CLEVELAND — Sometimes, the best answer is the one closest at hand.
Those who know Freddie Kitchens best are happy he is getting the chance to be a head coach in the National Football League and are confident good things are in store for the Cleveland Browns with him as the on-field leader.
“I’m so happy for Freddie and excited for Browns fans,” former NFL quarterback Carson Palmer said in a statement after Kitchens’ hiring was made official Saturday.
“Freddie will put a very disciplined team on the field, year in and year out. He will pour his heart into his team and they will play with passion and love for one another and the game. Freddie is a true gem and a brilliant hire by the Browns.”
Kitchens was a popular interview request from other NFL teams after he helped the Browns increase their points per game and got solid play out of rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield, as well as seldom-used first-year running back Nick Chubb over the second half of the 2018 season.
The Browns denied those requests, and instead, chose to hire Kitchens as head coach.
Under Kitchens’ direction, Mayfield completed 180 of his 263 attempts (68.4 percent) for 2,254 yards and 19 touchdowns against eight interceptions. Mayfield averaged 281.75 yards and 2.375 touchdowns per game with Kitchens calling the plays.
Chubb finished the 2018 season, one in which he was sparingly utilized in the first seven games, with 996 yards and eight touchdowns on 192 carries. Chubb had 11 20-yard runs, four 40-yard bursts and 47 first-down conversions.
Limited in his role with coordinator Todd Haley calling the plays over the first half of the 2018 season, Chubb rushed for 788 yards and five of his eight touchdowns on 140 carries under Kitchens. After the changes in the coaching staff, Chubb averaged 5.63 yards per carry and became a contributing member in the passing game as well.
“I’m extremely excited for Freddie and this opportunity that he has been working for since I was with him in Arizona,” said Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, who was with Kitchens and the Cardinals for several seasons.
“It was fun for me, this past season, to see the league get a glimpse of the quality of coach he is. I’m looking forward to watching his impact on Cleveland and how he takes on this new role and challenge. I believe the players are going to love playing for him and he is going to do a great job of putting a great product on the field, but more importantly, helping grow young men, on and off the field.”
At 2-5-1 following a 33-18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 28 and in the middle of an unprecedented midseason coaching staff upheaval following the dismissals of Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley with eight games left to play, the 2018 Browns looked to be anything but a team capable of the greatest year-to-year turnaround in franchise history.
But a 5-3 record over the second half of the season and a three-game winning streak in December secured the Browns’ greatest year-to-year turnaround in team history, as they finished plus-7.5 in wins over the winless 2017 campaign.
“The thing that impressed me from Day 1 about Freddie was his toughness,” said former Alabama coach Gene Stallings. “A lot of people who play quarterback are not as tough as some of the other positions, but Freddie was extremely aggressive and tough.
“He did a good job in the pros, worked for Bill Parcells for a year and worked for Nick Saban at LSU, so he’s got a good background. I think he’ll do an excellent job for Cleveland.”
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, whom helped coach Kitchens at the University of Alabama, is confident the search committee found the right person to lead the Browns.
“I’ve known Freddie a long time,” Swinney said.
“He’s tough and he’s a winner. He always has been. I thought he did a great job of taking advantage of his interim opportunity and rallying the team, which has afforded him this opportunity. I have no doubt he’ll take and run with it. I think the Browns got it right giving him the opportunity to lead them.”
