CLEVELAND — Browns safety Juan Thornhill drew plenty of criticism for what some fans considered a lack of effort in the Week 11 game against the New Orleans Saints. One week later, Thornhill said that "will never happen again"—taking accountability and putting it into action against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In Week 11, Saints' wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling broke free for a 71-yard touchdown catch. As he ran down the sideline into the end zone, Thornhill could be seen coming in from the outside at Valdes-Scantling with a pace that some fans weren't satisfied with.
Across social media, posts about Thornhill "jogging" made their rounds. His effort was questioned, as was the rest of the team's, after giving up three touchdowns in the fourth quarter in what turned out to be a post-bye week loss for the Browns.
Following the Saints game, Thornhill posted a video on his Instagram story of a scene from the movie "Forrest Gump." Thornhill posted the scene where Tom Hanks's character runs for "3 years, 2 months, 14 days, and 16 hours," seeming to acknowledge the jogging comments he was getting.
After the game against the Steelers Thursday, Thornhill took accountability for the moment.
"I'm just going to be completely honest, I played with MVS out in Kansas City. Guy caught the ball, and I'm just like, 'This guy runs a 4.3 40, I'm not catching him,'" Thornhill admitted. "Got a little lazy, and I just I own up to it. But that's just not me, and that will never happen again."
And he is working to make sure of that.
Thursday night's game was a different story for Thornhill. With seven tackles, Thornhill had the second-most on the team. One of those tackles saw the safety take the criticism he faced the week prior and correct it. Steelers' quarterback Justin Fields ran a bootleg play up the sideline, breaking out for a 30-yard gain. It looked like he might find the end zone until Thornhill got to him.
The Browns safety sprinted downfield through the snow and hit Fields before he could score. He didn't want another moment like the one he had with Valdes-Scantling and the Saints.
"That's why when he broke out today I was determined I was going to catch him, I was gonna run the dude down," Thornhill said.
Thornhill heard fans. He hopes those watching see the efforts he makes on the field, pointing out the chase downs of other guys like Ravens running back Derrick Henry. He hopes fans don't hold the one moment in Week 11 against him. Because he's determined to make the plays he made in Week 12 the version of himself the fans think of when they hear his name.
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