BEREA: New York Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins conceded Browns standout Terrelle Pryor is “up there” with the top wide receivers he’s faced, but Jenkins also said the matchup won’t be a big challenge for him.
Why not?
“Because he is another receiver,” Jenkins told New York reporters. “He is just big.”
Pryor took exception and is clearly fired up about the Browns (0-11) meeting the Giants (7-3) on Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium.
“Talk is talk. We will see Sunday,” Pryor tweeted Friday in response to Cleveland.com’s story about Jenkins’ comments. “Never wanted to play the game as much as I do this Sunday!”
Although Jenkins was reluctant to compliment Pryor, the former quarterback is more than just big. Despite playing on a bad offense with several QBs, Pryor has 56 catches for 724 yards and four touchdowns in his first full season as a receiver.
Jenkins is ranked 10th among 119 cornerbacks by ProFootballFocus.com. Pryor is 14th among 119 receivers in the website’s rankings.
Pryor explained Wednesday why he isn’t surprised by his success.
“I always say with God, anything’s possible,” he said. “I’m sure we could go back and look at some tape of how I spoke to you guys last year. I always screamed that confidence, you know? Even when I was a quarterback, I might not have been the best, but I still thought I was the best. … That’s just how I carry myself.
“I believe in hard work and dedication and really striving to be where you want to be and always on a daily basis that you’re putting work in to get to where you want to be. That’s where your confidence and so-called luck comes from. … I grind and I work for this stuff. Still to this day it doesn’t stop.”
Wishful thinking
Giants quarterback Eli Manning is the epitome of durability, but that hasn’t stopped Browns defensive coordinator Ray Horton from fantasizing about facing his backup.
Horton said he hopes Browns rookie defensive end Carl Nassib will sack his older brother, Giants backup quarterback Ryan Nassib.
“That’s always been a dream of mine,” Carl Nassib said, adding he never sacked his brother in the backyard growing up “but we had some good fights back in the day.”
Horton’s wishful thinking probably won’t become reality because Manning is an NFL iron man and Ryan Nassib hasn’t played this season. Manning’s 193 consecutive starts is the longest streak among all active players and third all time among quarterbacks (Brett Favre holds the record at 297 and Peyton Manning is second at 227).
“I don’t know if another NFL player has ever sacked his brother,” Horton said. “So that’s kind of our goal — you talked about 193 [starts in a row] for Eli — is to get Eli out of the game and let Ryan come in and see if Carl can maybe, whoever picks up the bill tomorrow night for dinner, maybe that’ll give him a little incentive to get after his brother.”
Manning has started every game of his career since he took over as the Giants’ No. 1 QB during his rookie season in 2004. The Browns have started 21 quarterbacks since then.
“It’s a testament to the linemen that they’ve had, his ability to throw the ball and [his] toughness and his will to finish a game and start,” Horton said. “That’s quite a testament when your quarterback does that.”
Of course, Manning’s Super Bowl rings are his legacy.
“He’s got two of them,” Horton said, “so I respect anybody that has that hardware.”
Family reunion
Carl Nassib said his parents, younger brother and two sisters will attend the game. He plans to hang out with Ryan on Saturday night.
“It’s a great weekend for all of us to come together, especially around Thanksgiving,” he said.
Ryan’s wife made a dual Browns-Giants jersey for her mother-in-law.
“It has Ryan on the front and me on the back, so I’m a little upset about that,” Carl said.
Asked how much the loser of the game will hear about it at family gatherings, Carl said, “I’m a sore loser. I think he is, too, so probably a lot.”
Familiar faces
Starting free safety Ed Reynolds knows Manning well because he worked at Giants training camp as a teenager for two or three summers and set up QB drills.
When Reynolds faced Manning as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles last season, Manning told him “you’re making me feel really old right now.”
Reynolds got the training camp gig because his father, Ed, played linebacker for the Giants in 1992 and has connections in the organization.
“I love playing them every year,” Reynolds said. “It’s definitely one of those I circle on the schedule.”
Figuring it out
Rookie strong safety Derrick Kindred agreed with coach Hue Jackson and Horton’s assessment that he had his best NFL performance in Sunday’s 24-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Kindred said he played loose and fast after defensive backs coach Louie Cioffi met with him and advised him to do so.
“We just talked about just things that I can improve on, how the season has been going for me,” said Kindred, a fourth-round draft pick. “We all felt like I was playing a little bit tight in the previous weeks.”
No worries
With the Browns winless, it’s natural to presume there will be scapegoats at the end of this season. The defense is ranked 31st out of 32 teams in yards surrendered (409.5 per game) and points allowed (29.5 per game), so Horton would be a convenient fall guy.
He insisted he’s not worried about job security, though.
“I don’t live that way,” Horton said. “I don’t want my kids to live that way. I don’t want my players to live that way. I would think, ‘Man, what an awful life if you’ve got to worry all the time about stuff.’ You do the best job you can in life with what you have.”
Look-alike
Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor sees former Browns standout returner Josh Cribbs when he studies Giants returner Dwayne Harris.
“He reminds me of a young Josh Cribbs,” Tabor said. “He is going to bring the ball out. If it doesn’t go out of the back of the end zone, it is coming out. He takes chances as a punt returner, and then you see him playing gunner making plays. You see him on the kickoff running down and making tackles. He wears No. 17. If he was wearing No. 16, he would look like a young Josh Cribbs.”
Harris is tied for fourth in the NFL with 25.6 yards per kickoff return this season.
Injury report
The Browns listed Reynolds (knee) and cornerback Tramon Williams (knee) as questionable to play against the Giants. Reynolds said he suffered the injury during a recent practice but “should be good” for Sunday.
The team also ruled out quarterback Cody Kessler (concussion).
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.