Sunday Dawg Chow: Browns news (2/13/22)

Cleveland Browns:

• Family members of Bill Willis, Marion Motley ‘elated’ to share on-field pregame moment of recognition planned before Super Bowl LVI (clevelandbrowns.com) - Bill Willis Jr., Clem Willis and Tony Johnson Motley will be together on the field with family members of Kenny Washington and Woody Strode, two of the other first African American professional football players.
• All three times the Cincinnati Bengals have made the Super Bowl, Browns seemed better bet (Beacon Journal) - The big game arrives with Cincinnati in again. It should have been Cleveland — all three times! The Browns of summer were much likelier candidates to reach the Super Bowl capping the 1981, 1988 and 2021 seasons. The Bengals went instead. Why did fortunes on Lake Erie and the Ohio River play out so differently? A quick look at the road to Ohio’s only three Super Bowls.
• Odell Beckham Jr. regrets no closure in departure from Browns, says he hasn’t yet talked to Baker Mayfield (Browns Zone) - Odell Beckham Jr.’s 2,000-mile trip on short notice allowed him to escape all the negative energy. Injury concerns? Hurt feelings? Off-the-field angst? On-the-field disappointment? They’re long gone, left behind with all those No. 13 Cleveland Browns jerseys.
• Data from NFL Playoff participants push against ‘balanced offense required’ (Browns Wire) - There are many ways to analyze football. All of them can be important if used correctly. All of them can also be used primarily to push agendas, as well. In many ways, that has led to the conversations between “tape” study and “analytics” study to making decisions. One way that data can be used inappropriately is when it comes to rushing attempts.

NFL:

• Broncos expected to hire Morgan State head coach Tyrone Wheatley as RB coach (ESPN) - The Denver Broncos are expected to hire Morgan State coach Tyrone Wheatley, a former Michigan and NFL running back, to coach running backs, sources told ESPN. Wheatley, 50, has led Morgan State, an HBCU program, the past three years, although the team did not play in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. He’s 5-18 overall at Morgan State.
• Saints not expected to trade Michael Thomas, want star WR back for 2022 season (NFL.com) - The New Orleans Saints played the entire 2021 season without star receiver Michael Thomas due to a string of nagging ankle injuries. On Saturday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Super Bowl Live that the organization does not plan to trade the 2019 AP Offensive Player of the Year and expect him back on the playing field in 2022.
• Rams eager to ‘finish this deal’ and win Super Bowl on home turf vs. Bengals (Los Angeles Times) - There could not be a more perfect scenario for the star-studded Los Angeles Rams. Six years after returning from St. Louis, they fulfilled a mandate to play in Super Bowl LVI at owner Stan Kroenke’s $5-billion SoFi Stadium. Coach Sean McVay and his team have spent two weeks preparing at their own practice facility — and sleeping in their own beds. All they must do is complete the final step and win.
• Joe Burrow Belongs to Everyone (New York Times) - In short order, the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback has achieved a crossover appeal that has inspired Joe Namath comparisons.