Time For Browns To Clean Up This Mess

When Paul DePodesta was with the Browns, it could be said that no one knew what the chain of command within the organization was. The team itself talked about the famous “collaborative effort”, which we guess was put in place so no one would have to take the blame directly.

With DePodesta now running a baseball team, a job he is certainly more suited for, this is as good as time as any to make changes in Berea. Get rid of the collaborative process, get rid of GM Andrew Berry, and get rid of the head coach and push a gigantic reset button for the franchise.

Yes, under this regime the Browns made the playoffs twice, but overall, since Stefanski has been the head coach and Berry the GM, the Browns have gone 43-53, which isn’t great, but the past two years have seen a 6-23 mark.

We joke about analytics being best used as a way to justify a bad decision, and the Haslam family can point to the two playoff seasons as the reason to keep Stefanski, and Berry’s 2025 draft as the reason to keep him as GM.

Except, outside of Hue Jackson, who gets to keep an NFL head coaching position winning six games over two seasons, or better yet losing 10 or more contests in half of the seasons they coach?

And as for Berry, yes,this draft has yielded some building blocks for the future, but what about the five previous drafts, which brought the Browns just one Pro Bowl player in Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.

We know the team didn’t have first round picks in three of those seasons, but what was the reason for that? Since it was a team decision, the GM was part of it no?

As for the coach, he’s came here as an offensive mind and his team struggles to score 20 points on weekly basis, something NFL teams, even bad ones, do all the time.

We don’t want the ownership involved in football operations; that’s for sure. One of our favorite sayings is “the wise man knows what he doesn’t know”. So, the Haslams need to hire a football professional and let him run football operations.

Let that guy hire a coach and a GM that can work together and develop a clear vision for what the franchise is going to be. Since the Browns play in the AFC North, we would like to see a physical team that can run the football.

Right now, the franchise has that on one side of the ball. The defense built over the years (you can’t really credit Berry since the two best players, Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward, were here when he arrived) and run by Jim Schwartz is championship quality.

We get the whole “passing league” stuff but look at teams that run the ball well this season. The top five in rushing yards are the Lions, Cowboys, Colts, Patriots, and Seahawks. All of those teams, except maybe Dallas, will be in the post-season.

When the Browns had Nick Chubb and an offensive line coach by Bill Callahan, they were one of those teams. But the Watson trade was made and the front office ignored helping the line and we presume they thought Chubb was never going to get old.

In other words, they lost their identity on offense.

The Browns need to clean house this off-season and come up with a new direction and make one person responsible for keeping the franchise on course.

Standing pat after six seasons with only one playoff win shouldn’t even be a thought

Should Andrew Berry Be Trusted With This Draft?

When it comes to continuity, we don’t see a lot of success for professional teams that change people in their front office or coaching staff on a yearly basis. The biggest reason is if the philosophy changes every season, then likely you don’t have the right personnel, and significant turnover has to happen.

The Cleveland Browns are trying to do that after a decade of reshuffling the deck every season.

When owner Jimmy Haslam talks about his front office, he usually mentions the term “collaborative”, which we aren’t sure works in professional sports. We believe it is far better to have someone who can judge talent in concert with the coaching staff, and let that person make the call.

That makes it very difficult for evaluate GM Andrew Berry.

First, let’s go back to the trade for Deshaun Watson. Whoever had the idea to vigorously pursue Watson via trade should be no longer with the organization. It was that bad of a decision.

However, we don’t know who advocated for the deal, and that of course leads to speculation that it was the owner who pushed for the move.

And dealing the three first round picks makes it hard to evaluate Berry’s performance in the draft. In looking at his record, we find the following:

2020: First round pick Jedrick Wills didn’t pan out as expected and has probably played his last down in Cleveland. Second rounder Grant Delpit is a solid safety. Nick Harris (5th) has been injury prone. Harrison Bryant was also selected in this draft.

