I've been critical of our Head Coach from week 1. (IMO, for good reason) Today, I stumbled across the linked article about Goober as seen through the eyes of ex-OC Todd Haley. As much as I dislike that weasel, he makes some salient points. https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...arrett-this-falls-squarely-on-the-head-coach/ "You either coach it or allow it to happen"
Before anyone gets their panties in a wad, I'm NOT saying Goober coached Myles Garrett to rip another player's helmet off and bash him in the melon. But there have been way too many instances this year that indicate a lack of discipline on this team
No argument on that point, but Freddie is a first year HC, and if he's to blame for the lack of discipline, he's also credited with having his 3 and 6 team's spirited play, at a point in the season they could have stopped hearing the coach and phoned it in. He's learning, and he's getting better. The Myles incident is on Myles. Considering the source, a guy who lost his job to the coach he's commenting on, I have to question it. Fair points, but .....
That's the first thing that came to my mind as well. Haley is a weasel who reaped the rewards of his own skulduggery. But, he is still spot on when he says, "You are either coaching it or you're allowing it to happen". The penalties, the illegal cleats and helmet visors, wearing a watch in a game . . . it all adds up to a lack of team discipline.
I won't argue the point Lyman. I'll just reiterate " he's a first year coach, with less seasoning than most", so he's learning. Will he be able to survive the year and still keep his HC title. Unknown. I'd say he's placed himself and his team in a very tough spot, and if he can coach his way out of it, he stays, to take what he's learned and build this team.
Browns 2-0 Ravens 3-1 Steelers 1-2 Bengals 0-3 If the pattern above stays true, I will agree. A 6-0 record in the division and Freddie WILL be the HC in 2020. He would take a GIANT leap towards that goal if he's still undefeated 2 weeks from tonight. It's one thing to embarrass the Steelers at home in Cleveland (which they did), it's quite another to march into Pittsburgh and find a way to win, making it two in a row against the a-holes and 4 wins in a row overall.
Freddie has been severly challenged as a first year HC. He's clearly been "over his head", and has admitted it, which was also seen as a weakness. I think it's just Freddie's style, and any other approach wouldn't be genuine. I believe he's improved as the season has progressed, and now faces his greatest challenge, following the Pittsburgh game. I think he's finding his feet, and is beginning to demonstrate the qualities that helped him get the job: his ability to reach his guys, and make them a team. We are about to find out if that's true, and if he succeeds, he's back, and he's the better for it, as is the team.
I've been doing a lot of thinking about this ever since Thursday's game (specifically Myles Garrett's actions). I keep asking myself the question, "what role does a Head Coach have that could have or should have prevented it from happening?" The facts of the matter are; There were only (literally) seconds left in the game at the snap of the ball. The Browns had a 14 point lead. The Steelers would have had to score a TD on that play, recover an onside kick and score a 2nd TD all within 8 seconds. Just to tie ! It's called "situational football". Even with the backup DB's on the field at that time, there was no pressing team need to go for a sack. The Steelers had shown zero propensity to be able to score from that distance, that quickly. I strongly suspect that Myles took it upon himself to try and pad his sack total rather than simply contain Rudolph in the pocket, let him attempt a pass and end up running some more seconds off the clock. Situational Football. Kitchens keeps yammering on and on about "team first" yet every fucking week we see individual players with "me first" actions. Clearly, whatever Freddie is doing to instill a team first mentality isn't sinking in with this group of players. Individual awards are nice, but a division title and a shot at a Lombardi Trophy are better. He also keeps talking about "learning from adversity ". Well, he now has a bullet proof lesson plan staring him in the face. Time will tell if this roster of individual talents learns how to play and win as a team.
