Cleveland Browns: Looks cost Freddie Kitchens coaching interviews
Why didn’t Freddie Kitchens receive any head coaching interviews after turning around the Cleveland Browns. One prominent reporter suggested it was looks.
NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport was recently on the Rich Eisen show talking about the Cleveland Browns decision to hire Freddie Kitchens.
The reporter wondered why Freddie Kitchens wasn’t interviewed by other teams considering he had a pretty long resume as an assistant, capped off with the miracle of making the Browns appear as if they have a professional offense.
Basically, it’s because of looks.
"“It’s possible Freddie Kitchens didn’t get head coaching consideration because he doesn’t look like a head coach,” Rapoport said. “I have no idea, but it’s the only thing I can come up with.”"
I previously wrote on Kitchens’ appearance when I made the case that he’s not another Sean McVay wannabe.
"“Perhaps if Kitchens looked like he came out of an L.L. Bean quarter-zip pullover ad, he’d more in demand."
If you listen to the audio below, you’ll notice Rapoport started to talk about winning the press conference after making a new hire. He stopped himself short of saying it, but I think he was going to say that winning the press conference these days has a lot to do with sticking a movie-star face up in front of the cameras.
"Why didn't anyone else interview him? I think he's ready." -@nflnetwork @RapSheet told us about new #Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens: pic.twitter.com/KuWSBwH86M
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) January 9, 2019
As we saw on Jan. 14, Kitchens won the press conference, anyway, by being real.
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It’s something Browns’ fans have been begging for after nearly two decades of being forced to eat one-liners and catch phrases from past failed head coaches.
Hue Jackson is infamous for talking about how the team needed to get better. Well, it never happened while he was driving the bus.
When did coaches start to get a look, anyway? When you think football coach, don’t think tend to think of the most grizzled dude you can think of.
Besides looking looking the the genuine thing, Kitchens’ appearance is another endearing trait Browns’ fans will come to love, especially if he wins.
He may hail from the deep south, but as the son of a former Good Year tire worker, Kitchens oozes Cleveland’s blue collar mentality.
He wears that ugly orange “Dawg Pound” sweater that absolutely no would buy if he hadn’t worn it.
Marketing departments can sit in meetings all day and they’d never be able to manufacture that look. It’s like Bill Belchick, who’s earned the nickname, “The Hoodie.”
It’s what he’s most comfortable in, so he wears it. End of story.
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Kitchens will ultimately be judged on wins and losses, and if he wins Cleveland a Super Bowl, statues will be made of him on the lakefront, even though he didn’t quite have the look of a head coach.