Run game coordinator/RBs coach Stump Mitchell (8.20.20)
Run game coordinator/running backs coach Stump Mitchell:
On RB Kareem Hunt and if Hunt made any changes during the offseason:
“He missed the first eight games last year, and he also had an injury. With that being said, right now, he has had a great offseason, he is fully healthy and he knows that at one point in time he led the league in rushing just a couple years ago so he is hoping to have the opportunity to showcase what he can do again.”
On what a good FB can do for the Browns running game:
“He is the eyes for the running backs. When you are talking about two backs, he is the eyes for that halfback, and also, those guys are good in pass protection if we needed to use them as a third-down back. It is just great to have the guy that we have. (FB) Andy (Janovich), I have shown those guys video of him. He makes excellent decisions. Andy is great for (FB) Johnny (Stanton) because now Johnny is getting the opportunity to learn exactly how to do it, and those guys were teammates at Nebraska. It is a great opportunity for Johnny to pick up some great habits from Andy.”
On if he has spoken with RB Nick Chubb since he sustained the concussion:
“He is in meetings so he is doing, I would say, extremely well. To be able to be in the meetings, he is not having any problems in terms of headaches or anything like that. He is doing well. It is just a matter of time before he gets cleared.”
On how nice it is to have a player like Hunt be able to step in while Chubb is unavailable:
“It is great to have those, but I tell you what, it is great for us to have the offensive line hopefully fixed. I would say that is the main thing not having been together as a team is these runners need to understand the strengths, the strengths, the strengths and maybe slight weakness of an offensive lineman so they can make things happen.”
On if he has run the wide zone scheme before and how the players are adapting to it:
“Yes, we did it last year. What we did not do off the wide zone a whole lot was run keepers. In terms of running the wide zone, we ran the wide zone last year and we ran inside zone last year so it is not different. Nick ran it in college, and Kareem some, as well. Most teams do some version of it, whether it is with a fullback or just a single back so it is nothing new for us. Our tracks may change a little bit, but that is pretty much it.”
On if he has always liked running the wide zone scheme, including as a player:
“I have always loved it because especially for guys that have the ability to make quick cuts, you get guys running, and now you give them the impression that you are going one place or the other and then you go somewhere different. It is all based on how our guys can cover guys up. If we can prevent penetration, then we can stay on the angle in which we are going. If there is penetration, then we have to be able to put our foot in the ground and get going up north or south.”
On if he still has his beard:
“Yes, I do.”
On if the team has opportunities to have Chubb and Hunt on the field at the same time, particularly given Hunt missed the first eight games last year:
“It probably will be, but I am not exactly sure how much this year because we have not had an offseason together. Right now, we are trying to get guys to learn the system as it was pretty much in Minnesota, and they did not have much of that. We are just going to be happy when those guys do get an opportunity to play, and hopefully, we will showcase what we can do.”
On if it is too early to tell how much Hunt will play WR:
“Yes, I think that it is too early because we have some receivers that we think are doing pretty good, besides (WRs) Odell (Beckham Jr.) and Jarvis (Landry). That is what the General Manager and his guys are going to do. They are going to go out and try to get guys that can play. Kareem will have his opportunity at some point. We will definitely prepare for each team differently, and if that is suitable for us, which I am almost sure it will be at most times, he will see his opportunities.”
On how much better Chubb and Hunt can be, given their past production, and if the sky is still the limit for them:
“Oh yeah, absolutely. There were a couple of times Nick missed a couple of runs last year or he would have won the rushing title. These guys, they are not happy with any mistakes that they make. They are always trying to improve.”
On how long it typically takes a RB to figure out an OL’s strengths and weaknesses and if they have time to get that done prior to the regular season:
“Because we do not have any preseason games, we are really not going to be able to see any live reps until we actually play the Ravens. It is all going to be about the running backs being patient. That is the most important thing. They have to be patient. We will figure it out. We think these guys can play. We know a few of them that were with us last year can play, and we think the scouts did a heck of a job of recruiting guys that could play. They brought them in so it is obvious they can do something.”
On how disappointed he was that Chubb was not able to win the rushing title last season and how much of an emphasis it was heading into the last week:
“I was disappointed, but I was disappointed in games before that last game because there was an opportunity for us to have done better and we missed a couple of cuts. We have been working on a little more patience. It is a team game, and unfortunately, we did not win enough games for Cleveland Brown fans so we did not deserve to please ourselves either.”
On if it was disappointing to see Chubb rush for 13 carries for 41 yards in the last game, knowing how close Chubb was to winning the rushing title:
“Yeah, it was definitely a downer to see it take (Titans RB Derrick) Henry 32 carries and on his last one he went for 55 yards. We just needed to handle our business earlier, and we did not do it.”
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