Lyman, I have to admit, I too thought Myles was looking to pad his stats. He'd had a great game, yet hadn't recorded a sack, and they left him unblocked, so he "went for it". This isn't the first time I felt that way either. Myles is always talking about being the sack leader. Frankly I'd like him to be the "disrupter" who changes the game with superior play against any O. Learn to recognize misdirection, screens, swing passes, etc.... rather than focusing on sacks. I agree, too much of that kind of mentality exists in the league, and particularly on the Browns. Chubb, Shoebert, Bitonio, and even Landry who I truly believes in team first, but sometimes lets his aggression overcome him, are real "team guys". Tolerating a guy like Calloway, IMO reveals a lot about what he organization truly values, and is at least in part, responsible for the lack of team focus. Dorsey has made a lot of "bold" moves that tempt fate, and have come back to bite him. A more level headed approach, might have served the team better. Freddie has taken the hits for this, when IMO the roots of it are above him. Naming Freddie is yet another "bold move", and while I'm in Freddie's corner, he was promoted before he had any seasoning, and that isn't his fault. He was saddled with "huge" expectations, that went untempered, a roster of talent with personal issues of one sort or another, and told to make the playoffs. Recipe for success???
The buck should stop with Kitchens, so I definitely don't want to excuse them. But ccn anyone else think of a time when you had a: (1) rookie head coach, (2) extremely talented roster, (3) extremely young overall team? I think missing some veterans on the team also hurt(s) them. The oldest player on the team is 30.
Define veteran, does one have to be over 30 to be considered "veteran"? I actually thought buddy boy did a nice job adding some veterans to the staff.. Beckham Jr 6 years (added off-season) Expected Leader Landry 6 years Expected Leader Randall 5 years Expected Leader Kush 7 years (added off-season) Carrie 6 years Bitonio 6 years Expected Leader Hubbard 6 years Mitchell 6 years Expected Leader Richardson 7 years (added off-season) Expected Leader Vernon 8 years (added off-season) Expected Leader Robinson 6 years Smith 6 years Tretter 6 years Expected Leader Burnett 10 years Expected Leader Kirksey 6 years Expected Leader Stanton 12 years Expected Mentor Is the leadership showing?? I really don't think so... But I don't think it was for a lack of effort.
Good points, @IrishDawg42 ... I should have been more specific. I don't doubt that guys like Landry and Beckham can show the younger players the ropes of what it means to play their position or approach the game. I was more looking for the guys who had "been there". For all the vets added - which you detailed well above - how many have won (and won consistently) at the highest levels? Beckham Jr 6 years (added off-season) Expected Leader. Odell's been to one playoff game. Landry 6 years Expected Leader. Landry's been to one playoff game (and even spoke about how Miami thought they'd 'made it' after that season and then went back into the toilet). Randall 5 years Expected Leader. Randall is still playing on his rookie deal and has the second-most post-season experience from his time with Green Bay (5 games) than anyone else. His former team thought so little of him they took a fourth round pick and DeShone Kizer. Bitonio 6 years Expected Leader. Great dude... 0.244 career winning percentage. Mitchell 6 years Expected Leader. On his fifth team with no post-season experience. Definitely more of a journeyman than a leader. Richardson 7 years (added off-season) Expected Leader. On his fourth team in as many years without any post-season experience. Vernon 8 years (added off-season) Expected Leader. A Tretter 6 years Expected Leader. Four post-season games. I would argue he's one of the best players at his position, too. Love that we signed him and we need more guys like Tretter. Consummate professional. Burnett 10 years Expected Leader. The exact example of guys we should have added. Burnett has been around the league for a long time, is the oldest member of the team, has the most playoff experience (11 games), and has been to - and won - a Super Bowl. I would argue that he has been a leader, and the play of the secondary despite being ravaged with injury, I think, would support that. His presence will be missed while he recovers from his injury. Kirksey 6 years Expected Leader. Same with Bitonio -- a good dude who's been on a 0.244 career winning trajectory with anything but stability in his time with Cleveland who also (unfortunately) isn't able to stay healthy. And again, I'm not trying to shift blame from Kitchens -- he's the leader of this team and deserves the good and bad. I just think that given the expectations placed on this team and the stress to perform well so quickly, perhaps a few more Burnetts on the roster would have been prudent. And of course, this is very easy to say with 20/20 hindsight.
