Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper is 15 yards away from a 1,000-yard season. John Kuntz (cleveland.com)BEREA, Ohio —
Aari Cooper is on the verge of accomplishing something no other Browns wide receiver or club in history has accomplished.
Not Hall of Famers Paul Warfield or Ozzie Newsome, not Reggie Langhorne, Brian Brennan or Webster Slaughter, not even modern Pro Bowl wide receivers like Braylon Edwards, Josh Gordon or Jarvis Landry.
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Browns players tell story of their toy truck discovery and how it fosters team camaraderie
BEREA, Ohio – If you’re sitting in the Browns conference room, you’ll see a toy truck sitting there.
It may seem out of place in an NFL building, but these trucks are money for the players who buy them.
Each week, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt oversees pickups where players help their teammates to their feet after the game.
Pelt believes this is an important stat that doesn’t check a box, but changes a team’s dynamic.
“When I play, I’ve always tried to help the players off the field first. That’s what I’ve always believed.
The closer the group is, the more success you can have and that’s what we’ve always done, these guys have committed as a team in every way and that’s really great.
I hate to see a man laying there and then watch them go. We’re not going to film that scene,” Van Pelt said.
To promote this and encourage collecting, Van Pelt created a reward system.After the play ends, the offensive coordinator goes back and counts which players assisted their teammates after the play ended.
The player who gets the most that week wins a toy.As a team built on camaraderie, many of the players had toy cars, but some also had unique trophies to show off to their teammates by leading the team in their trucks.
Brown’s toy truckCamryn JusticeOn the offensive line, Ethan Pochik had the truck.
In the gym, Jerome Ford is always there to help you when you don’t wake up after a run. But the overall winner was David Njoku, who was always there to support his teammates.“Dave has five or six games so far this season.
He had a win last week and so did Harry. So we have a lot of takeover from a tight group, and when we play as a unit and as a team, we play for each other,” Van Pelt said.
Njoku said showing appreciation to her colleagues is more important than getting a truck to give to her daughter.“I can’t say the pride comes from taking the truck.
I would say it’s about making sure none of us are left alone. I think we are proud of that,” Njoku said.
The team sees this effort and realizes how impressive it is.“He is a positive force in this building, on the practice field, in the locker room and on the field.
He brings a lot of energy to this team. “I can honestly say he cares more about his teammates than anyone else on our team,” coach Kevin Stefanski said.
But it’s not just about helping your peers succeed. This season, Njoku has shined as an offensive star in every role asked of him, including receiving and blocking.
“Dave couldn’t be happier. It wasn’t always smooth sailing when I first got here and he’s really into it and it shows that Kevin has a lot of confidence and trust in him as well and it’s great to see him flourish even now.
“I’m very happy,” Van Pelt said. “I think he’s someone to be proud of. He wants to be successful, and when men get upset early, it’s because they haven’t gotten the success they want.
And Dave became a great blocker after going through that and took his game to the next level in terms of blocking and staying the course and working and working and working.
”Acknowledging your team’s pickup with a toy truck may seem like a small gesture. But once Njoku, Pocic, Ford and others embrace it, it becomes part of the team’s culture.
Getting your hands on a truck means embracing the culture and having something to show for it.
This recognition of a competitive group of men not only instills a sense of camaraderie in the players holding the toy, but also demonstrates what the team stands for.
“This action shows that we play for each other. we love each other This team is one of the tightest and full of chemistry and love for each other I’ve ever played with. You know what I mean, right?
I think you have to upset yourself to succeed and win,” Njoku said sadly.
