Rookies have a lot to learn when they enter the NFL. One thing they shouldn't need reminding is not to downgrade an opponent who just whooped up on you.
Despite the Cleveland Brownstrouncing the Cincinnati Bengals in their own home 24-3 -- a loss A.J. Green termed "very embarrassing" -- rookie running back Jeremy Hill was unimpressed with the now-AFC North leading Browns.
"Oh no, not at all. They're probably worse than I thought, to be honest with you," Hill said, per ESPN.com's Coley Harvey. "They didn't do anything special to me. I mean, respect to them, they won the game. But that's all I'll give them."
Hill got one thing very right: The Browns won the game. They also held him to 55 yards rushing, caused him to fumble, forced three interceptions and held Cincy to fewer than 200 yards of total offense. Simply, the Browns outplayed, outcoached and outworked the Bengals in every facet of the football game Thursday night.
It got so bad that at one point in the fourth quarter Hill chucked his helmet on the sidelines in frustration. When asked about being exasperated, instead of listing all his own team's problems, Hill decided to unload on the Browns, again.
"Those guys, they're not that good," he said. "It was on us (Thursday), We gave them the game, in my opinion. They didn't do anything special. We just gave them the game. They just sat back with coverage the whole day."
Hopefully one of the Bengals veterans takes Hill aside and tells him about a little thing called projection, because the rookie was projecting the Bengals' troubles all over the place Thursday night.
On Friday, Browns safety Donte Whitner chimed in with his thought's on Hill's comments.
"That's a rookie; you can't take his word for anything other than ignorance, being a sore loser," Whitner said, per WKRK-FM in Cleveland. "We'll see them again."
UPDATE: It didn't take long for Hill's comments to reach at least one Browns player.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast previews every Week 10 game and recaps the Browns' blowout win over the Bengals. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.