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June 15, 2018In anything that involves a group of people, leadership is important. The same goes for professional sports. Whether it’s a single player or a group, the more leaders you have on a team, the better off you are. Those players can be a second voice for the coach, keep their teammates focused both on and off the field, and help younger players develop and improve their game, all while being a player (or players) their teammates can lean on both on and off the field.
Coming off their first 0-16 season in franchise history, the Cleveland Browns not only need to improve, but they have also needed to find some more leaders this offseason as well. Ones that know how to win, can teach the young players how to be successful, and players that will boost the confidence of everyone around them. The Browns already had some leaders from last year (and years prior), but you can never have too many, especially when it can be a player or group of guys that bring a new, positive voice into the locker room.
With mandatory minicamp concluding this week, it seems as though head coach Hue Jackson is already happy with the number of leaders that are on this year’s squad.
“Everybody leads a little different, but I think that we have more leaders on this football team, more now than we’ve ever had, which is a good thing,” Jackson said, according to clevelandbrowns.com’s Patrick Maks. “And we need more. We’ve got to keep developing more guys to step out and let their personality show and play good football for us.”
With talented players such as offensive linemen Joel Bitonio Kevin Zeitler, linebackers Christian Kirksey and Jamie Collins, wide receiver Josh Gordon, and running back Duke Johnson Jr., along with others, returning this season, there are plenty of “old” voices, but with newcomers such as quarterback Tyrod Taylor and wide receiver Jarvis Landry now in the mix, along with a handful of other talented signees and draft picks, the new voices and leaders mixed with the old are a good combination to have. It allows the team to know what is expected along with bringing in players that have had plenty of success both individually and as a team over the past few years.
Jackson has already noticed the impact the veteran leaders have made both on the field and in the locker room. After having such a young squad last year, it seems as though the head coach is quite happy with his new-look roster, one that includes many more veterans than what he did last January.
“It’s refreshing to have veteran players who know how to do it, play in and play out, and understand what the expectation is over a 60-minute game. Just what that’s going to be like, just the grind of it, and how on it you have to be every play just to give your team a chance to win,” Jackson said.
“We have more of those guys in the fold, and that’s good, but at the same time we haven’t played a game so we have yet to see those guys do it in real time.”
Landry has already made it known what he expects from his new team, agreeing that the Browns have the best receiver group in the NFL. Taylor, while he knows that No. 1 pick Baker Mayfield is waiting to potentially be the Browns’ future franchise quarterback, has already earned the respect from his teammates on and off the field. He’s well-liked across the NFL, and it seems as though his personality is one that his teammates have already connected with. The quarterback, along with a number of other offensive players, has shown their leadership already and Jackson has taken notice.
“I thought (he) has done a really good job. Jarvis Landry does it by his playing – catching the ball and doing those things for the team,” Jackson said. “I think (free agent addition and former 49ers running back) Carlos Hyde has been a great surprise for me. But our two guards are as vocal as anybody right now – Kevin Zeitler and (Bitonio). There are more voices, I know that for sure, on offense.”
Although there are a few newcomers on the defensive side of the ball, it seems as though Kirksey is still the leader on that side of the ball. As a linebacker, he can be the quarterback of the defense if he wants to be, and it seems as though he’s trying to be a voice the entire defense can lean on. Second-year safety Jabrill Peppers seems to be stepping up as well, while second-year defensive end Myles Garrett proves his leadership by leading by example.
“(Kirksey) is still the guy. How he’s gone about this offseason has been great. Jabrill Peppers always shows up. He’s very loud. I think that Jabrill loves to talk, and he’s talking about football and dominating, those things,” Jackson said. “It’s good. Obviously, I think that Myles does it with his play. I think that everybody is counting on Myles to do what he does. He won’t do it probably verbally, but he’s going to do it by action.”
Although leadership and the amount of leaders a team has doesn’t win any games, it’s one of the most important things in sports that doesn’t show up in a box score. Heart and hustle matter as well, but any good leader can make sure that happens. Coming off a winless season, the Browns have not only brought in a number of veterans this offseason, but they have signed ones that have had success in the NFL prior to coming to Cleveland. The young players on the team need a positive and uplifting voice that they can lean on and learn from, having veterans who are leaders is one way to turn your franchise around.
The Browns haven’t had much success over the last few seasons,1 but they have had a fantastic offseason so far, one that could turn this franchise around sooner rather than later. Whether it’s the veteran leadership or the new-look talent brought on board, 2018 (and beyond) will be much better than last season, which was seemingly rock bottom for Cleveland.
- Hell, they haven’t had success since 1999. [↩]