2021: First rounder Greg Newsome is a starter at nickel corner and 2nd rounder Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah has made a Pro Bowl, although he had a severe neck injury last season. James Hudson, selected on the 4th round is hanging on the roster by a thread.

Taking WR Anthony Schwartz in the third round wasn’t a good pick.

2022: No first this year, but the top selection, Martin Emerson is a starter, and another pick in that round, Alex Wright shows some promise. Jerome Ford (5th) is a contributor, and Michael Woods (5th) has had injury issues.

2023: Again, no first-round pick, but 2nd rounder WR Cedric Tillman shows promise. 3rd rounder Siaki Ika has been cut, but 4th rounder Dawand Jones should start somewhere if he can stay healthy and DE Isaiah McGuire flashed late last season.

Fifth round QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson looks like a wasted pick and CB Cam Mitchell seems like a solid cornerback. Offensive lineman Luke Wypler missed all of last season.

In last year’s draft, 2nd rounder Michael Hall seems to be the real deal, but has had off the field issues. It’s too early to judge anyone else.

The problem for Berry has been the lack of first round picks for sure, but neither of the two he made is an impact player. In fact, outside of Owusu-Koramoah and Delpit and maybe Emerson, none of his picks can be considered franchise cornerstones.

That might be the most damning thing to say about those drafts. He made solid trades for Jerry Jeudy, Amari Cooper, and other veterans, but free agent signings Juan Thornhill and John Johnson III haven’t worked out.

It’s why fans and media people have issues trusting Berry with this draft, which includes a first-round pick, and is oh so important for the franchise.

And we totally understand.

Another Loss Brings More Puzzling Questions For Browns

It was another mind-numbing, head scratching performance by the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, capping their home schedule with a 20-3 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

If you thought it couldn’t get worse from the early season offensive struggles with Deshaun Watson at the helm, the Browns have now scored in single digits the last three contests, the last two with overmatched Dorian Thompson-Robinson calling signals.

At least Watson would put up at least 10 points per game. His low was the 13 scored against Washington in week five.

Offensively, Cleveland had a decent day running the football, gaining 114 yards (their 4th best of the season) on 28 attempts. And although we understand the Browns were trailing most of the second half, they still decided to have their inexperienced, ineffective QB put the ball in the air 47 times.

Thompson-Robinson completed 24 of those throws for 170 yards, and had an interception, the 10th of his career vs. just one touchdown pass.

The Browns said they wanted to take a look at the second year QB when he has time to prepare for games, and if true, they can’t like what they’ve seen. Jameis Winston has a reputation for throwing interceptions, and his career percentage is 3.5%.

DTR in his 14 games, including five starts, has a percentage of 4.4%. Add that to a career completion percentage of 52.4% and you can see he’s not ready to be a starter in the league, and really, you have to question whether or not he should be on a roster.

Which leads to another question. Why did the Browns cut Tyler Huntley in order to keep Thompson-Robinson? It leads us to believe there is an agenda, in that case being the GM drafted one and signed the other as a free agent.

We understand general managers have a fondness for players they drafted, but good organizations (note, we said good) make evaluations based on how people play, not where or by whom they were drafted by.

Is Huntley a better quarterback? He’s played 24 games in the NFL with 13 starts and has completed 65% of his throws with 10 TDs and 8 interceptions (1.8%). Yeah, he’s better without a doubt.

Which leads us to this question. Should Andrew Berry be making the draft picks this upcoming spring? It’s hard to make a case for him.

Yes, he’s been without a first-round choice for the last three seasons. However, he’s only selected one player who has made a Pro Bowl, LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. The first round picks he did make; T Jedrick Wills and CB Greg Newsome aren’t cornerstones of the team.

He’s made some good trades, like the ones for Amari Cooper and Jerry Jeudy, but he also dealt a second-round pick for Elijah Moore, whose roster spot is tenuous at best.

