WKYC: Bud Shaw: Can the Browns find their focus in New England?

CLEVELAND — The Browns have spent time this week talking about things that fall into the category of neither brown nor orange.

According to head coach Freddie Kitchens, that makes them things that don’t matter one little bit:

Officiating.

Fines for dress code violations.

Fines for complaining about the officiating.

The media’s representation of Jarvis Landry’s benign comments about going to New England expecting to win.

“Everybody in here knows Jarvis was not guaranteeing a win… for you guys to do that was very unfair,” Kitchens told reporters.

‘WE’RE GOING TO WIN’: Jarvis Landry channels Joe Namath, predicts Browns win over New England Patriots

I’m all for passing a journalistic rule that says any representation of a player or coach delivering a “guaranteed win” must include the word “guarantee” or some version of it.

I’d go further to say that player or coach should be wearing a mink coat or panty house like Joe Namath pool-side before Super Bowl III.

But it also doesn’t matter.

Right?

The Patriots win because they pay attention to detail, because the head coach and quarterback have seemingly been together since shortly after the Boston Tea Party and because their focus and professionalism helps them overcome the talent deficiencies they sometimes face.

They are everything the Browns want to be and talk about becoming. At least when they’re not talking about everything else they say doesn’t matter.

Kitchens has had two weeks to prepare for three hours of football Sunday that could go a long way to fixing his team’s issues for the rest of the season, or introducing even more serious doubt.

Beat the Patriots and the Browns are back in the discussion of serious playoff contenders. Play well against them regardless of outcome and they at least restore confidence in the program.

If they’re not ready to take advantage of the opportunity, it’s not going to be about the officiating, or the league targeting Odell Beckham Jr. for dress code violations or whether the media helped give the Patriots bulletin board material.

Baker Mayfield on receiving a fine for criticizing officials after the Seattle game:

“Well, one, I wouldn’t say it’s complaining when it’s blatantly obvious. I’d say that’s just stating facts.”

(We interrupt him here to say, OK, but when you have a 20-6 lead at home, lose that lead and the game, and focus on a blindside block call that erased a short gain, well, if that’s not technically complaining it’s what complaining sounds like)

More Mayfield: “Freedom of speech, I thought. But that’s OK. I get fined for it. That’s what they do. They fine you for some ridiculous things. That’s just how it is.”

(Interruption No. 2: Freedom of speech? Good God, not that again)

Freedom of speech protects you from prosecution from the government. It doesn’t protect you in the work place if your employer doesn’t like what you do or say.

Mayfield, Part III: “There’s a reason everybody is talking about (the officiating). It’s not just me. People need to be held accountable for their job. When it affects my job it sucks because it’s not in my control.”

(Final thoughts: Yes, NFL officiating has been horrid. And it has affected every team. The undefeated. The ones who have a winning record. The ones that have a losing record. It’s not close to the reason the Browns are 2-4. Or—doing the accounting—why Mayfield is leading the league in interceptions.)

Kitchens doesn’t care if his players talk about their fines or call out the officials, in part because it’s “their money” and “they’re not hurting the team.”

But he should care that his stars are talking about officiating and fines 10 days after the Seattle game.

Are they simply answering media questions? Well, yes and no.

They are answering questions, but there’s nothing that says their answer can’t be, “We’re on to New England.”

That kind of answer has worked well enough for one coach in this league.

The Browns have played distracted, undisciplined football for much of this season. That’s a reflection on Kitchens.

The bye week offered the opportunity to hit the “refresh” button and re-direct focus. Maybe it has. We will see Sunday. It just doesn’t sound like it.

The two toughest jobs in the NFL are quarterback and head coach.

Inexperience at both is tough to overcome.

That take probably wouldn’t go over well with the head coach and quarterback.

I’d invoke freedom of speech here if only I could.

Mayfield has thrown 17 times inside the opponent’s 10-yard line this season and completed just four.

I would credit that stat if I remembered where I heard it. I can tell you it did not come from—as you might guess—Nick Chubb.

A week after saying the Jets offense could be “unstoppable” with everyone healthy, Sam Darold threw four interceptions and lost a fumble in a 33-0 loss to the Patriots.

The NFL doesn’t always eat its young quarterbacks.

Sometimes it just makes them eat crow.

Jets running back Le’Veon Bell, for one, thought the league did Darnold a disservice by using his sideline comments following one of those interceptions.

Darnold, miced up Monday night for NFL Films, lamented, “I’m seeing ghosts.”

Meaning that facing intense pressure and camouflaged defenses from New England, he was seeing players where they weren’t and throwing to the wrong spots.

“The NFL screwed Sammy over,” Bell wrote on Twitter. “There’s not one player in the NFL who’s cool with having every sideline convo broadcasted to millions. There’s a reason we’ve never heard other QB’s frustrated on the sideline like that before. That’s crazy. NFL did Sam dirty as hell.”

Mostly, Darnold was throwing off his back foot like he was re-enacting a LeBron James fallaway jumper. But Bell isn’t wrong. And Darnold would hardly be the first young quarterback confused by a Bill Belichick defense.

In fact, he wouldn’t be among the first 20.