Cleveland Browns: Kareem Hunt’s critique should seal Freddie Kitchens’ fate

The Cleveland Browns fell to 6-8 on Sunday and Kareem Hunt has an idea why they lost. His critique justifies a decision to fire head coach Freddie Kitchens.

The Cleveland Browns went to the desert and lost 38-24 to the Arizona Cardinals Sunday. On paper, it’s just another disappointing defeat, but running back Kareem Hunt added context to the outcome. During Monday’s media presser with local reporters, Hunt called out his teammates for giving lackluster effort to start the game, which may explain the Browns’ 21-10 deficit at halftime.

“There [were] some plays that everybody didn’t leave their 110 percent out there the whole play,” Hunt said, via WKYC.

General managers and front-office executives can accept losing to a better team, but if the players go half speed or give poor effort, that’s an indictment of the team’s overall standards.

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Head coach Freddie Kitchens fields an offense with a pair of multi-time Pro Bowl wide receivers in Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry. Nick Chubb leads the league in rushing (1,408). Hunt has hit the ground running, logging 387 yards and three touchdowns from scrimmage in six contests. On the other side of the ball, Cleveland ranks sixth in pass defense.

Yet, according to Hunt, the Browns allowed the Cardinals, who snapped six-game losing streak, to start strong because the team lacked the desire to compete with its playoffs hopes on a thin thread.

"“We pretty much waited for them to punch us,” Hunt said, via WKYC. “At halftime, we came out fighting and stuff like that, but you can’t wait that long. You’ve got to be ready as soon as the freakin’ kickoff starts. That’s what we’ve got to do. We can’t come out flat, and then, something makes us mad and everybody wants to start playing hard.”"

With all the talent on the Browns roster, insufficient effort is an inexcusable reason for losing to a lesser team. If Kitchens and his assistants can’t motivate a 6-7 squad that came into the season as a trendy upstart club primed to claim a playoff spot, general manager John Dorsey must relieve the first-year lead skipper of his duties after one term.

We often hear stories about a coach who loses the locker room amid a rough campaign, but if Hunt’s assessment is accurate, Kitchens doesn’t even have command of his team on the field.

Although a one-and-done head coach doesn’t send a good message to potential replacements, Kitchens may not be able to handle a roster that’s loaded with talent and ready-made to compete for a playoff spot. The Browns could potentially make strides with a veteran lead skipper who can handle big personalities and maintain a team’s focus through a full season.

On top of the Browns’ substandard effort, NFL Network’s Mike Silver reported multiple players yelled “come get me” to the Cardinals sidelines. This comes up on the heels of rumors about Beckham’s unhappiness in Cleveland, per Jay Glazer of Fox Sports.

Whether the words were said in jest or not, the players didn’t seem to take their chance to finish with a winning record seriously.

We can put defensive end Myles Garrett‘s helmet-swinging skirmish with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph on the player in a heated moment. Nonetheless, when a team goes through 30 minutes mildly engaged, the coaching staff must accept the majority of the responsibility. The Browns need someone who’s going to hold players accountable in a structured setting.

Through a season full of drama and discontent, Dorsey should look to change the leading voice in the locker room as opposed to turning over players at key positions. The Browns need an established head coach capable of changing the losing culture and garnering maximum effort of his players.