Does anyone trust Berry to change the landscape of the Browns in this draft where they likely will have a top five pick? It’s difficult to make that argument.

The Browns’ front office makes too many errors trying to justify bad decisions which is a twofold problem. The best thing to do if you mess up is to admit it, move on and get better.

There was another report this week about Watson competing for the QB job in training camp. If it is not true, then the powers that be should say nothing about him, so apparently someone is putting that out there.

Why? The guy doesn’t want to play in Cleveland.

By next Saturday night, this nightmare season for the Browns will be over. We still think Kevin Stefanski should be the coach next year, but someone needs to be held accountable for Watson and the offensive coaching staff firings.

Running it back with the same group shouldn’t be an option.

Browns Don’t Need A Total Rebuild

With the Browns sitting at 1-6 this season, the draftniks are out in full force. In their estimation, the best thing Cleveland can do is basically trade every player who has some value in order to get more picks next spring.

And that includes a great player like Myles Garrett, and very good ones such as TE David Njoku, and perhaps LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. They forget several things.

First, it’s very possible if the Browns make the correct moves, they could be making a playoff push in a couple of years, and perhaps even next season.

The second thing is overcoming a losing culture. Many of these players have experienced a pair of playoff runs. We know it doesn’t look like it, but there is a knowledge of success for a lot of these guys, and the last thing you want to do is start showing everyone in the organization is it is okay to lose.

Because of this, it is also important for the front office and the coaching staff to show everyone that winning is the utmost goal.

There is no problem with GM Andrew Berry going out and getting draft picks for veterans who are on one-year deals and are unlikely to return in 2025. We are talking about players like Za’Darius Smith, Maurice Hurst, Rodney McLeod, etc.

We have already seen Amari Cooper, another player in that category moved for basically a third-round pick.

Avoiding a losing culture is a reason we are very curious about the movement to elevate Dorian Thompson-Robinson to starting quarterback.

We don’t know how the next couple of weeks play out, but if Jameis Winston shows he can move the Browns’ offense better than Deshaun Watson, it would be tough for the front office to trade Winston or bench him.

That would tell the entire locker room that the organization has no interest in winning games. Granted, it would be the long shot of long shots for Cleveland to climb back in the playoff race, but players don’t care about next season, and they certainly don’t care about draft picks.

Yes, we understand the negative salary cap situation the Browns are in. However, the cap will probably go up next season, which should help a little bit. And hopefully, the Browns can draft their next QB in April, and that player would be on a rookie contract.

Trading some of the veterans would allow young players to get some experience and perhaps allow them to flash. We are thinking of guys like DE Isaiah McGuire, DT Mike Hall Jr., CB Cam Mitchell, and even WR Cedric Tillman.

Perhaps with some playing time, they can claim starting positions entering the off-season.

As for Thompson-Robinson, even if Winston buoys the offense and makes it productive again, you can always play the second-year passer in the last two regular season games to see how he performs.

There is no question this has been a very disappointing season, but we aren’t even a year removed from an 11-6 record. There is talent on the roster, a lot of talent. Blowing up the roster wouldn’t be prudent. This hasn’t been a five-to-ten-year span without winning.

It’s been bad, but let’s not advocate for making things worse.

Browns’ Season In Ruins? All Signs Point to Yes

It is hard to believe that just nine short months ago, the Cleveland Browns were getting ready to take on the Houston Texans in the playoffs and hopes were high after they won four of their last five regular season games, scoring over 30 points in three of those wins.

We bring that up because we highly doubt the man who coached that team, Kevin Stefanski suddenly lost the skill to lead this team during the summer.

On the other hand, we asked this question all summer long. This Browns’ team to win now, and what would happen if the team got off to a poor start. Would the organization have the stomach to replace Deshaun Watson if he were not playing well?

Well, that time has arrived and at least after the game, Stefanski said he would continue with Watson at quarterback. He is staying with him despite him not throwing for over 200 yards in any of the five games Cleveland has played this season.

