Editor's note: Tony Grossi covers the Cleveland Browns for ESPN 850 WKNR.
Takeaways from Browns practice and interviews …
Will he or won’t he?: As Gregg Williams continues to make a strong case for having the “interim” removed from his title, the question persists if he would agree to move back to defensive coordinator if asked by the next Browns head coach.
He wouldn’t answer directly, but his response indicated that he would be willing to return in any capacity.
“I love what I do,” Williams said. “In all honesty, If I wasn’t a head coach or defensive coordinator, I’d love to be a special teams coordinator again. I loved that time there. Even the position coach part of it, [and] when I went and helped Mike Munchak being an assistant head coach with him, too [in 2013].
“Leadership, it is what it is … You’ve got to be able to handle the responsibilities they’re asking you to do. I really do love the aspect of having a chance of being in charge of whatever responsibility they give me, not just head coach. I enjoy the competition factor of competing at the NFL level.”
The Browns are 2-1 since Williams was named interim coach on Oct. 29.
At the time, it didn’t seem like he even was their first choice to oversee the team after Hue Jackson were fired. It was at least an hour after Jackson was fired before the team also fired offensive coordinator Todd Haley and named Williams the interim.
Williams had a lot of work ahead to force his way into the discussion as permanent coach. So far, so good.
In house: The handshake-gone-viral spat between Baker Mayfield and Hue Jackson would appear to be the first brushfire for Williams to tend to in his time as interim coach.
He was in no mood to pour gasoline on it.
Asked his thoughts of his quarterback calling his former boss “fake” on social media, Williams went into Bill Belichick mode.
“That game’s over,” Williams said with a chuckle. “Again, If I did talk to him, that’s between him and I. It stays in house and it’s not something we discuss here. That game’s over and we’re on to the Texans.”
Asked about the perils of dealing with players going on social media, Williams said, “It’s never easy. We’ve got to get ready to roll each and every week. We got to get on to the Texans.”
In the open locker room period after Wednesday’s practice, Mayfield said Williams had not spoken to him about the brouhaha.
“We’ll see if that happens down the road. Right now, they expect me to handle things the right way and say the right things and lead this team the right way.”
Hut, hut, jiggle, jiggle: The Browns were down their top two centers for Wednesday’s practice.
Starter JC Tretter continues to get much of the work week off while playing through a high ankle sprain. And backup Austin Corbett was out with a foot injury caused when he got stepped on in the Cincinnati game. (No mention of Lis franc; Williams said Corbett will be day to day.)
So who snapped the ball to Baker Mayfield in practice?
“Right now, I’m trying to limit the reps with Bob Wylie,” Williams said. “We’re moving other guys in there. Bob got a little fatigued today.”
Wylie, the offensive line coach, was a popular character portrayed in the Hard Knocks series this summer.
The center at practice most likely was Earl Watford, the veteran swing man who has been active, but seldom played, most of the year.