Dawg Pound Report: Post-Game Pressers, Injury Updates, and Other News from Berea Today

Breaking News: Odell Beckham Jr. texted ESPN’s Josina Anderson that he has a torn ACL and his season is over.

With a thrilling win in Cincinnati, the Browns look towards next week’s opponent, the Las Vegas Raiders. Unfortunately, the Browns will take the field next week, and for the rest of the year without Odell Beckham Jr. After Baker Mayfield was intercepted on his first pass, OBJ chased down Darius Phillips and tried to make a tackle. He chased him down, but he landed awkwardly on the scrum which led to him being taken into the locker room. At the time his return was questionable, but after half-time Beckham Jr. was ruled out with a knee injury.

Kevin Stefanski said it best in his post game press conference, he said Beckham Jr. will have an MRI on his left knee on Monday. At the time, Stefanski didn’t want to speculate about the severity of Beckham Jr.’s knee injury. This morning he reached out to ESPN’s Josina Anderson and told her he has a torn ACL, and his season is over. What does this mean for the Browns going forward?

First and foremost, we all hope for a quick and successful return from injury for Beckham Jr. However, without Nick Chubb and now OBJ, the Browns will have to find other play-makers. Kareem Hunt has been able to fill in for Chubb and be successful. However, what will their aerial attack look like without the superstar from LSU? Well, it means that some players are going to have to step up and cover for their injured teammate. Harrison Bryant, rookie tight end, caught two touchdowns yesterday, and filled in well with Austin Hooper sidelined. The former Mackey Award winner was a lethal threat in the red zone, with size and speed in his arsenal. Also look for the Browns to lean more on Landry, Higgins, Njoku, and Peoples-Jones.

Jarvis Landry Deserves a lot of Credit

• Last week, a lot of Browns found out that not only is Baker Mayfield ailing from a rib injury, but Landry has been playing with a broken rib for weeks as well. When Jarvis Landry came over to the Browns, he immediately stepped up as a leader and a great team mate. He’s always out on the practice field and in the stadium on Sundays. With the Browns driving late in the game, Jarvis Landry did something that few people noticed, but it may have saved the game for the Browns.

• Not only is Landry a great leader, teammate, and football player, but he is also incredibly smart on the field. This play, as the Browns were going to attempt spike the ball to stop the clock, Landry saved the game. As they come up to the line, he notices rookie tight end Harrison Bryant is not on the line of scrimmage. He screamed and motioned for Bryant to get on the line, and thank god he did. If Bryant had stayed off the line of scrimmage, it would be an illegal formation that also comes with a ten second clock run-off. Landry knowing where all the players need to be before the spiked ball, kept the game alive, which would eventually lead to the game winning touchdown pass.

Post Game Press-Conferences

Baker Mayfield:

• On what happened after the first quarter out there: “Just got back on track, you know. The ball to Odell, we knew he would be one on one and we could give him a chance, but I didn’t do that I left it short and inside. I’m probably going to beat myself up over that one for a long time.”
• On Odell Beckham Jr.: “He’s a guy that fights for this team and in doing that he got hurt. Prayers and hopes for the best, but yeah that one sucks. Just had to re-focus and find some completions. (As music is blaring from the Brown’s locker room) “Shut the door. I don’t know if you guys heard that or not.” Said with a smile on his face.
• On his record of straight completions, as Rashard Higgins walks in and stares into the camera, of course Baker put on his mask: “You know its just a necessary mind set of doing whatever it takes to win.”
• Check out the rest of the presser above, featuring Rashard Higgins!

Kevin Stefanski

• “Obviously we’ll start with injuries. Odell got his knee there and he’ll have an MRI in the morning so we’ll know more then. Disappointed for him, he wanted to be out there very badly.”
• “Obviously, great win for the team. It’s important to build off these types of wins, it’s important that we continue to do the things that help you win in this league. I think we had a lot of examples of us doing that.”
• “You’re going to have to go win the game on a two-minute drive. That’s what happens in this NFL, that’s what good teams do. See the way the quarterback responded in this game, early, we weren’t doing anything. Plays weren’t very good, we just couldn’t get a completion, then he rips off 20-straight. I could not be more impressed with how he played, including that last throw there.”
• “Story of our season, guys stepping up. You saw Donovan Peoples-Jones step up, Rashard Higgins has done it every time he’s out there.”
• “Guys making plays, defense fighting their rear ends off, that’s not a fun outfit to have to play in that type of game, and they just keep coming at you. Credit to them, but again great team win.”
• Check out the rest of Head Coach Kevin Stefanski’s post-game presser above!

Harrison Bryant

• Walk us through the emotions after the two score performance: “Yeah, you know, later in the week Hooper went down, he had as all y’all know surgery. You know me and David came in knowing we had to step up and make plays. Coming into the game you knew there would be opportunities, and we just want to take advantage of those opportunities. We did that today. Obviously stuff we can still improve on. But, you know, going out and scoring two touchdowns in a game like that, you know winning at the end. It’s huge, you know a lot of emotions, and it was a great feeling.”
• What he’s thinking when watching Baker throw 21 straight completions: “Yeah we always talk about keep working, even when things are bad, never get too high or never get too low. So starting off like that, and ending up having a great game, that just speaks to him, how focused he was and ready to go through the game plan, and finish the game like that, to come out with a big win, it’s impressive.”
• On how surprising it was that Austin Hooper was out with an appendectomy: “It was very out of the blue. We were in the tight end meeting room and he didn’t come in and coach was like he has a stomach ache. We were first off hoping he was alright, everything was going to be good for him/ Then me and David talking about how we have to go out and make plays.”
• Check out the rest breakout performer Harrison Bryant’s press conference above!

Myles Garrett

• On what he was thinking during the last deep ball to the end zone from the Bengals: “Why is nobody rushing? Why am I not out there rushing? But just like coach says, a win is a win. You know sometimes when I beat a guy on play-action and don’t get a sack, coach will say no, no you’re supposed to set the edge as a rusher. We rode with that, and we won, so I can’t really complain.”
• On what he feels like playing a game like this: “We got the win. You know as a defender, we can get better. There was definitely opportunities to get off the field.”
• Check out the rest of Myles Garrett’s post-game presser above. (Side Note: Garrett talks very quietly, and the audio is tough to hear.)

What a Sunday of great football. The Browns move a tiny step closer to being a contender, but as Myles Garrett said, the defense needs to improve. The Browns will host Jon Gruden and his Las Vegas Raiders next week. If they win that game, the chatter will become louder and louder. With all that being said, the city of Cleveland is finally beginning to believe in this team and this coach. Whether it be 5-3 or 6-2 heading into the bye week, it doesn’t matter, it’s still light years ahead of the Browns from the past.

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