Help on the way

After seeing the good news that emanated from Berea Monday, my first thought was now the Browns have no excuse to go into Pittsburgh next Monday night and ignite a stink bomb with so much on the line.

That's because they activated offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr, running back Kareem Hunt, defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, safety Ronnie Harrison Jr., cornerback Troy Hill, defensive tackle Malik McDowell and linebacker Mack Wilson off the COVID-19 reserve list.

Seven returning starters or major contributors who weren't in Green Bay Saturday when the Browns scared the daylights out of the Packers before falling short make this team tougher, smarter and, presumably, more accountable against their biggest and bitterest rival.

Forget excuses. There is no reason this much stronger team -- it might get even stronger if center JC Tretter, safety John Johnson III and kicker Chase McLaughlin escape COVID prison by Monday -- can't exact revenge for the 15-10 loss in Cleveland in week eight.

If this club needs to be reminded of the importance of this game and any motivating factors attached, it's a lost cause. So why bother? From here on out, every snap, every move, every possession, requires intense and complete concentration.

The talent is there with the latest roster massaging, but it will take a lot more than that to remain relevant in the race to the postseason. How much does this team want to win? I'm asking because it seems too many times this season, the want was missing. That little extra effort was absent.

Football is as much a mental and psychological sport as it is a physical sport. Playing from the neck up, as well as the neck down, enables players to play above their talent level. In other words, overachieve. 

A coach's approach to a game throughout the week leading up to it is also critical.  Head coach Kevin Stefanski relies on isolating a game from a record standpoint within the context of the season. His goal each week is to emerge 1-0. He has hit that goal only seven time this season.

In his news conference Monday, he spoke in general, seemingly careful terms of the Steelers, pointing out the obvious. "Division game; an opponent we know really well; very, very well coached; and a bunch of great players," he began. "So we know it's going to be a 60-minute fight. We get that. That's what we expect." 

So what did anyone get from that that would get them excited? Nothing really. It sounded more like he was trying to emulate deliberately droll New England head coach Bill Belichick in saying as little as possible. Checked all the boxes.

Behind closed doors, though, it might be different. Stefanski should be crawling into every player's head on a daily basis about the importance of this one. I don't enough about him to know whether such a tactic is antithetical to his coaching philosophy. If it is, it might be time to think about changing at least once. 

As for excuses, forget it. Stefanski is a no-excuse guy to begin with. Reasoning is another matter. That's why there is no reason the suddenly much stronger Browns can't go out Monday night and emerge with a 1-0 record.