Several members of the media, both local and national, have wondered if Stefanski even has the authority to make the change, considering the amount of draft capital and money the franchise has invested in Watson.

If that’s the case, it should tip everyone off as to why this franchise has trouble winning consistently. Presumably, Stefanski, GM Andrew Berry, and the rest of the front office, save for the “strategy department” were hired because of their football acumen, yet their ability to make decisions is compromised.

It seems that the focus of the franchise has shifted from a year ago. Last year, it was about winning, making the playoffs. Over the off-season, it shifted to making a player happy and justifying a bad trade.

That’s the only reason for firing Alex Van Pelt as offensive coordinator and bringing in Ken Dorsey. By the way, could the latter be the first OC to be fired in mid-season two years in a row?

That’s not to hold the coaching staff blameless. The number of stupid penalties grows every week. We don’t believe they are coaching players to commit errors, but maybe there needs to be more accountability.

Sunday was no different. Mike Ford was flagged for running into the return man fielding a punt when he clearly signaled for a fair catch. There were multiple occurrences of having 12 men on the field, causing either a penalty or Stefanski having to take a timeout.

When you are losing, those mistakes are glaring.

Washington came into the game with one of the worst defenses against the pass in the league. The Browns threw for 108 yards. The Cleveland defense allowed 215 yards on the ground, another recipe for defeat in the NFL.

The defense started very well, getting an interception on the goal line by Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and confusing rookie QB Jayden Daniels, who came into the game completing 82% of his throws.

He hit on only 56% Sunday, but had completions of 66, 41, and 33 yards, and the Commanders had runs of 50, 34, and 28 yards. There were big plays all over the place.

And really, the game turned on the 33-yard run by Daniels on 4th and 3 with the score 10-3 and a little over three minutes left in the first half.

The road show continues next week in Philadelphia, but if there anyone left in the fan base or worse on the coaching staff that the Browns can generate any offense with Watson playing quarterback?

Trying to bring out the best in him when it wasn’t there to begin with seems to have derailed a season that should have been ending in a playoff berth.

Browns’ Camp And Preseason Games? No Biggie

The Cleveland Browns open their exhibition season Saturday with a clash with the Green Bay Packers. And yes, we think it is incredibly terrible of the almighty NFL to charge full prices to watch a game in which many of the participants will not be NFL players.

But we look at this training camp and preseason schedule with a big yawn. Why is that? Because the Browns made the playoff a year ago and have done it twice in the last four seasons.

While that doesn’t seem to be dynastic, the Browns are a talented good football team, so unless someone suffers a severe injury (knock on wood), any news coming out of Berea is kind of background noise for us.

Again, Cleveland has talent on both sides of the football. On offense, the key is obviously QB Deshaun Watson, but he will play sparingly we would guess in the preseason, but they have a very good interior offensive line, a quality wide receiver in Amari Cooper (unless he is dealt) and a weapon at TE in David Njoku.

The only news that would matter to us would be the progress of Nick Chubb, coming off a severe knee injury apparently quicker than anyone would have anticipated six months ago.

The defense contains the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in Myles Garrett, along with a veteran defensive line, LB Jeremiah Osuwu-Koramoah, who was tremendous in the second half of last season, and an excellent secondary led by CB Denzel Ward and Martin Emerson Jr.

There is a new offensive coordinator in Ken Dorsey, but we know NFL teams aren’t going to show anything but basic stuff before the season begins, so no one should be evaluating play calling in August.

When the team you follow is good, you aren’t looking for draft picks who “flash”, especially if you haven’t had a first-round selection in three years. Yes, there are undrafted players who can make plays and put themselves on the final roster, but it is doubtful anyone is going to thrust themselves into a starting position for the Browns.

If you are a football diehard, yes you may be able to find some players who can make their bones special team players and as injuries happen for every NFL team, they could make a contribution as the regular season progresses.

