BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns coach Freddie Kitchens has had many memorable one-liners during his press conferences since being hired in early January.
Whether they are funny or purposeful, Kitchens always has something to say following practice, and Sunday was no different.
Here is a look back at Kitchens’ best moments from Sunday’s press conference.
Simple goal
Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam gave Kitchens a vote of confidence during their annual training-camp press conference Sunday, and while the first-year coach “appreciates the sentiment,” his focus is elsewhere.
“I am just trying to do a good job today,” Kitchens said. “I am just trying to finish this press conference out strong, and then, I am going to go to the next thing and walk out of here into an offensive meeting, and then, we are going to meet with our players, and then, we are going to break for dinner.
“Then, we are going to come back and try to have a good meeting. I am just trying to do a good job for the Cleveland Browns today.”
Not practicing penalties
During an 11-on-11 drill near the end of Sunday’s session, defensive tackle Chad Thomas and tight end Pharaoh Brown got into a skirmish that earned the entire team three sets of sprints from sideline to sideline before practice resumed.
“They are a team,” Kitchens said. “Team means together. To me, it means together. That is the way we approach things.”
Wants players with passion
During the sprints, fans yelled at the players to hustle more and after being involved in the fight, Thomas was an easy and popular recipient for the comments. Thomas did not take the criticism well, and neither did his teammates.
Several players used explicit language to respond to the jeers, and Thomas went a step further when he tossed an obscene gesture toward the fans.
“Chad Thomas, as you guys see, is a very emotional, passionate guy,” Kitchens said. “I want those guys to play with passion, but he’s also a young guy, so he has to understand and develop a sense of when to move on.”
Focus on the present
Kitchens does not want to hear about what happened in the past or what is upcoming in the future, not when there is much work to be done in the present.
“We are trying to stay in the moment around here with this organization,” Kitchens said. “We are not trying to look forward. We are trying stay with what we did today. That is what we did today. Yesterday does not affect today.
“Last year is not going to affect this year. Two years ago is not going to be affected any by this year. We need to all get that in our minds, that it does not matter what the Browns have been the last year, three years ago, 10 years ago or 40 years ago. That does not affect today. That is the approach we are going to have.”
Get on to the next
Kickers Greg Joseph and Austin Seibert had opportunities to convert game-winning field goal attempts, but in a drill late in practice, Joseph pulled it wide left and Seibert pushed it well wide right.
“Pat him on the butt and ‘get the next one,’” Kitchens said of the response from the coaches.
“Listen, when you are a kicker, you better have a short memory. When you are a quarterback, you better have a short memory. When you are a defensive tackle, you better have a short memory. When you are a tight end, you better have short memory.
“If you are playing for us, all of them, all of the positions [need to have a short memory] because we are going to play the next play, and that is all that matters. I am not concerned about that kick. I am worried about the one tomorrow.”
