| BEREA Myles Garrett Color Rush Jersey , Ohio (AP) — Duke Johnson wore a backpack on Monday that seemed symbolic.The Browns finally asked him to carry a larger load.Of the handful of positives to emerge from Sunday’s 37-21 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, capping another stormy week of change and uncertainty in Cleveland, Johnson’s two-touchdown performance was at the top of the list.After being overlooked — some would argue misused — for much of the season, Johnson was the primary focus of the Browns’ offensive game plan. He finished with nine catches for 78 yards, added one rush for eight and drew extra attention from Kansas City’s defense, which allowed his teammates to make plays.Johnson was hesitant to say it, but Cleveland’s change at offensive coordinator, with running backs coach Freddie Kitchens replacing the fired Todd Haley, made a difference.“Um,” Johnson said sheepishly when asked if the Kitchens-for-Haley swap was the reason for his rise in production. “I guess you could look at it that way. Again, it’s the same plays we’ve been calling, the same offense. There’s just certain things that coach Kitchens likes better than coach Haley did.”Before Sunday, Johnson’s season-high was four catches and there were times when he wasn’t on the field at all. What made that even more perplexing was that Johnson led the Browns (2-6-1) with 74 catches for 693 yards last season and developed into one of the NFL’s best dual-threat backs.But with Haley concerned about getting touches for running backs Nick Chubb and Carlos Hyde, who was recently traded to Jacksonville, Johnson became the odd-man out.A proven playmaker not getting a chance to make plays.Johnson was targeted by rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield against the Chiefs, and he hopes to get even more opportunities as the season progresses.“I think it is possible,” Johnson said. “Just going out there and showing what I’m capable of doing, especially showing the reason why I’m here. It was a great showing for myself, but not so much for the team and we’re about team here. We should have gotten the win https://www.brownsfanshop.com/Rashard-Higgins-Jersey , that’s most important.”Following his first game since being chosen Hue Jackson’s interim replacement, defensive coordinator/head coach Gregg Williams said Johnson’s breakout was caused by a combination of things, including Kitchens and Mayfield working together for the first time.“Freddie did a good job and Baker, too,” Williams said. “Baker’s understanding of that from the read process — when a play is called as a quarterback, you don’t automatically know it is going to go to that person. There is a read definition that takes you to that person, but from Baker and Freddie, they did a good job with that.“It was good to see that with Duke. Just like what we have talked about with other people, I think he can do more and he will. He had a good fire about him, and he will continue to improve too. We need him to improve.”Getting Johnson more involved didn’t result in a win for the Browns, but it was a small step toward improvement.Cleveland matched a season-low with only four penalties, and Williams, who decided early on he was going to be aggressive, liked that his offense converted three times on fourth down.The Browns couldn’t keep up with Kansas City’s high-speed, high-scoring offense, but Johnson was impressed with the team’s character in the aftermath of Jackson and Haley’s firings.“I never saw them blink,” he said. “One, two, scores down or whatever Joe Thomas Jersey , we were always in a position to continue to fight. I never saw them blink. That is good. That is what we are supposed to do as professionals. Young team, old team, I do not care — that was good. There was a lot of positive that way. Defensively, we have to play better.”Another bright spot was left tackle Greg Robinson. The 2014 No. 2 overall pick made his first start for Cleveland filling in for Desmond Harrison, who was out with an unspecified illness. Robinson not only protected Mayfield’s blind side, but handled all his other duties.“He played well, didn’t he?” said Williams, who was on the Rams’ staff when they selected Williams. “I’ve seen him develop as a young guy. I’ve seen him have his battles, ups and downs, and it’s been good.”Following the game, Mayfield singled out Robinson, who was grateful for the QB’s praise.