Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt spent time this low season running together on a hill in Westlake.
If the Browns succeed, the ball carrier’s dynamic tandem will soon paint the NFL.
Chubb finished in the league last season with 1,494 yards per land. He entered the final with a comfortable lead, but Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans overcame him to take the crown with 1,540 yards. In Week 17, Henry produced 212 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries to Chubb’s 41-yard drive on thirteen carries.
“Actually, I’m not worried. It’s just more motivation. I’m just looking to do it this year,” Chubb said Tuesday during a Zoom video convention with the battered writers. “Work like me, paint hard, run hard. I think everything happens for a reason, and if you keep running and fighting, things will come together for you. So that’s my way of thinking.”
Chubb and Hunt now have the ability to play in combination for a full season for the first time. After signing with the Browns last year, Hunt missed the first eight games because the NFL suspended the ball carrier for violating his private conduct policy. Hunt had been involved in separate physical altercations with a woguy in downtown Cleveland and a guy in Put-in-Bay.
“I’m excited to be back with him for a full season,” Chubb said. “Last year is a season. Now we go after the hungry in each and every game we play.
Last season, Chubb completed all 16 games and compiled 1,494 yards and 8 touchdowns on 298 hauls (5.0 yards consistent with race) to accompany 36 receptions for 278 yards. In Hunt’s eight games, three of which he amassed 179 yards and two touchdowns in 43 carries (4.2 career-consistent yards), plus 37 receptions for 285 yards and a touchdown.
A second-round pick in the 2018 draft, Chubb insisted he was not worried about how Browns’ new coach Kevin Stefanski and his assistants would split the keys between the media.
“Whatever happens, I accept it as true with the training staff and accept it as true with the team,” Chubb said. “I know they’ll put us in the most productive position to win. So whatever it is, it suits me.”
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When the Browns conduct their first full-team educational consultation on the education camp on Friday, Chubb and Hunt will run Stefanski’s wide-area blocking plan for Cleveland. It’s a formula designed to prepare action game passes, a fundamental detail that coaches hope will help maximize quarterback Baker Mayfield’s chances of recovering from a disappointing season.
“Baker looks old-fashioned,” Chubb said. “He came back and said all the right things and didn’t say safe things. I mean, it’s great. We’re thrilled with Baker. I’ve believed baker since day one, and nothing’s changed. I know you’re happy to pass out and show how global it is.”