Kitchens' Bar Keeps Getting Higher: He was Supposed to Beat the RAVENS to Keep his Job Now!?!

Freddie Kitchens makes perhaps his final appeal not to be fired after his rookie season as Head Coach.

He openly lists his screw-ups etc vs the Ravens, but stresses his own progress over the course of the season.

The Halfback Option on third and one was NOT a screwup.  It should have worked, and turned into a big play.

I remember arguing with my peeps: They were saying you should NEVER run a trick play on 3rd and 1 (or maybe ever).

Hunt was instantly swarmed under, but I don't analyze based on results:  The Ravens defense should have been keyed to stop the run (8-man box) and feared/defended Hunt as a runner period.

A lob to Landry or a Tight End or somebody could have made a big play, and Kareem Hunt can be trusted to get back to the line of scrimmage.

My peeps saw Hunt swarmed under instantly, and decided that this was Freddie's fault.

Every great Head Coach uses occasional trick plays, especially when overmatched.

The Ravens seemed to gamble that Hunt was the guy to stop, sell out to stop him, and get 3 hats on him before he could blink.

It was NOT a bad play call.

The consecutive passes on the last Browns' series was, as Freddie admits.  He's still trying harder to outsmart everybody than he is to kick their teeth in.

OBJ's "confrontration" with Kitchens on the sideline was OBJ bitching to Freddie that the zebras had threatened to kick him out of the game if he celebrated one more time.

Browns players can no longer express emptions at all without the lynch-mob turning it into Freddie "losing the team" or the team not respecting him.

Bullshit.

Njoku was a healthy scratch again.  That was discipline.  Two good players were summarily cut.  Discipline.

While Baker Mayfield's tepid "That's not my decision" response to a question about Kitchens' future with the Browns is alarming (he did not defend Freddie), I have lost some respect for Mayfield, and can no longer defer to him, even here.

Freddie Kitchens didn't trade his stud guard away and bring in OBJ.  Trust me: Freddie is not telling him to force deep balls to this inured WR who can no longer separate at the expense of every other receiver.

Does Baker Mayfield think that a new Head Coach and offensive system will do him any favors?

I think Baker Mayfield is immensely talented and smart in most ways, but not...well it's not fair to compare him to me (blush-blush).

So much for Baker's non-endorsement of his Head Coach.  I can't trust the kid--he's got some loose screws rattling around in his head.

Anyway, firing Freddie Kitchens after one season would be stupid.  It's not like he went 0-16, like some (more experienced) Head Coaches I could mention.

Pat Kirwan keeps telling everybody who will listen:

1: A first-time Head Coach needs 2 years just to learn how to BE a Head Coach.

2: The most successful Teams have continuity in common (ie long-term Head Coaches).  The LEAST successful teams are those who fire Head Coaches every year or 2.

Kitchens has earned a second season.  Let's leave the systems in place, and see what Dorsey can do about that offensive line.