CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Browns could have a new play-caller when they take on the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium Sunday depending on the outcome of the 2018 Southeastern Conference Championship Game today.
Current offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens was a quarterback for the University of Alabama, and should the Crimson Tide fall in the SEC Championship, he is on record saying he will cede play-calling duties to running back Nick Chubb if his Georgia Bulldogs pull the upset.
“I told him that he could call the plays if Georgia wins, so we will see,” Kitchens said during his weekly press conference Thursday. “I changed the play today to Roll Tide, so he would not even run the play (laughter).
“I had to come up with something, and he would not even bet me anything. I tried to get Drew Stanton a couple years ago, Michigan State played Alabama, and you guys can try to find that picture of Drew Stanton in my jersey. I tried to get Chubb to make that bet, but he would not make that. He said he could not put it on, so we had to come up with something.”
Chubb added, “I am going with my Dawgs. He said that if Georgia wins, he would let me calls plays as if he has no belief that we will win.”
Currently, the Bulldogs are two-score underdogs, and that is not expected to change much during the lead-up to the game.
Although Chubb did not disclose the specifics of the bet, should the Crimson Tide get the victory over the Bulldogs, the former Georgia standout will help out with “just kind of a charity deal there.”
All friendly wagers aside, Chubb has become an integral part of the Browns’ offense in the last month.
Since Carlos Hyde’s trade to the Jacksonville Jaguars less than 48 hours ahead of a road loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in October, Chubb has become the Browns’ feature running back, rushing for 490 yards and four touchdowns on 106 carries, an average of 4.62 yards per attempt.
Additionally, Chubb has turned nine catches into 92 yards and two touchdowns on the season, and his 44 receiving yards against the Bengals almost equaled the total (48) he amassed in the first 10 games of his career.
“When he is open, he gets the ball,” Kitchens said. “I have never said that Nick does not have good hands. I do not know who started that rumor. Nick has good hands. We have three backs back in the backfield that have good hands.
“It is just some routes we would rather have other guys run than Nick. As far as throwing him the ball, I do not have a problem with throwing Nick the ball.”
Currently, Chubb is tied for sixth in franchise history for rushing touchdowns by a rookie and ranks sixth for the most rushing yards from a first-year professional with the Browns.
“Yeah, I feel good,” Chubb said. “When I was not running the ball, I was still doing certain things. I still had a little contact here and there. For the most part, I do feel good.”
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