Freddie Kitchens unqualified to lead undisciplined Browns

Fine him! Suspend him! Arrest him! 

After the chaotic ending to the Cleveland Browns' 21-7 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night, the NFL universe pondered how extreme the punishment will be for Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett.

Garrett, the No. 1 pick of the 2017 NFL Draft, drew torrents of criticism for escalating a skirmish with Mason Rudolph with just seconds left in the game, tearing off Rudolph’s helmet and hitting the Steelers' QB in the head with it. 

On Friday, the NFL  threw the kitchen sink at Garrett, suspending him indefinitely. Another Kitchens who deserves sinking is Freddie. The Browns' first-year head coach is at the helm of a team that lacks discipline, direction and even a dash of humility. 

You watch Browns QB Baker Mayfield and his stupid mustache and his 482 commercials, and you wonder what exactly the kid has accomplished to deserve that fame. You watch petulant receiver Odell Beckham Jr. celebrating a first down like a winning touchdown, mocking the other team despite having not topped 100 yards since Week 6. You watch the Browns knock out Steelers receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson with vicious helmet-to-helmet hits. (Browns safety Damarious Randall was ejected for the latter.) 

And now you watch Garrett swing a helmet at Rudolph like a Viking swings a long sword. All you should think of is the man in charge, who sounded like a blithering dolt after the game. 

 “I don't coach penalties,” Kitchens told reporters. “I don't coach false starts. I don't coach after the whistle, grabbing someone's face mask. I don't coach that.” 

No coach does! What a ridiculous thing to say. Good head coaches teach self-discipline and restraint, even in the worst of times. They challenge their players‘ ego as much as their mind and body. Good leaders instill a deep respect for the game, even when the team across the line of scrimmage is the hated Steelers. 

Did Rudolph instigate the issue, and perhaps egg Garrett on? Yes. Was the reaction justified? Is assault ever justified? This was Myles Garrett as Mel Gibson as William Wallace, and he’s fighting Longshanks. This was barbarism, pure and simple. 

Had Garrett made flush contact with Rudolph’s head … well, it just makes you wince. As scary as it looked, Rudolph got off extremely lucky. How is it that Mayfield, not exactly a model of maturity in his sophomore season, was the pillar of integrity following the game, and his coach sounded like a clown?

"It's inexcusable,” Mayfield told Fox’s Erin Andrews on the field immediately after the game. “I don't care rivalry or not. We can't do that. That's kind of the history of what's going on here lately, hurting yourself. And that's just endangering the other team. That's inexcusable."

Kitchens said he was "embarrassed" by the Garrett brawl. He should be. He should also be embarrassed by his team's ridiculous lack of discipline all season. Cleveland leads the league in penalties with 87; Garrett has six alone. The Browns might as well have a podiatrist on the field, they shoot themselves in the foot so often. 

In 2018, Kitchens was hired as Browns running backs coach. After head coach Hue Jackson was canned last October, he was promoted to offensive coordinator, despite zero experience in the role. In January, he was named the Browns' 17th head coach, despite zero experience as an HC. Is anyone surprised he doesn't know how to keep players in line?

Just when their schedule gets easy, the Browns (4-6) will be without their best defensive player for the foreseeable future. Too bad the league can't discipline Kitchens, too.