And in today’s media world, Kevin Stefanski or any of his coordinators aren’t going to say anything of consequence during his daily press conferences. When we hear a radio station breaking in to broadcast Stefanski’s pressers, we laugh. They act like he is bringing down the tablets from Mt. Sinai, but he is going to say nothing.

We understand it is contractual, but it’s also funny.

So, unless the Browns swing the deal for 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk, we will relax until the regular season starts on September 8th at home against Dallas. That’s the first time anything real will happen for Stefanski’s squad.

That’s what having a good team means.

Browns’ Biggest Question? Still Watson

The Cleveland Browns start training camp this week, meaning an end to the local sports talk stations searching for content.

Because even though the Cavaliers made it to the second round of the playoffs this year, and the Guardians have one of the best records in baseball, football is the preferred subject for the radio sports talk folks.

The Browns went 11-6 a year ago, making the playoffs before they “picked a bad day to have a bad day” to quote coach Kevin Stefanski, losing to Houston in the wild card round.

However, Cleveland earned a lot of respect within the NFL last season. Myles Garrett was voted the league’s defensive player of the year. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was voted the NFL’s best assistant coach, and Stefanski himself was named Coach of the Year for the second time.

Many of the team’s star players are in their prime: Garrett, CB Denzel Ward, LB Jeremiah Osuwu-Koramoah, and TE David Njoku. The secondary is among the league’s best led by cornerbacks Ward and Martin Emerson along with S Grant Delpit.

And with Schwartz in his second year, the defense which allowed the least yards in the league last year should be able to provide some new wrinkles, particularly on the road where they had some struggles last season.

Nick Chubb, who suffered a severe knee injury last season, has attacked rehab like he attacks would be tacklers and amazingly looks like he could be ready for the season opener.

To be honest, we felt we wouldn’t see Chubb until mid-season.

But the key to the Browns’ Super Bowl hopes is still QB Deshaun Watson. Many in the local media continue to think with new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, Watson can get close to being the quarterback he was in Houston in 2020, when he led the NFL in passing yards, yards/attempt and yards per completion.

Notice we said that happened in 2020. This is 2024.

Watson is coming off shoulder surgery which cost him the last eight games of the regular season in ’23, but that’s the only injury which cost him playing time since his last productive season.

The national media have their doubts to whether or not we will ever see that Watson again. And if they are correct, can the Browns get to where they have never been? That being a Super Bowl.

The first thing for Watson is availability. He’s been with the Browns for two seasons and due to suspensions or injury, he has played 12. In both seasons, the offense looked better with another passer, the first year it was Jacoby Brissett, and last season Joe Flacco.

That’s what the national guys are seeing.

If you look at the teams who are getting to the conference championship game, most often than not, those teams are getting very good quarterback play. Watson doesn’t have to be the 2020 version, but he has to be close for Cleveland to get where they haven’t been since 1989.

And here’s another big question. What if the Browns get off to a slow start, say 1-3 or 2-5, and a big reason is Watson still hasn’t regained his Texans’ form?

Does the organization have the stomach to make a change? They brought in Jameis Winston for a reason, he’s a capable NFL signal caller. There are 230 million reasons they won’t make a change but remember what we said earlier.

This team is built to win NOW. What about the great players currently wearing the Browns’ uniform?

The organization and the fans need to see a Pro Bowl version of Deshaun Watson. The biggest question for the franchise is does that guy still exist?

Browns Impressive In Win #10.

The Cleveland Browns are now 10-5 on the season after Sunday’s 36-22 win over Houston in a game that wasn’t as close as the score would indicate.

The Browns’ defense played like it was a home game shutting out the Texans for the first three quarters, as the only Houston TD was the result of a kickoff return. The home team was held to just 250 yards, most of which came in the fourth quarter, when Cleveland took several starters out on both sides of the football.

