ABOUT ODELL BECKHAM JR.
So far, the new Browns regime and Odell Beckham Jr. are acting as if they want to work together in 2020.
It’s no surprise new coach Kevin Stefanski and GM Andrew Berry struck a positive tone about the wide receiver at their Wednesday press conferences.
Even if the Browns are trying to trade Beckham, the last thing they should do is publicly indicate there are problems. That would drive down his market value.
My sense is the Browns are willing to start fresh with Beckham.
Beckham, in an interview with Complex Sports, indicated he’s willing to do the same with the new coaching staff.
“I have a good feeling about this,” Beckham said of his meeting with Stefanski.
Stefanski explained: “My meeting went well. Not to get into too many specifics, but we talked about a lot of topics. Commitment is shown over time. I have full confidence in Odell.”
The new coach is wise to keep an upbeat tone about Beckham.
But it is significant that Stefanski said: “Commitment is shown over time.”
That’s similar to what Stefanski told the media the day he was hired: “Personality is welcome, production is required.”
Berry had the same message about Beckham with a slightly different approach.
“We’ve had really good conversations," said the general manager. “He’s one of the most talented receivers in the league. We certainly are happy to have him here.”
So far, nothing special there.
Then Berry added: “Everybody is going to have to fit into our culture in terms of being smart, tough and accountable."
DISCIPLINE IS NEEDED
Berry and Stefanski know the Browns seemed to have leadership issues last season.
It started early when Beckham skipped nearly every voluntary practice during the spring.
Granted, it’s “voluntary,” but it also was a chance for Beckham to not only get to know his new teammates and coaches, but to learn a new offense.
Former coach Freddie Kitchens seemed reluctant to say anything about Beckham’s absence, other than once admitting the receiver has “missed a lot.”
Beckham was present for the required practices, but he was not on the field a lot. He had missed 16-of-32 games the previous two seasons and the Browns wanted to simply ease him into the regular season being somewhat healthy.
Beckham was injured most of the season, but played in every game. On January 21, he had surgery to repair “a core muscle injury.”
Beckham ended up with 74 catches for 1,035 yards and four touchdowns. Those are good numbers.
But Browns fans know about the narrative of “Odell’s not getting the ball enough” hanging over the team. His lack of on-field chemistry with QB Baker Mayfield was obvious. At least some of that had to do with a lack of practice time.
THEY CAN WAIT
The Browns know they don’t have to make a quick decision about Beckham.
“I think Kevin is very excited to have Odell on the team,” said owner Jimmy Haslam. “The surgery went well. He is rehabbing and we look forward to having him and him being a big, big producer for the team this year.”
It’s exactly what the owner should say at this point, even though the Browns could not have been happy with Beckham’s recent antics at the NCAA championship game, where he was handing money to victorious LSU players on the field after the game and later slapped a security guard on the rear end.
Berry and Stefanski are intrigued by Beckham’s raw talent. But they also have to be concerned about him staying healthy. The receiver has had a lot of injuries for a 27-year-old.
My guess is the Browns will see what Beckham does during the spring practices. For now, he says he wants to stay and the team wants to keep him. But as anyone who followed Beckham knows, lots of things can change quickly.
WORDS AND ACTION
With Beckham, things change often.
Near the end of the season, there were all the rumors of him wanting out of Cleveland. And there were rumors of him not wanting to leave New York for Cleveland when traded here a year ago.
In one of his final press conferences at the end of this past season, Beckham indicated he wanted to stay.
The new regime in Berea has come in stressing accountability. They will be tested. I’m not just talking about Beckham. It will happen with other players. Kareem Hunt’s situation with the team appears perilous after his recent encounter with police.
We’ll see how the new regime defines “accountability” over the next few months.
ABOUT THE BROWNS
1. The team gets the lousy timing award for raising ticket prices for the second consecutive season. To be fair to the Browns, they remain one of the cheapest tickets in the NFL and the price raises are mostly $5-10 more per seat, per game. But to be fair to the fans, they’ve had the NFL’s worst product since the team returned in 1999.
2. In the end, the decision on how much is too much for Browns tickets is in the hands of the fans. Last season was a complete sellout before the opening kickoff as the hype surrounding the team energized the fan base. The 6-10 season that followed was a downer with more firings. The fans can’t be blamed for feeling let down... again.
3. I just feel for the fans. I watch games for free in the pressbox. I never forget my father telling me once, “You get paid to go to ballgames.” I can shrug off ticket prices. Many fans can’t. It will be interesting to see how they respond this season.
4. So glad new defensive coordinator Joe Woods is sticking with some form of the 4-3 defense. He was the defensive backs coach with the San Francisco 49ers, who used the 4-3. When Woods was a defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos (2017-18), he used the 3-4. But he is adjusting to the Browns talent.
5. With the Browns, key players such as defensive end Myles Garrett and middle linebacker Joe Schobert are built for the 4-3 scheme. Schobert is a free agent, but Berry was part of the front office that drafted him in 2016. He could be valued higher by this front office than the last regime in Berea.
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