Cleveland Browns Nick Chubb on 2019: "We Didn’t Actually Put The Work In"

Nick Chubb, the Cleveland Browns running back coming off a Pro Bowl year where he was second in the league in rushing, was a guest on The Jim Rome Show. He was asked about commented on the 2019 season, noting what he believed went wrong.

Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb was a guest on The Jim Rome Show on Monday. Chubb touched on the fact that he's been working out at his high school in preparation for the season, which is not unique to the pandemic. He's done it every year. Chubb also talked about his experience at the Pro Bowl.

When he was asked about the 2019 season, Chubb lamented:

“I said it before, I think we thought we were a lot better than we were. We thought it was going to just happen for us, we didn’t actually put the work in. We got this guy, and this guy, you know we’re straight, so we don’t need to actually work, it’s going to happen for us. . . . Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work. I think that’s exactly what it was with us. We had all the talent in the world, but didn’t put the work into it.”

This isn't a great look for the Browns of 2019, who after coming into the season with so much promise and hype, became a genuinely unlikable team. The football was bad and the issues within the team were even worse.

Chubb was still the second leading rusher in the NFL and went to the Pro Bowl. Baker Mayfield has touched on this, suggesting that he wasn't as engaged or prepared as he thought he was getting prepared for the season.

Chubb would say later that he did feel the new coaching staff by Kevin Stefanski and the bad taste from last year will put the team on a better path. As bad as last year was, they were able to win six games.

If the Browns are as hungry as Chubb suggests and Stefanski's staff is able to get them properly prepared for the season, they could be a dangerous team. For many of the returning players on the Browns roster, it's simply a matter of getting them to play at their normal level as opposed of needing them to play above what they are capable. That will be the first test for Kevin Stefanski as head coach of the team and could quickly separate him from Freddie Kitchens.