What I'm Hearing: Odell Beckham Jr. had a big performance in his return to New York (albeit against the Jets) and the star wide receiver feels vindicated after receiving some harsh criticism from one Jets coordinator. USA TODAY
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Baker Mayfield couldn’t believe it.
The Cleveland Browns quarterback was giving his post-game press conference late Monday night, just minutes after he helped lead his team to a 23-3 victory over the New York Jets. New York, of course, is the team that employs former Browns interim coach Gregg Williams as its defensive coordinator.
After a week of Williams and Browns receiver Odell Beckham Jr. trading barbs, Williams said he didn’t consider Beckham to be a “dynamic” player.
“He said that?” Mayfield said incredulously of Williams comments. “Jesus. Next question. Not a dynamic football player, OK.”
Regardless of Williams’ opinion of Beckham, it was the all-pro wideout’s 89-yard touchdown grab — a career long — that helped seal the Cleveland victory.
“It was pretty dynamic,” Mayfield deadpanned when asked about the play.
When Williams had been asked about Beckham last week, he joked by answering “Who?”
Beckham returned the favor.
“Who?” Beckham joked. “Everybody has a right to their own opinion. He’s a phenomenal coach and he has a great defense, but I’m done talking about it. We won, so I just tried to make plays to help the team.”
The spat started when Beckham said that the Browns had to watch out for “dirty plays” and “cheap shots” that he said Williams instructs his players to use. Beckham said that he had current Browns teammates tell him that Williams allegedly ordered Browns players to try to harm Beckham during a 2017 preseason game in which Beckham played the Browns as a member of the Giants.
“I thought it was perfect, especially for a guy his caliber,” Browns receiver Jarvis Landry said of Beckham’s score. “I said it earlier when I heard he wasn’t the most dynamic player in the NFL. He does things like that on a daily basis. It’s what to expect.”
A reporter cracked a joke and asked Landry: “Where’d you hear that from?”
“Gregg Williams said that,” Landry said, as he started to walk away. “It’s perfect.”
Beckham finished the game with six receptions for 161 yards and the score.
“Everything fuels me,” Beckham said. “Good comments about me, bad comments, everything fuels me.”
SUCCESSFUL RETURN: OBJ has big game as Browns topple undermanned Jets
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Williams interviewed for the open Browns head coaching job after the team fired Hue Jackson in the middle of last season. Williams had helped turn Cleveland’s season around as its interim coach, leading the team to a 7-8-1 record last year. Current coach Freddie Kitchens, who became the Browns’ offensive coordinator after Jackson was fired, eventually was hired as the full-time head coach, leaving Williams to look for other opportunities and eventually land with the Jets.
Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said he didn’t speak with Williams after the game,
“I looked for him but he wasn’t out there,” Kitchens said. “He did a good job. Gregg did a good job of combatting some of the things that we had. He wasn’t going to let us beat him deep. He did a very good job.”
Bulletin board material and trash talk aside, there was a technical aspect to the Browns facing a Williams defense. Due to the familiarity the Browns have with Williams and his schemes, Cleveland looked back at his time with the team to try to figure out what he would do.
“We actually watched practice tape from last year, just to see some of his blitzes and some of the things that he did, some of his tendencies,” Browns left guard Joel Bitonio told USA TODAY Sports. “He had a few new wrinkles for sure. He got home a couple of times. But it was good. You kind of know when you get to the goal line, he’s going to run a certain front, or a certain blitz, just different tendencies like that. You kind of know he’s not afraid to blitz the house when he wants to. All those things were helpful. But with Gregg you have so many options. You don’t know what you’re going to get because he has that rolodex for sure.”
Follow USA TODAY Sports' Lorenzo Reyes on Twitter @LorenzoGReyes.
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