Cleveland came out firing on offense, with Joe Flacco hitting Amari Cooper for a 53-yard strike on the first play of the game, a portent of things to come.

Cooper wound up setting a team record for receiving yards with 265 and grabbed two of Flacco’s touchdown throws. The veteran QB’s other favorite target, TE David Njoku, caught the other.

As for Flacco, it was another eye-popping performance, completing 27 of 42 throws for 368 yards, his third straight 300+ yard game. He did throw two interceptions, one on the last play of the first half, when on a different day, Kevin Stefanski would have opted for a field goal, but more on that later.

We continue to be amazed that with all of the injuries to quarterbacks around the league that no one thought to get Joe Flacco. True, he hasn’t been a starter since 2019 with Denver, but he knows how to play. He’s seen pretty much everything in his career.

It is probably the move to multi-dimensional quarterbacks that kept him at home this season, but it looks like Flacco and the Browns are a match made in heaven. And Stefanski is maximizing the talent that the veteran has.

As for the defense, it was the 7th time this year Cleveland has held an opponent to 250 yards or less, and as we said before, 157 of those came in the 4th quarter, which started with the Browns in the lead, 36-7.

Za’Darius Smith was the star with two sacks, but Myles Garrett had two tackles for loss as well, and the unit got interceptions from Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and a newcomer, veteran Duron Harmon.

While there is plenty of hoopla surrounding Flacco, never forget this defense is the motor behind the success of the 2023 Cleveland Browns. We’ve been a fan since 1965 and it’s the best defense the Browns have ever had in that time.

Now, it wouldn’t be a Browns game without injuries, and this time it was the kicking game as both Dustin Hopkins and Corey Bojorquez suffered leg injuries, the former on the kickoff return for a touchdown.

Hopefully, neither will miss any time, but we are sure this week will involve trying out both kickers and punters. And with the years both of them have had, there will likely be a drop off in performance.

The Browns have a short week with a game against the Jets Thursday night, but the anticipation going into the contest because a win put Stefanski’s squad into the playoffs for the second time in four seasons.

They don’t need any other scenarios to happen. Win and in. We are sure it will be a wild night on the lakefront.

The coach also moved into a tie for 5th on the franchise wins list for coaches, tying Bill Belichick, who needed 80 games whereas Stefanski needed 65.

Next up is Marty Schottenheimer with 44.

Through all the injuries, this football team has remained unflappable and resilient. Hopefully, there is more to come.

Resilient Browns Stack Another Win.

When the Cleveland Browns won their opening game against Cincinnati this season with a dominant defensive performance, we had an inkling this year’s squad was different than the “same ‘ol Browns”.

Yes, the defense has had a few hiccups, but for the most part, they have maintained that standard of play all season, and that alone has kept the Browns in every game they have played this year.

Sunday was no exception as Cleveland overcame three turnovers to beat Chicago 20-17 and move their record to 9-5 on the season.

We will discuss the fourth quarter heroics of Joe Flacco and crew later, but the Bears’ two touchdowns were either set up or the result of turnovers. The swarming defense really allowed just three points on the day.

They held Chicago to 236 total yards, the sixth time this season an opponent has been held under 250 yards. The average NFL team in 2023 gains 331 yards in a game. Jim Schwartz’ unit had 11 tackles for losses, and three sacks as well as holding Justin Fields to under a 50% completion percentage.

And while Myles Garrett is unquestionably the defense’s best player, we have to send some kudos to Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who has played at an unbelievable level over the last few weeks. He had two tackles for loss, two passes defended, and a sack this week. He has been the player that was advertised when drafted in the 2nd round out of Notre Dame.

The one criticism of the defense has been its play on the road. The top four games in yardage allowed against Cleveland have been on the road (Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Seattle, Baltimore) and five of the top six have been away from the lakefront.

We will bet that is a point of emphasis for Schwartz all week heading into Houston on Christmas Eve.

