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The Browns borrowed that idea.They’ve been stealing everything else lately.With eight interceptions and seven forced fumbles in just five games , Cleveland’s defense leads the NFL with 15 takeaways — two more than the Browns got during 16 games in their winless 2017 season.The dramatic swing has helped the Browns (2-2-1) turn things around quickly while breeding confidence into a getting-better-by-the-week team that feels like it can do much more than simply compete this season.Creating turnovers has been a major emphasis of bombastic defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who devotes large chunks of practice — Thursday’s workout has been dubbed “Takeaway Thursday” — to drills geared toward getting the football.The Browns work on stripping it, tipping it, recovering it and doing anything in their power to gain possession. Then, they’re doing it in games.“It is what you do as a professional,” said Pro Bowl linebacker Joe Schobert, who has two fumble recoveries and an interception. “You try to take stuff from the practice field to the game, apply it and be able to contribute and do it. The fact that we have been able to do it just shows how hard and how focused everybody on the defense has been this whole offseason and in training camp.“We are just starting to see the rewards of our hard work.”After finishing last in the league with a minus-28 turnover differential last season, the Browns are first at plus-8.They opened the season by forcing six turnovers against Pittsburgh, but failed to capitalize and ended up tying the Steelers 21-21.A plus-5 turnover differential almost always guarantees victory — teams with that margin are 132-4-1 since 1999. But although the Browns came up short, the defense’s showing created confidence.“You just go into the game expecting to get turnovers,” said defensive back T.J. Carrie, part of Cleveland’s revamped secondary. “In this league, quarterbacks and coordinators are so good at not giving up turnovers. So when you can go in as a defensive unit and say, ‘We’re guaranteed three turnovers this game, guaranteed. Play the way we play. Play fast.’ That is contagious to the entire team.”Rookie cornerback Denzel Ward has been Cleveland’s top defensive thief with three interceptions, two in Week 1. He’s also forced a fumble, recovered one and has given the Browns a defender that makes opponents wary.As he prepared to face the Browns on Sunday , Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers took special note of Ward, the No. 4 overall pick in this year’s draft.“He obviously has good ball skills,” Rivers said. “If he gets an opportunity, he has made the play on it. It seems to be clear on things, too, that he is pretty savvy back there for a young player. He is not just, ‘Oh, I am playing my coverage and I have my zone.'”The excessive forced turnovers have led to a direct carry-over for Cleveland’s offense, which has been given better field position and more possessions.Rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield said it’s imperative when the defense comes up with a big play, the offense follows with one of its own.“We can really put a stamp on a game when the defense gets turnovers,” said Mayfield, who passed for 342 yards in his second career start last week. “We need to take advantage of when they do get those turnovers. We need to turn those into points and really take the life out of the other team. We just have to continue to feed off of that because it is very rare that you get a defense like that, that has 15 this early.”The Browns’ burglary prompted linebacker Christian Kirksey to copy Miami’s sideline celebration by placing a silver chain with a dangling orange dog bone trinket around neck of any defender who makes a big play.“It’s just something fun to do,” Kirskey said. “Having it around just bring a lot of chemistry for us.”Right now, the Browns are thick as thieves.NOTES: Offensive coordinator Todd Haley finally got to meet Snoop Dogg, who stopped in at Wednesday’s practice. A die-hard Steelers fan, the rapper had been very critical of Haley’s play calling when he coached in Pittsburgh. “We had a couple of rough years there,” Haley said. “It got smoother over the last few and then him being out there and saying that he is a part of the Dawg Pound , we are good now. I can go back to listening to West Coast rap.”___ CLEVELAND (AP) — Kareem Hunt promises to change. The NFL will hold him to his word.The league suspended the Cleveland Browns running back for eight games on Friday for two “physical altercations,” one in which Hunt shoved and kicked a woman in a hotel hallway while he played for Kansas City.Hunt will not be eligible to play until November as part of his penalty for violating the league’s personal-conduct policy. The 23-year-old, who quickly became a star player with the Chiefs before his conduct prompted the team to cut him during a Super Bowl push last season, will not be paid during the half-season suspension, which will be lifted on Aug. 31. He can practice and will be eligible to play in Cleveland’s preseason games.Hunt will not appeal the league’s findings, which came following an investigation into the hotel incident and a fight in June at Put-In-Bay island, a resort area in Ohio.“I want to again apologize for my actions last year,” Hunt said in a statement released by the Browns. “I know that my behavior hurt a lot of people, and I again apologize to them. I respect the league’s decision on discipline, and I appreciate the time I spent with Commissioner Goodell last week. I’m grateful for my time with the Browns over the last month and thankful to all the people in the organization that have welcomed me.“I also appreciate all of the support I received from my union through this process. My commitment to earning the trust of the league, my teammates, the organization and this community through my actions will continue, and I understand there is a lot of hard work ahead of me before I’m able to fully return to playing the game I love.”The league recently completed its investigation that included a review of law enforcement records, video and electronic communications and interviews with witnesses as well as Hunt.In November, surveillance video taken in February in a Cleveland hotel where Hunt stayed during the offseason. The disturbance involved several people, and Hunt was seen shoving the woman before kicking her as she scrambled to get off the floor. Police investigated but the woman did not file charges against Hunt.The disturbing images drew a public outcry and resulted in the Chiefs cutting ties with one of their top players in the final month of the regular season. Hunt later admitted lying to the Chiefs about the situation.Hunt was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list and missed Kansas City’s final five games. His career appeared at a crossroads before the Browns, at the prompting of general manager John Dorsey, signed Hunt in February. Dorsey drafted Hunt while he was in Kansas City and felt the Ohio native was contrite and deserved a second chance.NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told The Associated Press the league inquired about a third matter involving Hunt. In January 2017 , a man alleged that Hunt and a teammate assaulted him in a Kansas City nightclub. McCarthy said Hunt will not be disciplined for that.In recent months, Hunt has been receiving counseling and assured Goodell he “accepts responsibility for his conduct and the discipline that has been imposed,” the league said. “He has committed to take advantage of available resources to help him grow personally and as a member of the Cleveland community, and to live up to his obligations as an NFL player.”Dorsey has been unwavering in his support of Hunt.“I know that he has really done a nice job of being committed and of doing that work so that he can be the best version of himself,” Dorsey said Thursday. “I know he has been diligently working on that.”Hunt has been working out at the Browns’ facility in Berea, Ohio, and is scheduled to take part in the team’s offseason program starting April 1.Hunt’s suspension caps a busy week for the Browns, who acquired superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on Tuesday in a trade with the New York Giants. Cleveland has also made several other moves in free agency.As a rookie, Hunt led the league in rushing with 1,327 yards, scoring eight touchdowns. He also showed his versatility by catching 53 passes for 455 yards and three TDs. In 11 games last season, he ran for 824 yards and seven touchdowns.Hunt’s arrival has made Browns third-down running back Duke Johnson expendable and the team has considered trading him.Johnson has been a valuable and versatile player since Cleveland drafted him in 2015. He led the team in receptions and yards receiving in 2017, but got fewer chances last season because of rookie Nick Chubb, who rushed for 996 yards and scored eight TDs.
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