Getty Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. warms up before a 2019 game.
The Cleveland Browns will have to adjust on the fly to life without Odell Beckham Jr., but one of their greatest former rivals says that shouldn’t be too hard.
Pittsburgh Steelers Hall-of-Fame coach Bill Cowher, who squared off against the Browns twice a season for 15 years in the 1990s and 2000s, spoke with the Beacon Journal about Beckham in a phone interview on Thursday, November 4.
“It’s a very unfortunate situation,” said Cowher, who suited up as a linebacker for the Browns during his playing days. The coach went on to compare the loss of the former Pro-Bowl wide receiver to dealing with an in-season injury to a key offensive piece.
“It’s like anybody else who gets hurt,” Cowher continued. “You get an injury, and it’s the next person who steps up. One man’s loss is another person’s opportunity, and that’s what I’d be saying.”
Beckham tried to force a trade prior to the November 2 deadline, but Cleveland was unable to make a deal. The Browns excused Beckham from practice on both Wednesday and Thursday of this week, ultimately waiving him Friday.
Cowher Characterizes Beckham as ‘Selfish’
GettyPittsburgh Steelers’ head coach Bill Cowher watches from the sidelines during the overtime period on November 11, 2001, at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Pittsburgh defeated Cleveland 15-12 in overtime.
Cowher has respect for Beckham’s talent, though he said if he were coaching the Browns, he would have little time for the wideout’s me-first attitude. Cowher even went so far as to characterize the former Cleveland receiver as “selfish.”
“I don’t want selfish players on this team. I know people want the ball. I know people want to be more involved. They want a bigger role,” Cowher said to the Beacon Journal. “I ask everyone to leave their egos at the door, embrace the role you have and who knows when the next opportunity comes up? Take it and run with it. That’s the message that needs to be repeated time and time again.”
Some fans and analysts have said the blame for the deteriorating relationship between Beckham and the organization should reside with head coach Kevin Stefanski and quarterback Baker Mayfield for not scheming toward greater involvement of the wideout in the offense and not finding Beckham when he was open downfield, respectively. Earlier this week, Beckham’s father posted a video on Instagram of all the times Mayfield failed to connect with his son while he was running open through the second level of various defenses.
Cowher said the notion that the problem lies anywhere other than on the wide receiver’s shoulders is misguided.
“That’s a selfish viewpoint,” the former coach said. “You went to the playoffs (last season). You’re a running football team. That’s who you are. Is it more important to Odell to catch eight balls than to win a game and catch one? I mean, I’d ask that question. Is it more important to you to catch eight balls in a game and lose, or catch one ball to win?”
Cowher Says Stefanski, Browns Will be Fine Without Beckham
Getty ImagesHead coach Kevin Stefanski of the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns are 4-4 and have struggled through one of the toughest schedules in the NFL this season — and the going won’t get easier over the second half of the year, which begins Sunday with a road contest against the 5-3 Cincinnati Bengals.
Losing a talent like Beckham is ostensibly a setback for Cleveland but, in this case, the circus leaving town isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Beckham had not been in contact with Stefanski or Mayfield since the Browns fell to the Steelers 15-10 on Halloween, according to the Beacon Journal’s report.
There is also a camp of Cleveland fans who believe the Browns are a better team when Beckham is off the field, as Mayfield has shown more chemistry with other receivers and isn’t feeling pressure to force passes Beckham’s way.
Cowher said he has the utmost confidence that Stefanski, who won the NFL Coach of the Year Award last season, will be able to steer the Browns toward success through the second half of the year.
“He’s got a vision of what he wants to create long-term,” Cowher said. “He’s not going to be derailed.”