Nick Chubb embodied Northeast Ohio. Here are his best moments as a Cleveland Browns RB

By now the blue-collar mentality associated with Northeast Ohio is beyond cliché and not as accurate as it once was.

Still, every so often something or someone comes along to remind those who are native to the area and old enough to remember the seemingly endless number of factories — whether it was related to rubber, steel or the cars that used both — of that hard-scrabble work ethic that typified the area.

Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb was that person.

With Chubb expected to sign with the Houston Texans, he will be missed. Below are five moments that show why:

Nick Chubb announces his presence with authority in loss to Oakland Sept. 30, 2018

To open his rookie season, running back Nick Chubb started the year by splitting time with teammate Carlos Hyde. Amazingly, that lasted for more than a few more games.

With Baker Mayfield struggling through a four-interception game in his first start, Chubb announced his presence with authority. The second-round pick scored touchdowns of 63 yards on his first regular-season carry and later 41 yards in a 45-42 loss to help keep the Browns close.

“In the second quarter, Chubb ripped off a 63-yard touchdown run to give the Browns a 9-7 lead with 12:35 remaining in the first half,” then-Browns beat reporter Nate Ulrich wrote in his story of the back-and-forth game.

Moments later he chronicled another Chubb run: “Chubb broke loose for a 41-yard rushing touchdown to give the Browns a 42-34 lead with 4:20 left.”

Mayfield’s debut as a starter was the story, but Chubb was on an equal plane as he began to write his Browns legacy.

Nick Chubb runs into the record book with the longest TD run in team history on Nov. 11, 2018

The Browns beat the Atlanta Falcons 28-16 with Chubb scoring on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Mayfield and a glorious 92-yard run at 8:45 of the third quarter.

“[He]took a handoff from quarterback Baker Mayfield on second-and-10 at the Browns 8-yard line and dashed off right tackle virtually untouched for a touchdown — the longest run in franchise history (Hall of Famer Bobby Mitchell had a 90-yard run in 1959),” according to the Beacon Journal. “His 92-yard touchdown was also the second-longest run by a rookie in NFL history (Pittsburgh’s Bobby Gage had a 97-yard run in 1949).

The play led to one of Jim Donovan’s iconic Browns calls:

Chubb gave most of the credit for the run to his teammates, which was always the case with him.

“[It was] just a great job up front. Those guys blocked hard the whole game, and it was wide open,” Chubb said. “I remember running through and seeing the safety left, and then after that, I see [rookie wide receiver Antonio] Callaway blocking the corner, which he did a tremendous job of that. He always does. After that, I am just wide open to the house.”

For the game, Chubb ran for 176 yards on 20 carries, at that time the best Browns rushing performance since Peyton Hillis ran for 184 yards on 29 carries against the New England Patriots Nov. 7, 2010.

The Browns, Nick Chubb and Denzel Ward boat race the Cincinnati Bengals Nov. 7, 2021

Browns cornerback Denzel Ward got the show started with a record-setting interception return of 99 yards for a score, but Chubb put in work as well with a 14-carry, 137-yard rushing performance that included a touchdown runs of 1 and 70 yards.

On second-and-10 from the Cleveland 30-yard line, Chubb broke loose off the left side and ripped off a 70-yard rushing touchdown with eight minutes left in the third quarter.

Beacon Journal beat writer Ulrich called it a body blow to the Bengals, giving the Browns a 31-10 lead in a game they eventually won 41-16.

Nick Chubb showed the Baltimore Ravens he could take over a game Sept. 29, 2019

Chubb scored three touchdowns against the Ravens in a 40-25 win. The game was close at halftime, with the Browns holding a 10-7 lead. Then Chubb showed he could absolutely take over a game if necessary, scoring all of those touchdowns in the second half. They came from 14, 2, and 88 yards, with that final one salting game away with 9:35 left.

“Chubb isn’t flashy. He’s not a quote machine like quarterback Baker Mayfield, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. or free safety Damarious Randall. He doesn’t get caught up in any drama. He’s just a relentless competitor who’s always working and never stops fighting,” Ulrich wrote in his game story. “That’s why Chubb is a fitting hero for the Browns’ 40-25 road victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. The Browns desperately needed to tap into new levels of focus and determination to rebound from their sluggish start to the season and to respond to their critics as well as the Ravens.

“The big answer came when Chubb delivered a backbreaking 88-yard touchdown run off the right side, giving the Browns a 30-18 lead with 9:35 left in the fourth quarter.”

Chubb finished with 165 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries (8.3 average) to go along with three catches on four targets for 18 yards.

“I do what I can to help us win. Today it showed a little more, just the determination,” said Chubb, the first Browns player to rush for three touchdowns in a game since Hillis on Nov. 28, 2010. “I wasn’t going to let anyone tackle me.

“Honestly, I had nightmares last week [against the Los Angeles Rams] when I got hit on fourth-and-9 because one man tackled me, and that kind of drove me this week to not let one person tackle me.”

Gamblers probably weren’t happy but Nick Chubb proved to be a team player Nov. 15, 2020, against the Houston Texans

With the Browns hanging on to a 10-7 lead over the Houston Texans, Chubb broke free for a 59-yard gain with 1:07 left in the game and promptly ended the run by walking out of bounds with 56 seconds left, allowing the offense to down the ball twice and claim the win.

“That is the natural instinct to get into the end zone,” Chubb said in his postgame news conference. “Something came in my head and said, ‘let’s go out of bounds.’ I should have just taken a knee or slid to keep the clock running, but it was a split [second] decision.”

It was also the right decision and indicative of Chubb’s football smarts and respect for his teammates.

George M. Thomas covers a myriad of things including sports and pop culture, but mostly sports, he thinks, for the Beacon Journal

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Nick Chubb’s best moments, highlights as Browns running back

Nick Chubb embodied Northeast Ohio. Here are his best moments as a Cleveland Browns RB

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