Dawgs By Nature
The Cleveland Browns had back-to-back double-digit loss seasons. The NFL is a results-driven league. Nobody wants anything to do with losing 26 games in two years. No Hue Jackson clone repeat, please.
RELATED: BROWNS NEW HEAD COACH MUST BE OFFENSIVE-MINDED
So, Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said their niceties to head coach Kevin Stefanski on Black Monday, wished him well, and sent him on his way to his next employer. And Stefanski will be hired sooner rather than later.
When a head coach is fired, everybody on his staff is also now unemployed. The new guy usually brings in his own people, who are guys he has worked with in the past, whom he trusts, and everyone on board knows who the boss is without any interference or power plays.
Cleveland has a tremendous defense. They are slotted at #4 in overall defensive rankings, with a breakdown of #3 in pass defense and #16 against the run. This is the work of DC Jim Schwartz, who has built up a great defense every place he has been hired.
What if the new head coach simply kept Schwartz to work his magic with the defense? This would allow the Browns to hire an offensive-minded guru to mold a very stagnant offense, work with young quarterbacks, and round out the team’s roster to finally become a force on that side of the ball.
This would solve the entire situation with the coaching staff.
But easier said than done. Who would run this offense and get it flowing upwards? Can we un-retire Steve Spurrier? What about Norv Turner? Vince Lombardi certainly knew the offense. Does he have any of his coaching tree still living? Summon the ghosts of Don Coryell or Bill Walsh?
There are several offensive coaches currently not affiliated with an NFL club who have vast head coaching experience: Mike McCarthy, Frank Reich, Doug Pederson**,** Bill O’Brien (Boston College), Brian Daboll, Pete Carroll, Bobby Petrino (North Carolina), and Urban Meyer.
And the list of young current NFL offensive coordinators is lengthy this year: Kliff Kingsbury (age 46), OC Washington Commanders, Mike LaFleur (38), OC Los Angeles Rams, Klint Kubiak (38), OC Seattle Seahawks, Klayton Adams (42), OC Dallas Cowboys, Mike McCarthy (62), no affiliate, and Joe Brady (36), OC Buffalo Bills.
The NFL has always been a copycat league. The recent success of young offensive-minded head coaches such as Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams and Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers has created a sense that offensive innovation can lead to a quick turnaround for NFL clubs. With this accomplishment, owners and front offices have taken notice.
One thing the NFL wants to make sure of every year is that the scoreboard lights up often. Nobody is interested in a 1-1 pitcher’s duel. They just aren’t. So, if the scoring can be something like 38-35 in every contest, yeah, for our side.
And in doing so, the NFL has slanted...
