Other » Months ago, Desmond Harrison was confident he’d replace

BEREA Diontae Johnson Jersey , Ohio (AP) — Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas.The Browns only realized it in the past few days.An undrafted rookie with a checkered past, Harrison will open the season as Cleveland’s starting left tackle — a position held down by Thomas, a future Hall of Famer, for more than a decade — on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.“I’m replacing Joe, so I know how big it is,” Harrison said.It’s a remarkable jump for Harrison, who last season was pile-driving players at Division II Georgia State after not playing for three years following his dismissal at Texas.To Harrison, it’s just football on a larger stage.“It’s a big leap,” Harrison said Friday after coach Hue Jackson announced yet another transformation to his offensive line. “Kind of more people at the game, stuff like that. So that’s probably like the only difference.”Well, there’s also blocking Cam Heyward and the other Steelers, who led the NFL with 57 sacks a season.But you gotta admire the rookie’s swagger.Harrison’s ascension up the depth chart is the latest wrinkle up front for the Browns, who have been tinkering with the left side of their offensive line for weeks. The team recently slid left guard Joel Bitonio to tackle and plugged rookie Austin Corbett in at guard.However, after four preseason games, Jackson and his coaching staff didn’t like the line’s makeup. Determined to put the “best five guys on the field,” the Browns decided to go with the 6-foot-6, 305-pound Harrison who looks like he was engineered in a laboratory for left tackles.“He looks like a left tackle in this league,” Bitonio said.Jackson said the 24-year-old Harrison has played like one.“He is very talented Justin Layne Jersey ,” Jackson said. “He has earned it. He competed. When you put all of the different variables out there of what we could have done or would have done, and you look at it and you watch the practice tape and the game, he is the best left tackle for us to play right now.“Obviously, Joel is the best left guard. We feel like we are heading in the right direction by far. I agonized over this decision because it is a huge decision. At the same time, I have confidence one, in our coaches, and in the player. He has worked hard. He wants this opportunity. He has demonstrated that.”Harrison took a unique, unorthodox path to the NFL.A big-time high school recruit, Harrison committed to Auburn but didn’t have the grades and started at Contra Costa (Calif.) Community College. He played two seasons of JUCO ball before transferring to Texas, where he played in seven games in 2013. But after reportedly failing multiple drug tests, he was suspended several times and eventually left.He didn’t play in 2015 and 2016, explaining he “was just getting myself right mentally.”Harrison started nine games last season at West Georgia, compiling a dominant highlight tape that looks like excerpts pulled from the movie “Blindside.” He missed the Senior Bowl because of a sprained knee and failed a drug test at the NFL Scouting Combine in February.He admitted the drug test probably cost him being drafted, but the Browns signed him as a free agent in May.From the moment he arrived at rookie mini-camp, Harrison said he knew he would take over for Thomas, the 10-time Pro Bowler who retired in March following a remarkable career that included never missing a snap — 10,363 straight — until an injury ended his 2017 season.How did Harrison know?“Just how confident I am in myself,” he said.Bitonio likes everything about Harrison.“It’s obviously going to be a big jump Sunday when you’re playing in front of 60,000 against the Pittsburgh Steelers Benny Snell Jr. Jersey , a vaunted defense, but I think he’s ready,” Bitonio said. “I think the coaches and upper management have made that decision and they trust him and they know he’s going to get better every rep that he’s out there to improve. He’s a confident, kid, though.“I know he feels like he belongs out there.” SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Matt Patricia got an early taste of what Jimmy Garoppolo was capable of doing as an NFL quarterback.As soon as Garoppolo was drafted in the second round by New England in 2014, he got the chance to match wits with Patricia almost every day in practice as Tom Brady’s backup, while Patricia served as defensive coordinator for the Patriots.The talents Garoppolo showed on the practice field only got better whenever he got a chance to play in a game, whether it was an exhibition, mop-up duty or in two starts during Brady’s suspension in 2016.So when Garoppolo became a star after being dealt to San Francisco, Patricia wasn’t surprised at all. He will get a firsthand look at it Sunday as coach of the Detroit Lions (0-1), who visit Garoppolo and San Francisco (0-1).“There was always something a little bit special about Jimmy in-game,” Patricia said. “Just that extra light just came on and in the game itself you could just see really how special he was as a player.”After winning his two starts with the Patriots, Garoppolo went 5-0 for San Francisco after a midseason trade last year and earned a $137.5 million, five-year contract.His first game with the new deal didn’t go so well as he completed less than half his passes and threw three interceptions in a 24-16 loss at Minnesota. He expects a tough task this week, knowing that Patricia likes to change up his schemes, although Garoppolo hopes all that time on the practice field against his defenses pays dividends.“There’s a couple of little things you remember from over the years and stuff,” he said. “But, Matty P’s a smart coach and I’m sure they’ll have something game planned for us.”Here are some other things to watch:REMATCHThe last time San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan had an offense take on Patricia’s defense came in the Super Bowl in 2017. Shanahan’s Atlanta Falcons took a 28-3 lead before falling apart late and losing 34-28 to the Patriots in OT. With little film of the Lions to go on after just one game with Patricia as coach Zach Gentry Jersey , Shanahan has looked back at that game for some clues.“When you have limited tape you have to go back to whoever the coordinator was, where he was the coordinator last, so you can understand all the scheme stuff,” he said. “And that’s what you see. It’s very similar to what they’ve done in New England and they present a lot of challenges that are very tough to deal with.”BOUNCE BACKPatricia’s tenure in Detroit got off to a rocky start. The Lions’ 48-17 loss to the Jets was their fourth-most lopsided opening game loss in franchise history and worst since falling 45-0 to Washington in 1991. The game got out of hand during New York’s 31-point third quarter, the most points any team has scored in the third since the Rams had 41 against Detroit on Oct. 29, 1950.“You can’t let one week lead into another week,” Patricia said. “You have to learn, and unfortunately, on a very short week, we have to learn quickly.”RED-ZONE WOESThe 49ers were held to one TD on four red zone trips in the opener, continuing a trend from last season with Garoppolo at QB when they scored TDs on 12 of 28 red zone trips. Some of the problems in the opener were self-inflicted, like when Alfred Morris lost a fumble at the 1 in the first half. And Garoppolo threw high to an open George Kittle later in the game. There was also a third-down pass to Pierre Garcon that was broken up in the end zone, leading to another field goal.“It gets tougher down there, and when you have an opportunity and you miss it you will not have a good day in the red zone,” Shanahan said. “Not going to reinvent the wheel, but we’re going to try and get better at that stuff.”GROUNDEDThe Lions had plenty of problems in the opener but one of the biggest might have been a lack of a running game. Detroit finished with a league-low 39 yards rushing on 15 carries. Offseason acquisition LeGarrette Blount lost 3 yards on four carries and rookie Kerryon Johnson had five carries for 17 yards.RELIABLE ROOKIESThe 49ers got strong production from their rookie class in the opener. First-round pick Mike McGlinchey had a solid performance starting at right tackle and then moving to guard after injuries to Mike Person and Joshua Garnett. Second-round pick Dante Pettis stepped in at receiver after Marquise Goodwin got hurt and caught two passes for 61 yards and the team’s only TD. Third-round LB Fred Warner led all rookies with 11 solo tackles and added a forced fumble and pass defensed.