Former Cleveland Browns offensive line coach Bob Wylie slammed head coach Freddie Kitchens in a radio interview on Saturday.
Wylie joined the Zach Gelb Show on CBS Radio and had many critical things to say about the new Browns coach, who opted to not retain Wylie. After some pleasantries about Wylie’s famous Hard Knocks appearances last summer, the tone of the conversation turned darker.
His comments must be prefaced with the fact he wanted to stay but Kitchens let him go. That’s something Wylie addressed, too:
“‘thank you guys, you guys did a great job. Thanks for helping me get the interview, okay? but I’m going to take this job and you guys are going to become collateral damage, that’s what will happen,”’
The veteran line coach also expressed chagrin that the Browns did not seem to have much interest in keeping interim head coach Gregg Williams instead of going with Kitchens. The change among the offensive staff clearly bothered Wylie, and he took a shot at how little Kitchens actually coached.
“Kenny Zampese did all the coaching there. Baker likes Freddie, so that had to (inaudible) into the decision (to hire Kitchens).”
Another quote,
“Al Saunders did the red zone. I did all the protections.”
Zampese and Saunders, like Wylie, came to Cleveland with Hue Jackson after coaching with him in either Cincinnati or Oakland.
The circumstances of his firing bothered Wylie, too.
“My daughter called me and said, ‘Hey, dad, you just got fired today,’’ Wylie said. “That’s the first time I head about it. I was laying in a hospital bed…they packed up my office and they put my office in storage because I was still in the hospital.”
Wylie had to step away from the team after suffering a nasty leg injury. He’s clearly not happy about being what he called “collateral damage”.
As a side note, Wylie needs a better phone service.
