Does Nick Chubb deserve a home playoff game more than any current Browns player?
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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.
Let’s take a quiz. Just 10 questions. There are no wrong answers.
1. The one Browns player I have complete confidence in having his best year ever in 2024 is:
A. Deshaun Watson.
B. Myles Garrett.
C. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.
D. Denzel Ward.
2. The player of recent vintage I most regret the Browns didn’t bring back is:
A. Baker Mayfield.
B. Jarvis Landry.
C. Joe Flacco.
D. O’Dell Beckham Jr.
3. The coach who got the rawest deal from the Haslam ownership is:
A. Mike Pettine.
B. Rob Chudzinski.
C. Freddie Kitchens.
D. Hue Jackson.
4. The one player who most deserves to experience a home playoff game before his career in Cleveland ends is:
A. Nick Chubb.
B. Joel Bitonio.
C. Charley Hughlett.
D. Myles Garrett.
5. The worst move made in the Haslam ownership era is:
A. Drafting Johnny Manziel.
B. Naming Mike Lombardi general manager.
C. Hiring Hue Jackson as coach.
D. Promoting Sashi Brown to EVP of football operations.
6. The best move made in the Haslam ownership era is:
A. Naming Paul DePodesta chief strategy officer.
B. Proposing a state-of-the-art covered stadium in Brook Park.
C. Pairing GM Andrew Berry with coach Kevin Stefanski.
D. Introducing white helmets as a throwback uniform option.
7. The ultimate, most fulfilling scenario of the Browns advancing to their first Super Bowl is:
A. Defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship.
B. Defeating the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship.
C. Defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship.
D. Defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship.
8. The division rival player who deserves the most respect from Browns fans is:
A. Joe Burrow.
B. Lamar Jackson.
C. T.J. Watt.
D. Ben Roethlisberger.
9. One under-radar Browns player who has the chance to be a star is:
A. Martin Emerson.
B. Jerome Ford.
C. Dawand Jones.
D. Cedric Tillman
10. The assistant coach most likely to be a future NFL head coach is:
A. Tommy Ries.
B. Jim Schwartz.
C. Bubba Ventrone.
D. Callie Brownson.
You have your answers. Here are mine.
1. C. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.
JOK made a quantum improvement in his third NFL season and first under coordinator Jim Schwartz. At the end, he was the only defensive player to show up in the AFC wild-card game in Houston. Only 24, JOK should be even better in the second year in Schwartz’s system and cement his place as a foundation player in the Browns’ defense with a second contract.
2. C. Joe Flacco.
Flacco played six games after joining the Browns following 11 months of NFL inactivity. Four of them were among the best games we’ve seen from a Browns quarterback in 25 years of the expansion era. His two Pick 6’s in the wild-card game wasn’t what cost him an invite back. His immense popularity did.
3. B. Rob Chudzinski.
The first coach of the Haslam era was a surprise hire after Oregon hotshot Chip Kelly got bad vibes in the Joe Banner-Mike Lombardi interview process and chose the Philadelphia Eagles. Chud’s coaching staff included future Colts coach Shane Steichen and future Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing. When Banner traded starting running back Trent Richardson after the second week, Chud was assured by Banner, “Don’t worry. Your job is safe.” Chud then won three games in a row with backup quarterback Brian Hoyer playing in place of Brandon Weeden. After Hoyer suffered a torn ACL in the third game, things unraveled fast. A Browns fan growing up in Toledo, Chud was the Browns’ first one-and-done head coach.
4. A. Nick Chubb.
The indelible image of the essence of Chubb once was captured in a video circulated by the Browns’ social media team. During an uncharacteristic 41-24 rout of the Miami Dolphins, a miked-up Odell Beckham Jr. is heard to say to Chubb on the sideline, “Man, I want another touchdown.” To which Chubb responded, “I want to win.” Joel Bitonio would be a close second choice to this question. He has toiled through more losses than any active Browns player.
5. A. Drafting Johnny Manziel.
This may have been the low point of the Haslam ownership. We don’t have to relive the experience to explain why.
6. C. Pairing GM Andrew Berry with coach Kevin Stefanski.
This one’s pretty self-explanatory. Working together, the young duo has dragged the Browns out of dysfunction, establishing a winning culture and producing two playoff appearances in four seasons. Shoutout to Paul DePodesta for being the matchmaker to this happy marriage.
7. B. Defeating the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship.
If you still hold it against the governor of Maryland for enticing Art Modell to move the former Browns to Baltimore in 1996, then knocking out the Ravens on the way to the Browns’ first Super Bowl would be the only ointment to salve to those generational wounds.
8. B. Lamar Jackson.
The Ravens’ quarterback and two-time league MVP has been heroic in some classic big wins over the Browns, to be sure. At the same time, Jackson has never said or done a disrespectful thing towards the Browns. Even as a Raven, he is tough not to like.
9. A. Martin Emerson.
For going on three seasons now, the long and rangy cornerback from Mississippi State has soaked up everything he could from role model Denzel Ward. That was a pretty great decision Emerson made and he is a better player because of it.
10. B. Jim Schwartz.
Schwartz was voted NFL assistant coach-of-the-year after turning the Browns’ defense into a force. A Super Bowl appearance would thrust Schwartz back into the head coach hiring cycle despite at 58 being well beyond the age of recent hires. A Super Bowl appearance also might get Bubba Ventrone some interviews.