No idea what happened to Vernon's comment. Should have said: "Just like Beckham... one post-season game."
There's a lot of football left to happen, but a rookie head coach has beaten the Steelers and Ravens in the same season, the latter of whom look to be the best team in the AFC. He brought a toughness back to the team (to wit): The next Ravens game will be a very tough one, but the next Steelers is *extremely* winnable... the Bengals are in a tank. If they take care of business, we're looking at 5-1 in the division. When's the last time a coach at the Browns at 5-1 in the division (spoiler: 1986).
Since the very beginning, Freddie has said he want's a tough team. I believe he needs to do a better job balancing toughness with also playing more mistake-free... but no doubt some of the penalties we've seen this season have to be a result of the mindset. Again, *not* excusing the penalties... but I can see where a first year head coach may not have understood how to properly communicate the message of toughness balanced with discipline because he hasn't had to do that before.
Freddie, Freddie, Freddie..... for a guy who wanted to and preached no distractions, the T shirt move was stupid. Then to say you'd do it again? Not as coach of the Cleveland Browns you won't, if I'm Dorsey. You've made some bad calls this season, and we forgive you, but c'mon man. There are decisions you can defend and then there's the dumb T shirt. I certainly hope you get over defending that move, apologize to the team for making your stupidity a distraction, and have learned not to do anything like that again. In the grand scope of things, this was an unforced error, of little consequence, with the exception of it's impact on your players, who you've asked to avoid distractions. As leader of the team you "have to" know better. That aside, where do we all stand on Freddie returning, next year?
To be honest . . . I'm torn between not wanting another year of coaching blunders and not wanting to blow it up again.
Freddie can come back. His underlings, however, need to be re-tooled. The biggest question is whether or not he's comfortable giving up control of the offense -- specifically play-calling. Hue Jackson, in his most recent interview, doubled-down on his play-calling ability saying he'd never have given it up (if he could do something differently in his time here). Tough to force these guys to relinquish something. Here's what bugs me... Freddie's 2018 magic *is still in there*. To wit... typically the first 1-2 drives of a game are your scripted plays. You know what you want to do, the sequencing, the time allotment, etc. Here's the first drive of all 12 games thus far for Cleveland: 73 Plays, 512 yards, 41 points (7.0 YPP, 5 touchdowns, 2 field goals, zero turnovers) ... only three-and-outs (Ravens, Pats). Once the script is over, he doesn't have a good command of the game. Nick Chubb is getting his touches (leads the league in attempts), but he's not using him at the right time (Los Angeles game, second half against Pittsburgh, etc.). He gets in his feelings and let's emotion call his gameplan a number of times. It's in these spots I think a steadier hand calling plays would be beneficial. Freddie still obviously should have his input... the scripted drives prove that out. His offensive scheme is working when they call the right plays and the players execute (more on that later), so addressing OC and play-caller would be paramount for me. On defense, Wilks has been dealt the shortest stick of the group for sure, and in that respect has over-performed. But he's also got games against Marcus Mariota (current backup), Brandon Allen (third-string), and Delvin Hodges (fourth-string) that were pathetic. The defense let a 12 point lead over Seattle evaporate and an 10 point lead over Pittsburgh (most recently) evaporate. He's one of only two coaches, however, to stop Lamar Jackson. Lots of question marks left with Wilks and I think his game against Baltimore at home is going to be the make-or-break for him. The Ravens got late garbage yards and points in what was effectively a 40-18 loss for them, a lower total than they had against San Francisco, the #1 defense in the NFL. I think the way they win over the next four weeks matters more than the wins themselves at this point. At least with respect to the coaches (and players) evaluation.
