A portion of the custom-designed cleats that 39 Browns players and coaches will wear Monday night for the NFL's annual My Cause My Cleats campaign, in which players bring awareness to causes close to their hearts. (TheLandOnDemand)
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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 interviews …
Jerry Jeudy is good at running routes.
So now, in the aftermath of a game he’ll remember “for the rest of my life,” the Browns’ receiver is running a post pattern straight to Denver, where he played to mostly bad reviews for four seasons.
“My feelings?” Jeudy said to me on Wednesday. “I just want to go back up there and whip their ass.”
Over the last four games, coinciding with the ascension of Jameis Winston as Browns quarterback, Jeudy has 24 receptions on 36 targets for 379 yards (15.8-yard average).
His 6-for-6 performance in the snow globe game against Pittsburgh included a fourth-down conversion and the Browns’ only third-down conversion of the game on the winning drive of the instant-classic, 24-19 victory. He’s had six 100-yard games in his career, including one in New Orleans with the Browns, but he considers the Steelers game his finest.
“That was a big moment, just knowing the rivalry between the Steelers and Browns is a big rivalry,” he said. “Just being able to be a part of that and making those plays on third and fourth down in those conditions, that’s something I’ll remember the rest of my life.”
Jeudy said the reason for his resurgence is patience and opportunity.
“Because I’m getting the ball on time,” he said. “The way I look at it, I’ve been getting open. But just not getting the ball. I could’ve had these games if I’d gotten the ball.”
In the seven games prior, Jeudy had 21 catches on 40 targets for 266 yards. Those were similar to numbers he posted in four years in Denver, where he suffered through four coaches, three offensive coordinators and three starting quarterbacks.
After his fourth season with the Broncos, his patience had run out, frustration boiled over, and he asked to be traded. It was not a pleasant experience for him or for his many detractors.
“No. I mean, [expletive], we ain’t never won nothing,” Jeudy said. “We never go to the playoffs. Been a few frustrating years. Now I’m here.
“Five years a long time to be patient. I’m not going to say they didn’t get me the ball for five years. Some years I had a few drops, like my rookie year. Other years there were a whole bunch of circumstances I can’t control.”
I asked Jeudy if he feared his career would never match the expectations of a receiver drafted 15th overall and ahead of CeeDee Lamb, Justin Jefferson, Brandon Aiyuk, Tee Higgins and Michael Pittman in 2020.
“I got tremendous amount of faith in my abilities and what I can do,” he said. “There’s a lot I can’t control. But what I can control, I know I’m going to do my best to be the best version of myself. If ain’t working in Denver, it’s gonna work somewhere else, for sure.”
Winston said the simplest answer for Jeudy’s resurgence is “he’s been open.” But he says there’s been more to his game than catching passes.
“When you see your wide receiver one in Jerry Jeudy block, make effort plays for Nick Chubb, make effort plays for the offensive line, you know that he is embracing the entire part of being a football player,” Winston said. “And I think Jerry Jeudy is one of the best football players I’ve played with. And when you encompass everything that it means to be a football player, the blocking on defense, the tackling, the details, things typically go your way. So, he’s been doing a great job of doing all phases, and I think that’s why things are going his way.”
So Jeudy returns to Denver – where the Browns seldom win – in the best frame of mind. He’s on a roll, playing the best football of his career.
He has no gripe with coach Sean Payton, who granted his wish to be traded, and is not bothered by the success the Broncos are having without him.
But a win in Denver, to Jeudy, “would mean a lot.”
“Especially you just tell me [the Browns] ain’t won in Denver and me going out there and being my first year and getting a win," he said. "And we’re actually fighting for something. We’re taking this [final six games] as we have to win the rest to make the playoffs. This is a big game for us.”
Winston’s future
Now 2-2 as the Browns’ starting QB, Winston is playing himself into a situation where he might look very attractive to other teams along with the Browns. He’ll be a free agent after this season.
He said “of course” he’d like to return to the Browns.
“In terms of my family … when I think about my family, I think about moving my kids, my wife having to find new friends,” he said. “I think any time where you’re able to solidify a role and a place and play good at that place, you like to be home. However, that’s out of my control. Again, my focus is on, ‘One play at a time’and just stacking it up day after day after day.
“I’ve truly embraced this city. I love the hard-nosed. I love the beautiful trees, three months out the year. Everywhere I go, I always talk about, when I have my introductory, I talk about, ‘I’m grateful’. And it’s as simple as that. Man, I’m grateful for the fans challenging me. I’m grateful for the fans lifting me up. I’m grateful for you all challenging me and lifting me up, man. It’s a process that I really take to heart because I feel like all of us are in this together, and that’s just how I approach it.”
Brownie bits
Defensive end Myles Garrett was named AFC defensive player-of-the-week for his 3-sack, 1-stripped fumble game against the Steelers. It’s the fourth weekly award in Garrett’s career …
The Browns were awarded two players off waivers, and both are defensive ends -- Cameron Thomas (of the Chiefs) and James Houston (Lions). Both players are in their third NFL season. To make room on the roster, the Browns waived defensive end Elerson Smith …
Rookie cornerback Myles Harden, who hasn’t played in a game since suffering a shin injury prior to the season opener, was designated for return to practice. The Browns have up to 21 days to determine his roster status …
Winston said he’s encouraging his teammates to spend time in the Browns’ altitude simulator room to prepare for the mile-high altitude in Denver. “We got treadmills, we got some AssaultBikes, we got some skiing [machines] in there … I know I got my work in yesterday and I’m probably going to get some more in throughout the week. So just taking all the resources that this organization allows us to have and making the most of it," Winston said.