QUITE A CATCH

Kevin Johnson’s abilities as a playmaker have given the Browns plenty of hope--and answered one prayer.

Johnson, a rookie wide receiver from Syracuse, has been one of the few bright spots this season in Cleveland as the team struggles through its first year back in the NFL.

Taken with the first pick in the second round--32nd overall--Johnson enters Cleveland’s game today against Tennessee leading the league’s rookies in receptions (42), yards (637) and touchdowns (6).

He also helped give the Browns their first win, catching rookie quarterback Tim Couch’s 56-yard heave on the final play to beat New Orleans in Week 8.

“That’s something I’ll never forget,” Johnson said. “That makes me feel good, knowing that I’ve already made a play that Browns fans will always remember.”

They’ll probably see Johnson and Couch hook up for many more big plays before their careers are finished.

Johnson has been everything Cleveland could have hoped for, and on a team ranked last in the league offensively, he has been the Browns most consistent weapon.

He’s a playmaker in the Keyshawn Johnson, Terry Glenn and Joey Galloway mold, able to break off a big gain whenever he touches the ball.

“In a short period of time, he’s come very far,” Cleveland coach Chris Palmer said. “He has extremely soft hands, quick feet and thinks football. He has a quarterback’s mind as far as thinking a game.”

At times, Palmer and Johnson’s relationship has been closer to that of teacher-student than coach-player. Other times, it’s more like father-son.

“He gives me a headache,” Palmer said.

Pressed for an example of how Johnson wears on him, Palmer said, “He tests your patience. Do you have children? Do they give you headaches? Like that.”

Palmer had no choice but to be tough on Johnson, who next to Couch was the most important player drafted by Cleveland. He had just six weeks to develop a raw but talented receiver into an NFL starter.

The first-year coach knew Johnson’s background from talking with his friend, Syracuse coach Paul Pasqualoni. He was told that the 5-foot-10 Johnson, an All-American high school quarterback, might need some prodding.

“He told me I had to be very explicit,” Palmer said. “And I’ve been living up to that.”

So during training camp, it almost became part of Johnson’s daily routine to go straight from the practice field to Palmer’s office.

“We talked every day,” Johnson said. “If you look around the league, there aren’t a lot of rookie receivers starting. Here, I didn’t have time to sit around and learn. I had to learn--now. He just tried to put me in pressure situations and see if I could handle it. I handled it well, and I told him he couldn’t break me. He’s a great guy. He’s taught me so much.”

Johnson’s sit-down visits with Palmer are now less frequent, but he did get a long lecture after predicting the Browns would upset St. Louis. Cleveland got pounded 34-3, and Johnson spent the entire game listening to Rams players remind him that rookies should keep their mouths shut.

Johnson had another setback last Sunday when he dropped four passes in the second half of Cleveland’s loss to Carolina. Still, he impressed Panthers defensive back Eric Davis.

“He’s quick, tough to defend,” Davis said. “He dropped a couple today. I don’t know what that was about.”

Neither did Johnson, who said he dropped only two passes in his entire collegiate career. He apologized for his performance, then made a promise.

“I let my teammates down,” he said. “If I have to stay after practice and catch 100 balls a day--I’m going to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

On Monday, Johnson kept his word. He chatted with Palmer and Couch following the Browns’ workout and spent another 15 minutes running pass routes for Couch.

“The fact that he’s out there catching balls, shows how important this is to him,” Palmer said. “He wants to be good. He wants to be the best. And when you have players like that it’s easy to coach.”