Browns general manager John Dorsey has reshaped the roster in Cleveland in relatively short time, so it would be reasonable to think some of the current players might not know their teammates the best.
We decided to put that to the test.
We put one-third of the Browns' roster through a 10-question survey to learn the important details -- who's the quietest, who talks the most trash, and who might give Joey Chestnut a run for his money on Coney Island -- about the 2019 team. We got some surprising answers, some memorable moments and a whole lot of self-promotion.
This is the 2019 Cleveland Browns survey.
We'll deliver the players' various responses through a two-day release, beginning with today's Part 1.
1. Who spends the most time in the weight room?
WINNER: Larry Ogunjobi (8)
Also receiving votes:
-Seth DeValve (5)
-Olivier Vernon (4)
-Britton Colquitt and Greg Joseph, together (4)
-Undecided (2)
-Orson Charles (1)
-Eric Kush (1)
-Carl Davis (1)
-Genard Avery (1)
-Daniel Ekuale (1)
-Sheldrick Redwine (1)
-Sione Takitaki (1)
This category produced plenty of two-second thought processes that produced either one of two decisive answers: Ogunjobi or DeValve. Appropriately, when asked the lead-off question of the survey, Ogunjobi was ready to pick himself but hesitated because he thought he wasn't allowed to. That produced this in-between response:
"I'm in the weight room a lot so I guess me," Ogunjobi said. "Seth is in the weight room a lot. I'll just say Seth."
We credited that one to Ogunjobi.
New arrival Olivier Vernon was pegged as the reserved type but is constantly working on his craft.
"Every time I'm leaving -- and I stay kind of late -- he's still in there," cornerback T.J. Carrie said of Vernon. "He's just a guy that wants to get better in every facet, every way. He's always doing extra. From what I notice, he's always in there."
The strongest sentiment gained from this -- other than Ogunjobi's tireless work ethic -- is that A) the specialists have a decent amount of free time on their hands, and B) they're always trying to prep for their next calendar shoot.
"We're always in there lifting, trying to find different muscle groups to work out and we have fun, we're competitive," kicker Greg Joseph said of he and Britton Colquitt. "So I don't leave before he does and he won't try to leave before I do, but he has kids, so he has more responsibilities."
"They just want nice arms and nice legs, that's it," safety Eric Murray said.
2. Who is the quietest on the team?
WINNER: Nick Chubb (5)
Also receiving votes:
-Robert Jackson (4)
-Denzel Ward (3)
-Olivier Vernon (3)
-Myles Garrett (3)
-Derrick Willies (2)
-Brian Fineanganofo (2)
-Undecided (2)
-Dontrell Hilliard (1)
-Phillip Gaines (1)
-Eric Murray (1)
-Joe Schobert (1)
-Morgan Burnett (1)
-J.T. Hassell (1)
The votes for Chubb were strong early in the survey, but coincidentally fell off right around the time when Chubb and Hilliard were polled, which is also when Hilliard made the case for Chubb not being quiet, but just reserved. We asked Chubb about that later:
"I'm just private," he explained. "I don't really open up to everyone. I don't know where it comes from, it's just how I've always been. People closest to me, they won't say I'm quiet. Some might call me a (jerk). If I don't know you, I just won't talk to you."
That doesn't last forever, as Hilliard explained, and Chubb added to get him to open up, you just need to spend time around him.
As for the rest of the group, it was a mixed bag. Some of the single vote-getters were a product of being new to the team (Murray, Burnett), and Vernon is quickly becoming known for being a quiet force, much like Garrett. Predictably, half of Jackson's four votes came from his fellow defensive backs.
3. Who would you want on your team in an eating competition?
WINNER: Greg Robinson (10)
Also receiving votes:
-Sheldon Richardson (4)
-Devaroe Lawrence (3)
-Eric Kush (2)
-David Njoku (2)
-Undecided (2)
-Larry Ogunjobi (1)
-Myles Garrett (1)
-Seth DeValve (1)
-Mack Wilson (1)
-Trevon Coley (1)
-Joel Bitonio (1)
-Carl Davis (1)
This one was an enjoyable question to ask, first because football players' tendency to gang up on teammates when in a group revealed itself when talking with Demetrius Harris, Jaelen Strong and Kareem Hunt. Their identical answers were delivered in unison. Then, the roasting session produced this gem:
"He said he's on a seafood diet," Strong said of Richardson. "He see food and eat it."
Robinson was the runaway winner because of his size, but some of the single vote-getters produced the best quotes. Damarious Randall learned the best way to treat his defensive linemen is to pay a flat fee:
"I had bought him a dinner one time at like a buffet and he ate the whole thing," Randall said of Ogunjobi.
If DeValve ever has to prove his worth with his appetite, he's ready:
"If I didn't finish my food as a kid, I couldn't leave the table until I was done," he explained. "So I know how to force feed myself."
After Robinson was informed of his unenviable victory, he ceded the throne to defensive tackle Devaroe Lawrence. The best response, though, came from Christian Kirksey, who has nearly a decade of information on this subject, thanks to his longstanding relationship with teammate Carl Davis.
"I went to college with him so I've known him for nine years," Kirksey said of Davis. "That man can really eat. Right now he's trying to control his weight but if he could just eat, he'd eat a lot. (In college) he'd load up. Everything. If we was just cruising around downtown Iowa City going in between classes he'd go to Pancheros and he'd smash like three burritos."