As usual, it was hilarious following social media during the game and reading that the game was over when Chicago led 17-7 heading into the fourth quarter.

When the Browns are trailing in a game, we get to a point where we think Cleveland has to get the next score to stay in a game, and we were at that point when it was 17-7. Of course, the Bears never scored again.

Flacco had turnover issues, throwing three interceptions, because, well, that’s what the Browns do. They lead the NFL in turning it over. No sense, making it easy, right?

The veteran hit Marquise Goodwin for a 57-yard pass to set up a field goal and awaken the offense. Then, he threw a perfect pass to Amari Cooper who took it in for a touchdown to tie the game.

Then David Njoku took over. After Nick Chubb was injured in week two, we felt Njoku was the next best weapon the offense had after Cooper, and we are happy to say this has been born out. The tight end caught 10 balls for 104 yards and the first Cleveland touchdown.

He now has a career high of 69 catches for 704 yards, also a career best. And his best skill is running after a catch. The man is tough to bring down.

As we said, next week’s opponent, Houston is now tied atop the AFC South standings and the game is in Houston. The Browns’ defense hasn’t been a dominant on the road this season, so this is a big test.

On the other hand, it’s hard to bet against this football team that has already overcome so much this season. All we can say is it’s December football. It’s not supposed to be easy.

Schwartz Has The Chops To Fix The Defense

Let’s face it, the best thing about the Browns’ hiring of Jim Schwartz as defensive coordinator is that he is not Joe Woods. No doubt, fans had to be tired of the excuses and lack of communication on that side of the ball.

Another positive is the experience factor. It seems the most heralded assistant coach Kevin Stefanski has is offensive line coach Bill Callahan, a former college and pro head coach who has been around a long time. His unit is arguably the strongest on the team.

Why not add another veteran of the coaching wars. Schwartz got his start right here on the heralded Bill Belicheck Browns’ staff which also featured Nick Saban, Eric Mangini, Kirk Ferentz, and Woody Widenhofer. He’s been around the NFL for a long time.

We are not going to judge the hire now, nor are we going to predict how Schwartz is going to coach the defense. Our hope is he will do what good coaches do, that is, look at the personnel he has and develop a plan that maximizes the talent of the players.

In a radio interview, former Titans’ safety Blaine Bishop said Schwartz reinvents himself wherever he goes because he looks at the talent on the roster and adjusts his scheme to suit the strengths of the players. We certainly hope that trend continues.

However, in 14 years as defensive coordinator with Tennessee (2001-08), Buffalo (2014), and Philadelphia (2016-20), his defenses have finished in the top half of the league eight times, and six of those seasons ranked in the top ten in yards allowed.

In points allowed Schwartz’ defense finished in the top 16 nine times, four of those in the top ten.

He seems to put an emphasis on stopping the run, finishing in the top ten eight times in allowing rushing yards. That should be a relief to Cleveland football fans who watched opposing teams punish the Browns’ defense running the ball. The Browns probably would have been worse than 7-10 had some teams not forgotten the brown and orange couldn’t contain the running game.

We understand there will be an adjustment to a new coordinator next year, so it is unlikely the defense will be dominant to start the season, but really, is that any different from the last two seasons? In each of those years, Woods’ defense was below average in the first eight games.

We also get there will be some personnel changes too. But those would have been made anyway because it is doubtful the Browns would be able to effectively stop the ground game with the current roster. However, this team still has some top end players in Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Greg Newsome, and rookie Martin Emerson.

Our guess is Schwartz will look at those cornerbacks and will play more man-to-man than his predecessor, and we fully support that. He will also likely look at the defensive front and ask for help so the defense can be stouter against the run.

You know how we feel about that. You can’t win in the NFL unless you can stop the run.

Bringing in a veteran coach with a track record of success most likely isn’t a bad thing. The defense was the reason the Browns went 7-10 this season, not playcalling or lack of yelling by the head coach.

That’s why we should all be happy about the hire.