BEREA — Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz had a lot to say to the media about his cornerbacks and their performance so far on Thursday. However, he also made one more point before he moved on to the next topic.
"I’m not saying anything to you guys that I haven’t already said to them," Schwartz said Thursday, "and that’s a prideful group and I expect them to bounce back.”
Cornerback Greg Newsome II didn't need someone to play back the video of Schwartz for him. This wasn't a live version of the "And I took that personally" Michael Jordan/"The Last Dance" meme.
Newsome, though, took it personally. The fourth-year pro also, like Jordan, has used his defensive coordinator's words for something else.
"Whenever one of our leaders challenges us, we obviously take it personally, but we also use it to motivate us," Newsome said Friday. "He has all the trust in us. He trusts us the most out of anybody. So when he comes, we look at it as that, it's not anything else than that. He has so much faith in us, obviously by the way he calls games and everything, he puts it in our hands and we haven't been doing our best so far, but we're going to definitely find a way to fix it."
The Browns ' cornerback trio of Newsome, Denzel Ward and Martin Emerson Jr. have to fix it rather fast. Coming to town this week, with Cleveland in the midst of a 1-5 start and a four-game losing streak, are the Cincinnati Bengals.
If the Bengals are coming to town, they're bringing with them their elite-level passing game talent, from quarterback Joe Burrow to wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Burrow's top five in at least five different passing categories, including the best passer rating in the league at 110.3.
It's Chase and Higgins who have the cornerbacks' attention. As they always do whenever this group of chatty and talented cornerbacks meets up with that group of chatty and talented pass catchers.
"I'm just excited for the matchup," Newsome said. "We're definitely battling. As soon as we both got drafted here, that was one of the guys that I circled that I was super excited to go against. So it's going to be a lot more of that just battling with one of the top of league guys in the league against some of the best cornerbacks in the league. So it's definitely going to be a fun matchup for us."
The Browns' starters didn't play in the last meeting between the teams, the regular-season finale last January in Cincinnati. However, the last time all of them were on the field together, it was the last season's opener when Chase had just five catches for 39 yards on nine targets, while Higgins was held without a catch on eight targets.
Sunday's matchup will come down to not just limiting their catches, but limiting their big-play catches. Chase has a league-best 10 touchdown catches of 60-plus yards since 2021, while 17 of Higgins' 25 catches this season have gone for first downs.
The Browns have allowed 20 pass plays this season of at least 20 yards, five of those going for at least 40 yards. Newsome was on the coverage on the two 40-plus-yard plays allowed last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, while Emerson was on the coverage on a 22-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Brown.
How do the Browns change that against one of the best deep-threat passing teams in the league?
"I would say attention to detail," Emerson said. "Starting fast. Don't let somebody hit you in the mouth and then you get ready to play. Just go into the game with that mentality and be fierce, relentless from start to the finish, no matter the obstacles you go through. And the game's going to be ups and downs, but we most definitely got to take explosive plays off the board."
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns cornerbacks take coach's criticism 'personally,' use to 'motivate' against Bengals
Local News
Comments / 0