Getty Cleveland Browns center JC Tretter and quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Offensive lineman, for the most part, are fun-loving guys that know how to have a good time.
The big guys in the trenches on the Cleveland Browns are no different, which was shown on the latest episode of “Building the Browns.”
The episode follows the team through the start of training camp and a good chunk of the episode focuses on what the offensive lineman do to bond and pass the time. The answer, surprisingly, is intense shuffleboard competition.
For those who don’t know, shuffleboard is game where players try to slide metal-and-plastic pucks — sometimes called weights or shuckles — to come to rest within zones at the other end of the board. It takes a large degree of touch and grace — characteristics not always associated with offensive lineman.
The two-on-two matchups get heated and the lineman take things very seriously.
Newcomer Eric Kush has been ripped by his O-line buddies as the worst player of the bunch, while center J.C. Tretter has garnered praise of the best.
Browns Center J.C. Tretter: I’m like ‘Tiger in his Prime’
In a mock interview on the show, guard Joel Bitonio asks Tretter to describe his shuffleboard game.
“First word that comes to mind is dominant,” Tretter said. “I’m definitely an accuracy thrower. More like Tiger in his prime, where all of a sudden a little tweak here or there and things go awry. But when he’s locked on, he’s locked on.”
On a more serious note, training camp is all about getting on the same page and gaining chemistry with one another. Shuffleboard has certainly provided that for the offensive lineman, according to Kush.
“I think (the shuffleboard) really helped me connect with them and become a better part of this room,” Kush said. “Just getting our mind out of football and talking to each other about other stuff and connecting.”
Eric Kush Competing for Starting Guard Spot With Browns
On the field, the competition for the right guard spot has been heated. And unlike shuffleboard, Kush has been the Browns player receiving the highest praise early on, receiving the majority of first-team reps. He’s competing with Austin Corbett and Kyle Kalis for the position.
Kush is a former sixth-round pick and signed with the Browns as a free agent this offseason. He spent his last two seasons with the Bears, starting seven games last year.
Kush isn’t too focused on the competition, instead just trying to embrace the daily grind of being on an NFL roster.
“You focus on winning, improving and the results so much,” Kush said. “You can’t forget to have fun, too, and enjoy what you’re doing. I’m just going to try to benefit my team in whatever way it sorts out to be.
“I’m just going to do the best I can for the city of Cleveland,” Kush added, “and whatever happens, happens.”
The Browns won their opening game of the preseason on Thursday, knocking off the Washington Redskins 30-10. Next up is a road contest against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday.
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