As we wrote a couple of weeks ago, coaches have egos. They like to put their stamp on things, to show they made a difference. We are sure that Browns’ defensive coordinator, Mike Rutenberg, is no different.
Rutenberg will be 45 next month and this is his first gig as a defensive coordinator. He started as an intern with Washington at age 22, went to the college ranks, and has been in the NFL since 2013 where he was an assistant defensive backs coach with the Jaguars. So, he’s a guy who has worked his way up the coaching ranks and getting his first opportunity to run a professional defense.
On the other hand, he took over a Cleveland defense that just a year ago, Steelers’ coach Mike Tomlin said was the best unit in the AFC North. ranking in the top five defenses in the league three times in the last five years under Jim Schwartz.
In the words of Charles Barkley, “if it ain’t broke, don’t break it”.
To be fair, Rutenberg was put a little behind the eight ball when the Browns traded the two-time Defensive Player of the Year in Myles Garrett. But they did replace Garrett with a Pro Bowl player in Jared Verse. Still, that’s a drop off.
But the nature of coach’s egos is making something better. And we raised an eyebrow during training camp when Rutenberg said he wanted to play more zone defense, even though his starting cornerbacks, All Pro Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell, both excel in playing man-to-man.
We believe that in both football and basketball, man-to-man is the preferred style of defense. Zone defense is used because you can’t play man-to-man. And we understand in football, you can’t play man on every down.
In the season opener, the Browns’ defense, previously the strength of the team, was shredded by Jacksonville, giving up 360 yards, including 126 on the ground. And that was with the Jaguars taking their foot off the gas in the fourth quarter.
Watching the Jaguars’ completions down field, many of them were against a zone defense, which will happen if you can’t put pressure on the QB, and Cleveland had only one sack. Any decent passer, given time, will find the holes in a zone.
We bring all of this up because this week we will see what kind of defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg will be. Will he be so sure of his convictions that the Browns will use the same schemes this week against Tampa Bay? Or will he listen to his players, some of whom seemed puzzled by all of the zone looks.
A lot of the focus will be on the quarterback, and has there been improvement at that position from week one, but the game against the Jaguars was a blowout because the defense was terrible, allowing 24 points in the first half.
If that unit isn’t better, it will really be a long season because most experts figured the defense could keep the Browns in games.
No pressure on the new coach though.
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