Deshone Kizer could have a very good rookie season for the Cleveland Browns, but his first test against the Steelers could be very hard on him. The Steelers are planning to hit Kizer as hard as possible, and they are planning to hit him often. A player like Kizer who gets introduced to the NFL by being slammed to the ground will have to get back up and dust himself off. He may not be ready for this Steelers defense, but we will learn if he is mentally tough enough to survive the season.
Earn their respect
Defensive players like the guys who play for the Steelers will respect Kizer a lot more if he gets back up and lines up again for the next play.
They will show the Browns early what is going on with him mentally, we will see if he gets better or not as the game goes on. A player who is mentally tough will stay in the game for all four quarters, and a player who is not mentally tough will start to fall apart at the first sign of adversity. Kizer has been through a lot in his career already, and it is important to remember that he could rebound nicely after his first few knocks.
The offensive line
The offensive line in Cleveland is actually pretty good, and they have a Hall of Famer at center. The Steelers could be put in a position where they cannot get to Kizer as much as they want, and that may build up his confidence. Having even a decent outing against a team like the Steelers would be good for his psyche, and it would show that he is prepared to go into the next game of the season with that learning experience under his belt.
Surely, every player in the NFL gets nervous before their very first game, and Kizer may have to get rid of those butterflies quickly so that he can improve for week two.
The Steelers need defensive confidence
The Steelers defense needs to have as much confidence as it can find going into the next few weeks of the season. They get to start with an easy team that they should be able to beat without any problem, and they should find that the Browns are not potent enough to score multiple times against them.
If the Steelers give up big plays to the Browns, they may need to have a meeting about what just happened. They may stare down a quarterback who is very resilient, but that does not automatically make his team any better. Kizer can only do so much, and the Steelers must prove to themselves that the fixes on their defense have helped them get better. These two teams are going in opposite directions.
