CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb is fast becoming one of the more popular players within the locker room because of his quiet, businesslike approach to football, and not just with teammates, but coaches as well.
In fact, Chubb’s presence in the offense has acted as a calming influence for offensive coordinator Todd Monken as he helps coach Freddie Kitchens formulate a game plan on a weekly basis.
“It is quite a luxury to have a running back that gives you comfort that you can turn it around and Nick is going to get you positive yards,” Monken said during his weekly press conference leading to tonight’s game at the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. “Obviously, Nick is faster than most people give him credit.
“To be able to finish runs, he has done it now back-to-back years with not just long runs, but ones that you do not see every week. He is a guy that comes to work every week. It seems like now we have been saying it for as long as I have been here for five weeks and since he has been here, but he is a really, really good player. When we are going right, he is going to touch the ball a lot.”
When the Baltimore Ravens scored early in last Sunday’s AFC North Division game in Baltimore, which the Browns won, 40-25, it was Chubb who had an answer.
After Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker evened the score, Chubb capped off the ensuing drive, which lasted only three plays, with a 14-yard touchdown run that started with him running right and cutting back all the way across the field, faking out several defenders along the way to the end zone.
Austin Seibert’s extra point gave the Browns a 17-10 lead with 9:41 to play in the third quarter.
Later in the game, Chubb had one of his most memorable NFL moments.
On first-and-15 from the Cleveland 12-yard line after a false start penalty, Chubb caught a pitch from quarterback Baker Mayfield, hustled through a hole created by the right side of the line and tight end Pharaoh Brown and raced 88 yards untouched for the touchdown.
Although the Browns failed to convert the two-point conversion, they held a 30-18 lead over the Ravens with 9:35 to play in regulation.
“He has tremendous vision,” Monken said. “He has a real good feel for downhill runs, so that gives him a chance, but his size and ability to make a cut -- he is not a jump-cut guy, but his ability to make a subtle cut. A lot of those were arm tackles that they just get a hand on you and he is big enough to break through that.”
Through the first four weeks of the 2019 season, Chubb has rushed for 398 yards and four touchdowns on 78 carries, all of which lead the team. Additionally, Chubb has been on the receiving end of 14 passes, which he has turned into 99 yards.
Currently, Chubb is among the NFL leaders in rushing yards (fourth), attempts (tied for second), yards-per-carry average (fourth), rushing touchdowns (tied for third) and total scrimmage yards (fourth).
Also, with the 88-yard touchdown against Baltimore, Chubb now has two of the three longest runs in franchise history.
“He is very good at shrinking his pad level and staying with it,” Monken said. “I think that is a good way of putting it. From a balance standpoint, he never really gets knocked off his feet. You rarely see him where he is off balance and getting knocked around.”