All eyes were on Nick Chubb's first appearance at practice since suffering a second severe injury to his left knee on September 18, 2023. (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 practice and interviews …
The problems with the Browns on offense are self-inflicted wounds – pre- and post-snap penalties, blown assignments up front, dropped passes, missed reads, etc. – and not the play calls, per se.
But after four games, staying the same and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. So I asked Kevin Stefanski if there was anything positive that could come from changing play-callers; specifically, letting offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey take over that task?
“Yeah, for us right now, really our focus is just playing better,” Stefanski answered. “Certainly, that doesn’t [just] mean players play better. That means all of us have to do a better job. So, I have to do a better job, our offensive coaches have to do a better job, our offensive players have to do a better job. But that’s all of us together. So that’s really where our focus is.”
Has the topic of transferring play-calling duties been discussed in meetings with executives and coaches?
“That’s not something we’re talking about,” he said.
At ease
Although the frustration of a 1-3 record is evident on his face, Deshaun Watson’s demeanor was better in his mid-weekly exchange with media.
Watson clearly is gaining confidence with every game.
Some highlights …
* On whether he took a step forward with his individual play in Las Vegas:
“Every week is a step forward. So, the more I’m out there, the better I’m going to get, and the better I’ll be and the more confident I’ll be.”
* On having four straight games under 200 passing yards for the first time in his career:
“I don’t care about the stats. I just want to win. So, none of that stuff matters.”
* On why the offense can’t do better than 3.2 yards per snap on first down, which might be considered the easiest down to run a play:
“I don’t know. I mean, that’s a Kevin question, so you got to talk with the coordinators on that part. I’m just executing whatever is called. If people think it’s easier on first down, I think every down is hard. It’s the NFL, so it just depends on what the defense is doing.”
* On what ways have playing four games in a row – something he couldn’t do last year – made him more comfortable:
“Just being able to see things, just being able to operate and just playing football. I think that’s the biggest thing, just playing football, getting active, acclimated to the speed of the game and how people are going to defend us and try to defend me. So, I think that’s the biggest thing. And each week, week by week, I plan to continue to have that arrow point up and going in the right direction that I wanted to go.”
* On Amari Cooper’s relapse of the dropsies:
“I mean, stuff happens, you know. At the end of the day, sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce your way. So, at the end of the day, we move on to the next play and he knows that I’m coming right back to him regardless of the situation or what happens. So, we trust in him. I believe in him. I have full 100% trust in Coop and anytime I need to get him the ball and give him an opportunity, usually he makes those plays. So I’m going to rely on that percentage rather than a couple plays that haven’t.”
Chubba Hubba Hub
All eyes were on Nick Chubb, as the running back participated in his first practice since having two surgeries in September and November, 2023, to repair his left ACL, medial capsule, meniscus and MCL.
“It’d be good to have his presence, his attitude, his mentality out there to help us, and we’ll see how it goes,” Watson said. “Hopefully, it’s sooner than later, but, yeah, we’re all super excited for Chubb to be back and just him to be back on the field is definitely awesome.”
Said cornerback Denzel Ward: “We’ve been loving it already. We’re all excited to see him with the ball in his hands again. Chubb is ready. He looks ready. Glad to be back out here with his guys. We’re all excited for him and wishing the best for him.”
And from linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah: “It adds some enthusiasm to the life of the team. Obviously, there’s a great force that Nick brings in his preparation, his talking and vibration, his anger for us. It will be good for him to be on the sidelines, hearing his voice, and at practice.” …
Stefanski said, “Nick’s been here every day, so he’s not far from what we’re doing and far from what we’re thinking about. He’s in every meeting, he’s here very early. So this is just the next natural progression for him and for Nyheim [Hines] and Mike [Dunn].”
The Browns have 21 days now to determine the roster status of Chubb, Hines and Dunn.
Brownie bits
Eight of the 18 players on the Browns’ injury report did not practice. They were: Jack Conklin (hamstring), Myles Garrett (Achilles), Jordan Hicks (ribs, elbow, triceps), Greg Newsome (personal), Ogbo Okoronkwo (illness), Ethan Pocic (hand), Jedrick Wills (knee), and Alex Wright (triceps) …
Tight end David Njoku (ankle), who’s trying to get back after missing the last three games, was limited at practice …
I asked Stefanski if Watson’s four straight games under 200 yards passing are understandable given the team’s league-leading total of 14 dropped passes or a concern. “We don’t get too wrapped up in statistics,” he said. “Obviously, we want to win games, we want to score points, and oftentimes that comes with yards in the run and the pass game. So we’re not concerned with that stat in particular, but we do want to be more efficient and more explosive, for sure.”