line coach and the plays being called. I feel like you can plug someone in and get 5 yards a carry,” Ford said.
So what happened against Tennessee?
For starters, it was the first game after the Nick Chubb season-ending knee injury, the first NFL start for Ford, and the first live action for Kareem Hunt, who didn’t attend a spring minicamp or offseason program or training camp while waiting for a team in free agency.
Also …
“That’s a very good run front [on the Titans],” Stefanski said. “We knew that going into it. That’s kind of where I’d put it.”
Is it nit-picking to make a deal about the Browns' rushing effort against Tennessee?
“Anytime you get a W it’s a successful day,” Ford concluded.
Brownie bits
Running back Kareem Hunt’s first live action since January took a toll. He missed practice because of ribs and groin injuries. Stefanski didn't show concern about Hunt's status for Sunday …
The Ravens had a good day. They got four players back in limited action at practice – center Tyler Linderbaum, left tackle Ronnie Stanley, safety Marcus Williams and running back Gus Edwards …
In Baltimore, coach John Harbaugh said this about the Browns’ defense: “Coach [Jim] Schwartz has his system. It’s the [former NFL defensive coordinator] Gregg Williams system. They’ve been in that system before with Gregg Williams, obviously. Jim does it how he does it. He’s a decorated, veteran defensive coordinator in this league. [He] does a great job – always has. He’s put his stamp on it for sure.”
