BEREA: The Browns are rebuilding, and they’re extremely young. Coming off a 3-13 season, some observers think they’ll be even worse in 2016.
Former Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick is among them. The NFL Network analyst tweeted Wednesday, “You’ll dismiss this as “Billick just trashing the Browns again” but seriously ... look at schedule & find a single win. You can’t do it!”
Browns coach Hue Jackson was taken aback when a reporter told him about Billick’s tweet.
“Who said what? Wow. Good for him,” Jackson said after the Browns practiced in preparation for Sunday’s regular-season opener on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles. “I didn’t know he worked here. I’m just being honest.
“I think it’s really interesting that everybody can comment on other people’s teams and don’t even understand their inner workings. I have great respect for Brian. He’s a great coach in this league, but we’ll see if that’s true. We’ll see if what he says is true. We’ll look back in 16 games and see if it’s right.
“But I’m not going to get caught up in that. Obviously, I think you guys know my competitiveness. I don’t want anybody to say we can’t win anything. I just don’t think that’s right. I don’t think it’s fair. But at the same time, I know how hard these guys work, I know what the expectation is, and we’ve got to go prove it. Me talking about it is not going to change it. Only thing that’s going to change it is what we do on the field.”
Browns players also don’t want to buy into talk of staying patient until the franchise can realistically position itself for success in the next few years.
“We are not here to rebuild or anything else,” quarterback Robert Griffin III said. “We are here to win.”
If the Browns win the opener against the Eagles, Billick tweeted he would wear a Browns jersey on NFL Network.
“Browns will win at least a game but you can’t confidently pick it,” Billick added on Twitter.
Time to start
Rookie fourth-round draft pick Joe Schobert is expected to start Sunday for the Browns.
“I think I’m ready,” Schobert said. “Think this week’s been amped up in film watching, just getting to know all the ins and outs of what the Eagles are going to try to do to us.
“It’s a dream growing up and Sunday’s the first opportunity in the NFL. So I’m excited.”
Rookie second-round pick Emmanuel Ogbah was expected to start at outside linebacker once the Browns cut veteran Paul Kruger on Aug. 29. But Schobert starting opposite Ogbah and instead of Nate Orchard is a surprising development.
“[Schobert] did what we asked him to do,” Jackson said. “That’s our calling card here — players that play the way we want them to play. Not that Nate didn’t. Just maybe Joe did it to a level that we had expectation. Not that Nate’s not going to play. He’s going to play. He has to. But at the same time, we think Joe earned that right to be the starter at that position.”
Schobert debuted with the first-team defense Aug. 23 during a joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He and Ogbah played with the starters last week in the preseason finale.
“I believe in myself and obviously I always thought I could do it,” Schobert said. “... Just the way things have shaked out, it’s worked out for me.”
Aiming for 1,000
Running back Isaiah Crowell said his goal is to rush for 1,000 yards in 2016.
“I feel like everything I’ve been waiting for is here now,” said Crowell, who ran for a career-high 706 yards last season. “I feel like we have a coach that wants to establish the run game, and I really appreciate that because I feel like that’s something that’s very important.”
Jackson said Crowell “absolutely” has the ability to rush for 1,000 yards and wondered why the player isn’t aiming higher.
“Only 1,000? Why not more?” Jackson said. “ ... Crow’s done some good things. I think he’s a very talented player. We’ve just got to get a rhythm and play football the way we know we can.”
How does an offense establish rhythm in the running game?
“Well, Coach Jackson’s got to be at his best on Sunday,” Jackson replied.
Extra points
• Cornerback Joe Haden is eager to play his first regular-season game since Nov. 1. He missed 11 games last season because of two concussions and other injuries, then had ankle surgery March 16. “All the waiting, all the time last season, I just had a lot of time to think about how I wanted to do it, how I wanted to get back this season,” he said. “Rehabbing to get ready for the season, it has been a long journey and I’m just excited to play.”
• Free safety Jordan Poyer said he’ll have “a little bit” of extra motivation against the Eagles, who drafted him in the seventh round in 2013 and cut him during his rookie season.
• The Browns players who didn’t practice were left tackle Joe Thomas (rest) and cornerback Marcus Burley (groin). Cornerbacks Tramon Williams (toe) and Tracy Howard (hamstring) and wide receiver Ricardo Louis (hamstring) fully participated.
• Wide receiver Bryce Treggs (knee) didn’t practice for the Eagles. Defensive end Vinny Curry (knee) was limited.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com.