“It felt good to just get out there with the boys, taking it to the game field rather than just practicing,” said Robinson, signed by the Browns in June. “It was encouraging and I’m really happy that he spoke well about me.”NOTES: Williams did not have updates on rookie CB Denzel Ward (hip), CB E.J. Gaines (concussion) or LB Christian Kirksey (hamstring), all injured Sunday.Williams reiterated his decision to sit DB Damarious Randall (groin) was so he can be healthy for multiple games and not just one. The Miami Hurricanes invented the turnover chain. The Browns borrowed that idea.They’ve been stealing everything else lately.With eight interceptions and seven forced fumbles in just five games, Cleveland’s defense leads the NFL with 15 takeaways 鈥?two more than the Browns got during 16 games in their winless 2017 season.The dramatic swing has helped the Browns (2-2-1) turn things around quickly while breeding confidence into a getting-better-by-the-week team that feels like it can do much more than simply compete this season.Creating turnovers has been a major emphasis of bombastic defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who devotes large chunks of practice 鈥?Thursday’s workout has been dubbed “Takeaway Thursday” 鈥?to drills geared toward getting the football.The Browns work on stripping it Chris Hubbard Color Rush Jersey , tipping it, recovering it and doing anything in their power to gain possession. Then, they’re doing it in games.“It is what you do as a professional,” said Pro Bowl linebacker Joe Schobert, who has two fumble recoveries and an interception. “You try to take stuff from the practice field to the game, apply it and be able to contribute and do it. The fact that we have been able to do it just shows how hard and how focused everybody on the defense has been this whole offseason and in training camp.“We are just starting to see the rewards of our hard work.”After finishing last in the league with a minus-28 turnover differential last season, the Browns are first at plus-8.They opened the season by forcing six turnovers against Pittsburgh, but failed to capitalize and ended up tying the Steelers 21-21.A plus-5 turnover differential almost always guarantees victory 鈥?teams with that margin are 132-4-1 since 1999. But although the Browns came up short, the defense’s showing created confidence.“You just go into the game expecting to get turnovers,” said defensive back T.J. Carrie, part of Cleveland’s revamped secondary. “In this league, quarterbacks and coordinators are so good at not giving up turnovers. So when you can go in as a defensive unit and say, ‘We’re guaranteed three turnovers this game, guaranteed. Play the way we play. Play fast.’ That is contagious to the entire team.”Rookie cornerback Denzel Ward has been Cleveland’s top defensive thief with three interceptions, two in Week 1. He’s also forced a fumble, recovered one and has given the Browns a defender that makes opponents wary.As he prepared to face the Browns on Sunday, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers took special note of Ward, the No. 4 overall pick in this year’s draft.“He obviously has good ball skills,” Rivers said. “If he gets an opportunity https://www.brownsfanshop.com/Seth-Devalve-Jersey , he has made the play on it. It seems to be clear on things, too, that he is pretty savvy back there for a young player. He is not just, ‘Oh, I am playing my coverage and I have my zone.'”The excessive forced turnovers have led to a direct carry-over for Cleveland’s offense, which has been given better field position and more possessions.Rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield said it’s imperative when the defense comes up with a big play, the offense follows with one of its own.“We can really put a stamp on a game when the defense gets turnovers,” said Mayfield, who passed for 342 yards in his second career start last week. “We need to take advantage of when they do get those turnovers. We need to turn those into points and really take the life out of the other team. We just have to continue to feed off of that because it is very rare that you get a defense like that, that has 15 this early.”The Browns’ burglary prompted linebacker Christian Kirksey to copy Miami’s sideline celebration by placing a silver chain with a dangling orange dog bone trinket around neck of any defender who makes a big play.“It’s just something fun to do,” Kirskey said. “Having it around just bring a lot of chemistry for us.”Right now, the Browns are thick as thieves.NOTES: Offensive coordinator Todd Haley finally got to meet Snoop Dogg, who stopped in at Wednesday’s practice. A die-hard Steelers fan, the rapper had been very critical of Haley’s play calling when he coached in Pittsburgh. “We had a couple of rough years there,” Haley said. “It got smoother over the last few and then him being out there and saying that he is a part of the Dawg Pound, we are good now. I can go back to listening to West Coast rap.”___ |
