CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns coach Freddie Kitchens wants tough players who play smart football and are solely focused on working for the good of the team.
Through eight practices and the annual Orange and Brown Scrimmage at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland Saturday afternoon, Kitchens believes the Browns are trending in the right direction as the 2019 regular season fast approaches.
“I like this team,” Kitchens said. “I like it when a team cares about each other. I like it when a team compete against each other very, very hard, and then, they pick each other up and pat each other on the tail and do it again the next play.
“We are not totally there yet, but we are going to get there. I think these guys are committed to getting there. If we get there, we will have a chance, but that only just gives us a chance. That is all it does. I think these guys are going to do that. They are committed to doing that.”
Photos | Cleveland Browns' annual Orange & Brown Scrimmage
Speaking to the media after the scrimmage, Kitchens seemed proud of the work put in by the players through the first week-plus of training camp, his first as an NFL head coach.
“They have done nothing but work their tail off, done everything we have asked them to do, and I expect it to continue,” Kitchens said.
“We are going to hold them accountable, but what I want to get to eventually is for them to hold themselves accountable to each other, and then, we will have something. We are headed in that direction. I am not satisfied, but I am happy up to this point. We are only a week-and-a-half into this thing.”
Nearly 30,000 people were in attendance for this year’s Orange and Brown Scrimmage, and the players felt the energy was palpable.
“It feels good to be back here,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “Anytime you step on this field, it needs to be a different type of energy. We felt that.
“It was not even half-filled and the energy is unreal. You can feel it. People are excited to have football back here. The excitement is justified, so now, we have to go and make it right for them.”
Kitchens added, “I understand the passion that these fans have, and they demonstrated every opportunity they have to do that. This is no different. This is an opportunity for them to come out, show their support and show their excitement. Yeah, there was adrenaline.”
Both Mayfield and Kitchens spoke to the importance of competing hard in practice and scrimmage settings, and while knowing there is a lot of work to be done over the next month before the regular season gets underway against the Tennessee Titans at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 8, the second-year quarterback believes the Browns are making steady improvements.
“We are taking it a step in the right direction each day, which is the key,” Mayfield said. “We will be ready come Week 1, but no, we are not satisfied yet. We need to continue to work.
“Today was a good showing of once you get in front of the fans and once you get in the stadium, you have to be able to block that out and execute. We will go back and watch this tape. It is never as good as it seems and never as bad. We have to continue to work and be game ready by September.”
