Monday leftovers

If Kareem Hunt’s debut with the Browns against the Buffalo Bills Sunday is any indication, the club’s struggling offense has taken a significant step in the right direction.

The extraordinarily talented running back looked as if he has been playing all season rather than coming off an eight-game, league-enforced suspension and nearly a year removed from his last appearance.

Everyone who follows the National Football League knows what to expect from Hunt, whose statistics in his first almost two full seasons in the league suggest good times lie ahead.

He ran hard – four carries (not enough) for 30 yards – and caught seven passes for another 44 yards as the offensive coaching staff wasted no time incorporating him into the game plan.

What surprised a lot of fans, however, was his expertise while blocking for fellow running back Nick Chubb and various wide receivers downfield after making a catch. Didn’t expect that at all.

“Blocking is a mind-set,” he told reporters following the game. “It’s a mentality and you can’t let the other person beat you. If the person does beat me, I’m going to tell them I’ll be back the next play.” That’s the kind of player coaches love.

He not only stuck his nose in, he executed blocks as though he had been doing it all the while when he was in Kansas City. They were crisp, timely and, most important, within the rules.

Blocking is one aspect of the game certain to gain him more reps. Coaches love players who are unselfish and more than willing to contribute to the entire cause. Based on the victory over the Bills, he fits in quite nicely.

That he had 38 snaps in his first game back and looked fresh at the end of the game is a testament to his preparation for the game. Stamina and rust, normally associated with players who sit for long periods of time, were not a factor.

His only belch was mishandling a short shovel pass from quarterback Baker Mayfield on the final drive that eventually wound up as the game-winning touchdown. It was originally ruled a fumble returned for a touchdown, but replay correctly overturned it and ruled it an incomplete pass.

Hunt’s performance sends a message to Freddie Kitchens and his staff that what they saw against Buffalo is a mere microcosm of the immediate future. And right now, the Cleveland offense needs a boost. Hunt’s versatility alone will warrant much more of No. 27.

The question is whether Kitchens and offensive coordinator Todd Monken can take full advantage of what Hunt can deliver. Up to now, that offense has struggled in a Jekyll/Hyde sort of way.

There are times when it looks almost unstoppable, such as the opening drive in the Bills’ victory. Six plays, 75 yards in less than three minutes. It unfolded as though it was scripted. Probably was.

The next eight possessions, which produced mistake after mistake, resulted in two Austin Seibert field goals. Then when all looked lost, along came the final possession that resulted in the winning touchdown on a Mayfield-Rashard Higgins connection.

It’s that scattershot offense that needs to become more consistent. With more touches by Hunt, that is entirely possible. He becomes dangerous now for more than just running and catching a football.

Hunt and Chubb lining up together in the backfield can’t be too far from becoming a reality. The possibilities of the damage they can inflict on opposing defenses is stuff that should bring smiles to those who reside in Browns Nation.

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Jarvis Landry is not a shrinking violet. Not even close. In fact, if it’s on his mind, it generally escapes and comes at you loudly, quite clearly and genuinely with help from his vocal chords.

Sometimes, his emotions get the better of him. Take, for example, what he did after scoring the Browns’ first touchdown against the Bills. After making a spectacular grab of the 17-yard toss against Levi Johnson, he stopped and glared at the Buffalo cornerback.

Didn’t appear to say anything. Just glared. And that drew a flag for taunting. “I’m that type of player,” he said after the game. ”I wasn’t . . . cursing him out. I wasn’t doing any of that. I was just looking at him. At that point, what do you do?”

Here is the correct answer to that. You do a little celebratory dance maybe or toss the football to the nearest official. and enjoy the moment with teammates. Do what the legendary Paul Brown said many, many years ago. “Act like you’ve been there before.”

The 15-yard penalty took Seibert back to the Cleveland 36-yard line, where his 48-yard extra-point  attempt missed. The glare almost proved costly.

A normal-distance point-after would have eventually given the Browns a four-point – instead of three-point – lead after scoring in the fourth quarter, forcing the Bills to score a touchdown to retake the lead.

The lost point gave the Browns a 19-16 lead and made it statistically possible for the Bills to force the game into overtime with a field goal. Fortunately, Stephen Hauschka cooperated and missed a 53-yarder.

So will Landry think long and hard about repeating his mistake? Nah. “I’d do the exact same thing,” he said. “Absolutely.”

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Kitchens engaged in some strange play calling at the beginning of the third quarter. Nursing a 9-7 lead, the coach dialed up a first-down a pass on the first play on the second half. It called for a three-step drop from the Cleveland 8.

If a pass play like that is called that deep in your territory, it requires getting rid of the football quickly. Like as soon as the quarterback sets his plant foot. Otherwise, it courts trouble.

Mayfield took those three steps back, had about half a second to locate a receiver and deliver. He couldn’t pull the trigger and was swallowed in the end zone by blitzing linebacker Tremaine Edwards for a safety.

The Browns had run for 110 yards on the ground in the first half and the first play of the second half from the 8 was a pass? Yes, it’s easy to second-guess in retrospect, but why not stick with Chubb, who had a terrific first half?

Even if he had fumbled into the end zone and Buffalo got at least a safety out of it, I still would have elected to start the possession, especially since it was so close to the goal line, with a run.

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Finally . . . Mayfield threw at least one touchdown pass in each of his 13 starts last season. In nine of those starts, he threw at least two scoring passes and had a trio of three-touchdown games. His two-touchdown game against the Bills was his first multiple touchdown game this season. . . . The second-half schedule is looking a little tougher than originally thought. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Thursday night’s opponent, have won four in a row after a 1-4 start; the Miami Dolphins have won two in a row after starting 0-7; and the Arizona Cardinals are a deceiving 3-6-1. The hapless and winless Cincinnati Bengals are still the hapless Bengals in the AFC North cellar. Not going to be so easy after all. . . .  Landry’s nine-reception afternoon Sunday was a season high. He’s on pace for an 80-catch, 1,151-yard season. Odell Beckham Jr., meanwhile, is on pace for 78 grabs and 1,124 yards. Barring a sensational second half of the season, this will be his worst season ever for touchdown catches with only one in the first nine games.