The commentary below contains opinion. The author's name has been withheld at the writer's request.
Freddie Kitchens proved how much of a meathead he is Sunday after the Steelers beat the Browns, 20-13. He proved how tone deaf and clueless he is and proved how he isn’t the right coach for that team nor is he capable, at this point, of being a leader of men.
Kitchens wore a T-shirt the other night that said “Pittsburgh started it” in reference to the brawl at the end of the game between the Browns and Steelers a few Thursdays ago. Kitchens was photographed out in public wearing the shirt and of course, it became material for the the Steelers locker room bulletin board.
“Listen, the T-shirt didn’t have anything to do with us at the minus-1 moving out,” Kitchens said. “I wore a t-shirt, I wore a jacket with it, my daughters wanted me to wear the shirt and I’d do it again. I wore the t-shirt, I put a jacket on, I took a picture with a fan, it is as simple as that. T-shirt didn’t cause us to give up 40 yard passes and things, we were ready to play. That’s the only thing people need to be concerned about, we were ready to play.”
Wonderful. And since he said it with such conviction, I believe him. I believe he is just that dumb enough to not understand why an adult man, who is supposed to be a leader of a young team, shouldn’t do things like that two nights before a game.
Actually all you need to do is listen to the Steelers and compare what they said about the T-shirt to know exactly the difference between these two organizations.
“You just don’t see that from upper management,” Ramon Foster said. “We all have to grow as professionals in some sense but I am glad Coach T doesn’t do things like that. There were so many things that happened in that game.
Foster was then asked if he thought that was disrespectful for Kitchens to wear a shirt like that.
“I’ll leave that to you guys,” Foster said. “But I know our coach would have never have done something like that. Why throw gas? I know I said I wouldn’t answer but when you do something like that, you throw your players in harm’s way. I mean, he is not on the field. You throw your players in harm’s way when you do stuff like that.”
Look, the t-shirt isn’t relevant. I actually happened to find it to be somewhat funny. The thing is, though, it is a symbol of a much, much deeper problem with the Browns. They have a lot of talent, they are far more talented the Steelers - especially on offense — right now. They don’t win nearly enough and there is a reason.
I couldn’t put my finger on it but I finally figured it out. I talked to one of the beat reporters about the Browns and asked him what the problem was. He answered “they are the most immature team I’ve ever covered or been around. And it starts at the top with the coach.”
That’s it. That is actually the heart of the problem with the Browns and really the difference between these two teams and franchises. As Foster said, you wouldn’t catch a Steelers coach or executive trolling another team like that. And they have actually won something and been to the playoffs and all that.
Kitchens attitude sets the tone for the rest of his team. All that team has done is talk. Talk, talk, talk. Talk about how great they are, what they are gonna do, who they are gonna beat. Baker Mayfield is the ultimate frat boy quarterback who needs to grow up and learn what it takes to be a professional. The Browns are talented, they just talk too much and they have accomplished absolutely nothing.
To quote former Steelers safety Lee Flowers “"They talk so much and they go to Pro Bowls because they talk. They ain't nothing but paper champions. That's all they are and that's all they're ever going to be."
Exactly. The t-shirt is not relevant, what it represents, however - an immature organization led by an immature and clueless coach - is very relevant. The Browns spent the offseason talking about how great they are. They spent the last two weeks after they beat the Steelers talking about how great they are. And then they went out and got bullied by their big brother again.
Kitchens should be fired at the end of the season. He shouldn’t be fired because the Browns lost this game. He shouldn’t be fired because he wore a t-shirt. He should be fired because he is a terrible leader for a locker room full of guys in needed of leadership and guidance.
The Steelers were playing extremely shorthanded. They have an offense pieced together with duct tape. There is no reason they should have won this game. They did, though, and that’s because they are the Steelers and the Browns are still the Browns. And until the Browns take a few pages from the Steelers about how to conduct yourselves as professionals and stop talking about what they are gonna do they will always be the Browns and that means they will continue to lose far more games than they should.
First Published: December 2, 2019, 2:00 a.m.