Browns’ direction has really changed

PUSKAS: Browns’

direction

has really

changed

Expectations are sky high in Berea

The Cleveland Browns opened training camp last week at their Berea practice facility and one thing was clear from the start.

No, it wasn’t that the Browns will win 10-12 games or win the AFC North or make the playoffs.

What is obvious is that the team’s fans love the Browns as currently constituted and their expectations have changed a lot in a short period of time.

The team plans 15 open practices between last Thursday and Aug. 21. Tickets for those sessions have been sold out since July 10.

Great weather last week had the sidelines and bleachers near the practice fields full. But the impression was that many of those watching the workouts would have done so even if the Browns were practicing outside in rain or snow.

Most everyone wanted to see Baker Mayfield, Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry and the rest of an offense that — on paper — compares favorably to the most talented units the Browns have ever put together.

Apologies, of course, to the Browns of the 1950s (Otto Graham, Dante Lavelli and Marion Motley) and the 1960s (Jim Brown, Frank Ryan, Gary Collins and Leroy Kelly).

And don’t forget 1980’s Kardiac Kids (Brian Sipe, Ozzie Newsome, Reggie Rucker, Dave Logan and the Pruitts, Greg and Mike).

The Browns of the mid-to-late 1980s also were prolific with Boardman’s Bernie Kosar, Earnest Byner, Kevin Mack, Brian Brennan and Reggie Langhorne.

But when Mayfield and Beckham connected twice Thursday on back-to-back sideline routes that drew gasps after the latter’s acrobatic catches, fans got a look at the potential of this offense.

They were impressed.

On Saturday, as owner Jimmy Haslam watched 11-on-11 drills, a fan yelled out to him, “Thank you, Mr. Haslam.”

The hype is real. The Browns are now working to ensure they meet those lofty expectations.

That in itself is a reminder of the progress made in a short period of time. It wasn’t that long ago that fans were yelling about the Browns, but in anything but a good way.

The Browns were 0-16 just two seasons ago. Then came “Hard Knocks” and soon after that — or maybe in the first episode — it was clear that club had erred in bringing back then-head coach Hue Jackson after he went 1-31 in back-to-back seasons.

But once Browns GM John Dorsey finally pulled the plug on Hue, this quickly became a different team last season and a second-half surge left them 7-8-1.

That doesn’t sound like much, but when a team has lost 44 of 48 games over three seasons, it is a sign of progress.

Much of that happened after Mayfield took over as the starting quarterback. By the end of the season, the brash former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback had set a NFL rookie record for touchdown passes and had become the most popular athlete in Cleveland.

Now he has even more weapons in Beckham, Landry, tight end David Njoku and running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.

The Browns also added Olivier Vernon and Sheldon Richardson to a defensive front that already featured an NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate in defensive end Myles Garrett and promising defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi.

Statistically, the Browns were among the worst defensive teams in the NFL last season, which made it easier for Dorsey to part ways with coordinator/interim head coach Gregg Williams.

New coordinator Steve Wilks has a deep front four, athletic linebackers and promising young players in the secondary to work with.

The development of Mayfield and Chubb, along with an offensive line that played well, helped Freddie Kitchens rocket from a virtually unknown QBs coach when the season began to head coach not long into the offseason.

Kitchens’ play-calling also had much to do with that. It will be interesting to see how hands-on he’ll be now that he has other duties and Todd Monken runs the offense.

Barring injury, the Browns are going to score a lot of points. They have playmakers everywhere. One question mark is an offensive line that won’t have Kevin Zeitler at right guard.

There also is the question of how Kitchens handles all these personalities and the expectations they bring. Remember, he’s never been a head coach at any level until now.

On Thursday, he offered a glimpse of his approach.

“I am going to coach them like I coached them at Glenville (W.Va.) State College. It does not matter to me. I truly believe it is just hype. That is all it is,” Kitchens said. “The people in the building and in the locker room are going to determine whether we have a successful season or a not successful season.

“It is not going to be because of anything outside of that, and that is the way I would approach it anywhere I have been. That is the way I have approached any positions I have coached or calling plays last year. It did not matter. Nothing anyone said mattered. Hopefully, we are buying into that mantra. I think we are, and we will see.”

Kitchens’ expectations for the Browns seem different than the fans who are flocking to 76 Lou Groza Boulevard these days.

“I just want them to not be afraid to be their best,” he said. “Whatever that best is, we are going to see where we will end up. I do not know where we will end up. I can’t tell you we are good enough to do anything, but I want them to be their best, let us find out and not let anyone else have an impact on that.”

Write Vindicator Sports Editor Ed Puskas at epuskas@vindy.com and follow him on Twitter, @EdPuskas_Vindy.