Thank you, Nick!
It would make sense that there is a beautifully placed storm cloud over the views from the east side of Cleveland as I pulled into the parking lot at Starbucks. I had looked down to see if I should throw my zip up on over my Browns shirt, I had fallen asleep the night before, in the hope that no one would mention anything about the game last night. I looked in the store, no customers were in there, so I opted for no shield from the distraction. As I grabbed my latte, the worker looked up at me and said with almost pain in her voice, “Rough game last night.” As I nodded in agreement, I turned and walked out with my head hanging low.
Unfortunately, this isn’t a new feeling for Cleveland fans. We have been through the ringer of heartbreak, so what’s another misery to fuel our seasonal depression? This one just hits different. I explained to my wife who Nick Chubb is, not just as a football player, but a teammate, and a man. This loss was the lifeblood of the organization going into Sept. 18th, Monday Night Football. Immediately after his departure you could see everything else begin to fall. Everything that the front office has been putting into place over the course of the past 5 years has been the building blocks for what all collective Browns fans have wanted. We as fans have wanted a competitive product and a winner. Sadly, the football gods seemed to have kicked over those blocks like the bully in the neighborhood once again. I have felt this feeling before, I have regressed to the child that lost their team in 1996. There is a hole in my heart for that team I have grown to love so much. However, the hole in my heart may not be as empty for as long as it was back in the mid-nineties.
There are a few suitable running backs that may allow for the Dawg Pound to get back on course. The first in my mind is Kareem Hunt. I mean Hunt is almost a no-brainer option for me right away. I don’t think he would cost much. He understands this offense and the direction this organization wants to go, and he loves the city he grew up in. I think the short familiarity he has with Watson may help as well. Hunt in his career has averaged 4.5 yards per carry on 895 attempts as well as 8.6 yards per reception on 211 receptions. While his numbers may be skewed from his monster Rookie campaign, he may be what the city needs to bridge past this heartbreak of a loss in Chubb.
Next on my list is Uncle Lenny. Leonard Fournette averages 4 yards a carry and 7.3 yards per reception. Another thing that Fournette brings to the table is his experience in the postseason. The former All-American can bring value and versatility to any organization needing depth and leadership at the RB position.
Finally, and probably most out of the realm of possibilities, Jonathan Taylor. I mean I think at this point, we have all accepted that the window of opportunity for this team is this season. After Chubb’s injury this early in the campaign, I do not foresee Andrew Berry rolling over and watching his creation go up in flames. This is a man who has somehow found a way to get Myles Garrett, Amari Cooper, Nick Chubb, Deshaun Watson (We’ll get to him later), and Denzel ward’s contracts structured in such a way that we still have $34 million in cap to roll over. If Andrew Berry is that guy when it comes to numbers, I would have to imagine if he wanted to go after JT, he may have an idea of how to do it.
However, whatever we do at running back over the next few days, hours, or minutes, it doesn’t excuse the performance that our offense put up against the Steelers last night in North Shore Pittsburgh. I have been patient with Watson. We know his contract. We know what he can be statistically. I can excuse the wet conditions Week 1 and I can forgive last night. He lost his Goose to his Maverick in that huddle, he lost his wingman. I couldn’t imagine what any QB would think when your RB1 goes down early in the second week of the season especially when most of your plays are rooted from the shoulders of your running back. That said, the rust excuse, the suspension excuse, the weather excuse, they all must stop. Stefanski and Watson are now under the microscope more than ever before. What the offense does next week against the Titans will be a catalyst of how the remainder of the season will play out.
This is tough. As I frustratingly hit the keys of my laptop, I can hear the ghost echoes of “Same ole Browns” or “Cleveland is Cleveland” or “Browns is the Browns.” I can’t tell you how to fan, I can only tell you how I feel and what my hopes are for the remainder of the season. I hope Nick Chubb gets as good of news as he can with his injury. I hope AB pulls out some of his AB magic and finds a workhorse of a back that we can integrate seamlessly into this offense. And finally, I hope Watson gets out of his own head. I still think this can be a 10+ win team: “Team” being the operative word. We need to rally together as a fanbase, and the team needs to rally together and go out and play this season for Nick Chubb.
To Nick Chubb the man, as Commissioner Gordon acknowledged Batman’s efforts in helping stop Ra’s Al Guhl, Scarecrow, and Falcone, “I never said thank you.” Thank you, Nick!
Sean Larkin
@SlarkDawg87 on Twitter
