CLEVELAND — Of all the people who entered the 2019 season buying the hype surrounding the Cleveland Browns, Delanie Walker wasn't one of them.
“I like that they get the hype. ... The Tennessee Titans have always been under the radar. What’s new?" Walker told reporters earlier this week, according to Erik Bacharach of The Tennesseean. "I expect them to talk about the Cleveland Browns -- Cleveland this, Cleveland that. We’re just going to go in there and play football."
On Sunday, the Titans tight end backed up his words.
Totaling 5 catches for 55 yards and 2 touchdowns, Walker played a pivotal role in Tennessee's dominant 43-13 season-opening victory over the Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Titans' thrashing served as a sobering wake-up call to a Cleveland team that entered the 2019 campaign facing no shortage of expectations following last season's emergence of Baker Mayfield and the offseason acquisition of star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
After his team's beatdown of the Browns, Walker reminded reporters of his pre-game warning.
"This is just another game. Cleveland -- we ain't worried about them," Walker said in postgame video captured by Turron Davenport of ESPN Nation. "I'm going to tell you again, man: they were who we thought they were. Y'all can crown them if you want to crown them. You've still gotta play football."
Walker's comments were reminiscent of former Arizona Cardinals head coach Dennis Green's famous rant following a loss to the Chicago Bears in 2006.
For what it's worth, Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens said he didn't believe his team's preseason hype played any sort of role in its blowout loss. Rather, the first-year head coach pointed to the 18 penalties Cleveland committed, which cost the Browns a total of 182 yards.
"I don't think the penalties had anything to do with believing in hype," Kitchens said. "We've got to do a better job of preparing them for that."
Whatever the reason, the Browns now found themselves 0-1 heading into a pair of nationally televised games against the New York Jets and Los Angeles Rams in Weeks 2 and 3. Those games were scheduled when they were due to the preseason hype Walker was referring to.
And they'll also serve as Cleveland's next opportunities to make good on it.