Browns coach Kevin Stefanski has responded, kind of, to a player on his team tweeting “RUN THE DAMN BALL” during Cleveland’s Christmas game against the Packers.
On Saturday, as Baker Mayfield was en route to throwing four interceptions in a 24-22 loss, Browns safety John Johnson III — who was out with a hamstring injury — expressed his frustration with the team’s offensive gameplan.
During his press conference Thursday, Stefanski was asked about the tweet by Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot.
“That’s something I’ll obviously keep internal, Mary Kay,” Stefanski said. “But I’m not on social media, and I would tell you the vast majority of it is just background noise.”
While Stefanski gave an even-keeled response, it had to be aggravating for a player to question his strategy publicly during the game.
That being said, Johnson, aside from taking his frustrations public, may have a point.
The Browns have one of the best rushing games in the league. Nick Chubb ran the ball 17 times for 126 yards and a touchdown on Saturday. D’Ernest Johnson and Anthony Schwartz combined for 82 yards on six carries.
Mayfield, on top of those four picks, averaged 6.2 yards per attempt. The Browns clearly had much more success on their running plays than passing downs against the Packers.