CLEVELAND -- There is a lot going right with the Cleveland Browns these days -- to the point that interim coach Gregg Williams even had to put his phone on silent.
"I can’t keep up with my texts and voicemails," Williams said Monday, adding that it "speaks volumes ... about how everybody is looking at us."
It also speaks volumes about the Browns’ many years of struggles: Wins have been so rare that two in a row is cause for celebration. This team and its fans should enjoy it -- because the Browns have the feel of a team on the upswing.
But as they grow, the Browns would do well to be aware of how they act and what they say and do. Because the Browns pushed the envelope of the fine line between confidence/attitude and excessiveness during and after Sunday's win at the Cincinnati Bengals with their comments and their chirping. The challenge for the Browns and Williams, whose mantra is discipline, is channeling that energy and emotion in a positive way.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield's statements and social media posturing have been getting a lot of attention -- which serves neither himself or his team well, and it actually distracts from what the Browns are doing.
Saying after a game that he took it personally when former Browns head coach Hue Jackson took a job with the Bengals was one thing; using the word "fake" in an Instagram post related to Jackson the next day was not a mild statement or action. When Mayfield’s brother Matthew jumped in with a post of his own that seemed aimed at Jackson, the chatter was raised to a different level. (Ponder the reaction for a moment had Johnny Manziel’s family member blasted a member of the Browns coaching staff, past or present.)
This isn’t to say that Mayfield’s competitive juice isn’t good for the Browns. Nor that he shouldn’t use whatever he needs to motivate himself. He’s part of a new era, and if generating those feelings helps him play the way he has, then more power to him.
But taking personal feelings into the public realm changes everything. Name the last time Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Eli Manning, Russell Wilson, Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger or any elite quarterback did something similar. They adeptly defuse situations; they don’t foment them.
Rivers is as competitive a player as there is in the NFL; he’s also a talker on the field. But when the game ends, he handles things like a pro. How Mayfield handles success and failure is part of the job description.
To his credit, he has done that well all season. But what happened since the game ended Sunday was unnecessary -- and ensures that what Mayfield and his teammates say about it will be much scrutinized, starting with Wednesday’s interviews. The longer it continues, the more it will obscure the many good things happening with the team. The Browns have turned a four-game losing streak into a two-game winning streak, capped off in Cincinnati by as decisive a victory as the Browns have had in years.
"I think that you are starting to see a team that everybody in this building knew was here," Cleveland center JC Tretter said.
Mayfield is the obvious starting point. His play over the past three games since Freddie Kitchens took over the playcalling has been outstanding -- as Mayfield's 129.5 passer rating in those games shows.
But it’s not just Mayfield. The defense is healthier. Nick Chubb is becoming an every-down back. Duke Johnson Jr. is back in the mix. Kitchens’ playcalling led to four different Browns players scoring touchdowns for the first time since 2009. Mayfield threw passes to eight different players.
There has been growth, and when the quarterback is poised and accurate, the growth shows.
Rex Ryan reacts to Baker Mayfield's comments about his postgame exchange with former coach Hue Jackson, saying it was "great to see."
Things have reached the point that the Browns are actually discussing being on the fringe of a playoff push, and with a game at Houston up next, they could insert themselves further into the discussion with a win over the Texans.
It will be a much more significant test. The Texans have won eight in a row. They will be playing at home. They rank eighth in total defense and 11th in passing defense. This is not like the secondary of the Chiefs, Falcons or Bengals. Deshaun Watson has twice as many touchdowns as interceptions (20 to 9), and Lamar Miller had a longer touchdown run in Monday night's contest than Chubb’s 92-yard Browns record run.
As the Browns' growth increases, so do the challenges. All should be welcomed.
This is a Browns team that is playing better and growing. It is -- note the word -- winning.
It would be wise to keep in mind that winning with class puts the focus where it should be: on the victories on the field.