Three burritos is worth one vote.
4. Which defender would be the best on offense?
WINNER: TIE between Myles Garrett (8) and Denzel Ward (8*)
Also receiving votes:
(*-voted for himself)
-Damarious Randall (2*)
-Undecided (2)
-T.J. Carrie (1*)
-Mack Wilson (1*)
-Greedy Williams (1*)
-Terrance Mitchell (1*)
-Genard Avery (1*)
-Sheldon Richardson (1*)
-Morgan Burnett (1*)
-Sheldrick Redwine (1*)
-Christian Kirksey (1)
-Ray-Ray Armstrong (1)
The defense's top two natural athletes ended up deadlocked for the victory in this category. No surprise, as explained by these two responses.
"Myles could probably do anything and I'd hate to see him carry the ball, what he'd do with it," DeValve said of Garrett.
"He's just so nice, he's so smooth at corner," rookie linebacker Sione Takitaki said of Ward. "I feel like if they moved him to offense, he could definitely do some things."
This question also needs to include an important prerequisite: When polled about being the best in something and given the option, professional athletes are going to choose themselves.
Understandably, then, Ward chose himself (Garrett was not surveyed). Every other player with an asterisk also chose himself.
Choosing yourself for this category also came with a requirement of selling yourself for such an honor. No pat on the back would be allowed without a little elbow grease.
Here are each defender's individual sell jobs:
"I'm smart," Carrie said, "I'm fast, I'm big, I'm strong, I can tote that thing, you understand me?"
"I have film of me taking D1 corners up top for touchdowns," Randall said. "You feel me?"
"Just check my resume," Richardson said. "I'm pretty cold on offense. Got two offensive touchdowns in the league already."
"I got that vision and I can read holes and run people over," Avery explained.
"Athlete," Redwine said of himself. "Always had receiver dreams since I was little. (I'll play) anywhere."
"I'm a dual athlete," Burnett said. "Get the ball in my hand, I'll make something work. Wherever needed, gadget guy."
Perhaps most surprising was Mack Wilson's background. In college at Alabama, he served as the backup punter and backup long snapper. He revealed he has even more experience outside of linebacker.
"Me. I'm versatile," Wilson said. "I played quarterback growing up. I played quarterback my first year of high school. I can play running back, I can play wide receiver, I can do whatever, catch. Whatever you need me to do, I can get done."
5. Who would you want on your side in a street fight?
WINNER: Devaroe Lawrence (4)
Also receiving votes:
-Myles Garrett (3)
-Orson Charles (3)
-Undecided (3)
-Greg Robinson (2)
-Larry Ogunjobi (1)
-Pharaoh Brown (1)
-Olivier Vernon (1)
-Ray-Ray Armstrong (1)
-Jarvis Landry (1)
-Kendall Lamm (1)
-Mack Wilson (1)
-Lenzy Pipkins (1)
-Joe Schobert (1)
-Damarious Randall (1)
-Christian Kirksey (1)
-Jermaine Whitehead (1)
-Chad Thomas (1)
-The whole defense (1)
-Use words, not fists (1)
A team full of large, professional football players has some excellent prospects for this one. And judging by the vast range of responses received, the Browns have some pretty scrappy players on their squad.
It falls in line with Dorsey's goal of finding good, tough football players. He's an old-school type himself, and his team appears equipped to hang with the roughest of them.
Lawrence came away the winner by just one vote, but inspired plenty of excellent responses.
"Have you not seen Devaroe?" asked Ogunjobi. … "Devaroe will hold it down. If I'm with Devaroe and we're in a back alley, I'm scared for the people in the back alley."
"Devaroe, he crazy," Kirksey said of Lawrence. "He's really crazy in the head and that's somebody you want on your side."
Tied for second with three votes was Orson Charles, a tight end known to exuberant on the football field. Recent arrival Kareem Hunt compared him to a Marvel superhero:
"I call him Luke Cage, because he's strong and kind of looks like Luke Cage, too," Hunt said of Charles.
Richardson accounted for the lone vote for the entire defense. When asked to pick just one player, he didn't budge, repeating his answer of "the whole defense."
The reigning theme for many of these choices was simple: The quiet ones are often the surprising and dangerous ones.
"Dude is just massive," Carrie said of Ogunjobi. "He's quiet, but it seems like he's a quiet assassin, and those are the ones you've got to watch out for."
"He's one of those guys that you'll be ready to fight him, just because he's so small in his size," Avery said of Schobert, "and then you'll wake up one minute in the hospital and won't know what happened."
Quarterback Drew Stanton, a seasoned veteran with plenty of wisdom, chose Vernon for a similar reason: "Because he's quiet, and he would wreck shop."
The best answer, though, came from Joseph, who explained as a peacekeeper that he believes in the power of cooler heads.
"I think we can avoid the fight," Joseph explained, "so I'll go with a big name on the team and then we can just smooth it over, like 'hey come on guys, it's Baker, we'll be cool. It's Jarvis, he's a cool guy. Let's all be friends here, you know? You want an autographed helmet? Cool.' I'm not gonna implicate anyone."
Fair enough.
