5 myths the Browns will dispel en route to 2019 playoffs

4. Freddie Kitchens isn’t a worthy head coach

Kitchens has never been a head coach at any level. He’s a good ole Southern boy. He can’t handle the mercurial personalities and strong individualism in the Browns’ locker room to bring this team together. He’s not “a grown-up.”

Oh, really? Let’s go beyond when the 44-year-old Kitchens took over offensive play-calling duties in the latter half of the 2018 season to raging success. That’s been well-covered. How is he as a leader of men thus far?

By all accounts among the Cleveland media covering training camp, Kitchens has been hard on these players. Prima donnas could see their way out if they so desired, or simply not participate in the perceived shenanigans.

Kitchens spoke recently about the identity he’s trying to build, per Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot:

"This has been a pretty tough camp for these guys. I think it’s been kind of a culture shock, but I think they’ve embraced it. We have a lot of guys that are willing to pay the price. We understand that now. A lot of guys have bought in to what we are trying to do. […] This is a tough game played by tough people. Sometimes you have to look inside yourself and make sure that you are tough. Sometimes you have to demonstrate that to realize that you are. I think that they have embraced all that."

This is a guy who’s been mentored by no-nonsense disciplinarians such as Bill Parcells and Nick Saban, two of the best football coaches to ever do it. Despite his laid-back demeanor and drawling speech, Kitchens is whip-smart and more philosophical and candid than you’d expect.

It’d be easy for a rookie coach to give boilerplate answers and not really engage with the media. There’s plenty to deal with already. But Kitchens hasn’t shied away from the hype or the expectations.

Of course he hasn’t coached a game yet, so it remains to be seen how he responds to the adversity of losing. For him to be written off so quickly or deemed such an unknown commodity to the point of possibly sinking a team with this much talent on it, though, is a slight overreaction, if not ridiculous and a paper-thin argument that falls in on itself when really considered carefully.

Think about the talent Browns general manager John Dorsey has brought in. Also, he spent extended time with the Green Bay Packers front office before becoming the Kansas City Chiefs GM. He’s been around stable coaching situations for the vast majority of his career as an executive.

Not to say Kitchens is on the level of an Andy Reid or Mike Holmgren as of yet, but it’s safe to say Dorsey knows a good coach when he sees one. Kitchens beat out others with more “experience” and whatever else is needed on a resume.

Dorsey saw something in Kitchens, and based on his expertise as an evaluator, it’d be wise not to write Kitchens off, especially with how he’s commanded respect and full-throttle effort from all his players in a physical, identity-forming and culture-changing training camp.

This camp stands in stark contrast particularly to the Hue Jackson era and the many underwhelming ones before that produced horrid results year in and year out.