As a franchise, the Browns are broken, a jumble of puzzle pieces that haven’t fit together for the past 17 years.
Now owner Jimmy Haslam is trying a different strategy with an unheard of new structure. He hired Paul DePodesta from the New York Mets on Tuesday to serve as Chief Strategy Officer and elevated Sashi Brown from executive vice president/general counsel to executive vice president of football operations on Sunday, giving him control of the 53-man roster.
Analytics will now be at the heart of what the Browns do, making DePodesta a centerpiece of the Browns’ rebuild. It is a cutting-edge approach whose backers label skeptics as dinosaurs, unwilling to embrace the ideas of visionaries.
Harvard-educated DePodesta, who got his start in baseball 20 years ago as an intern with the Indians, is so good at what he does that the Browns began pursuing him after the World Series. If DePodesta really is the Steve Jobs of sports analytics, the other proponents of it inside Browns headquarters need to take a step back and let DePodesta lead the way.
To this point in the Haslam regime, that hasn’t been the case. The front office has been rife with power-hungry men who all believe they should be making the football decisions. They yearn to be the one glorified if the Browns ever do pull themselves out of the abyss and win the championship that has eluded Cleveland since 1964.
They face the challenge of putting their egos aside and being content to fill their roles in what should be a harmonious and cohesive puzzle. To this point, there hasn’t been a fit partially because the pieces had selfish agendas.
Now it is up to DePodesta to not only analyze what is wrong with the Browns using the principles of science and mathematics, but to trim the fat, perhaps reorganize the scouting department and find ways to make the franchise run more efficiently.
It is up to Brown to bring the pieces together, to rid the building of the walking-on-eggshells atmosphere where everyone fears for his or her personal future and convince all inside that the only thing that matters is winning. Oh, and to be the voice of reason on critical roster decisions.
But to put the Browns back together, there are three more key pieces to the puzzle that remain to be filled — coach, general manager/player personnel director and franchise quarterback. The following is an examination of the traits needed in each:
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WANTED: NFL COACH.
Seeking a leader and outstanding communicator able to connect on a personal level with players. Understanding of psychological principles required, especially in application to motivation and fostering accountability and responsibility to other members of football family. Must be tough but fair in enforcement of discipline and adept at delegation of duties. Must display willingness to accept analytical applications in regards to football and personnel decisions. Teaching and time management skills preferred, especially when it comes to the final two minutes of halves.
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Of the previous seven coaches who held the job for at least one season, Butch Davis (2001-first 11 games of 2004) leads the infamous group in winning percentage (.407) and took the Browns to their last playoff appearance in 2002.
Davis and Eric Mangini (10-22, 2009-10) were undone by poor personnel decisions in serving as their own general managers. Romeo Crennel (24-40, 2005-08) and Mike Pettine (10-22, 2014-15) were good defensive coordinators who couldn’t make the jump to the next level, although Pettine was hamstrung by a roster full of holes. Of the bunch, he might be the one who succeeds if he gets a second chance. (Crennel already failed again with Kansas City Chiefs.) Player discipline issues cost Rob Chudzinski (4-12 in 2013). Pat Shurmur (9-23, 2011-12) and Chris Palmer (5-27, 1999-2000) were in over their heads from the start. Palmer had the expansion era’s best quarterback in Tim Couch and no offensive line to protect him, but rushed him into the lineup too soon.
The Browns have never found the perfect combination of humanity, leadership, football knowledge and instincts in regards to the quarterback position in a coach. Haslam seeks continuity, but hasn’t hired the right person to justify keeping in tough times. When examining the records of Chudzinski and Pettine, it’s hard to blame him.
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WANTED: FRANCHISE QUARTERBACK.
Seeking a hard-working, intelligent, dedicated and self-disciplined leader with good decision-making ability and consistent production. Previous success at lower levels a must, along with intra-personal team-building skills. Above-average height and strong arm preferred. Those wearing a blond wig and fake mustache need not apply.
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There’s not enough space to go through the failures of the 24 Browns to start at quarterback since 1999. The Browns have had a knack for finding backup-quality quarterbacks (Colt McCoy, Brandon Weeden, Derek Anderson), but even their most successful picks or pickups (Couch, Anderson, Kelly Holcomb, Brian Hoyer) have been flashes in the pan or plagued by injuries (Josh McCown, Couch).
At times they’ve reached for the hometown hero (the University of Akron’s Charlie Frye, North Olmsted native Hoyer, Dublin native and childhood Browns fan Brady Quinn). Other times their thinking has been inexplicable (Couch over Donovan McNabb in 1999, Spergon Wynn over Tom Brady in 2000, overlooking Kurt Warner in the 1999 expansion draft, ignoring the red flags on Johnny Manziel in 2014).
One thing they consistently haven’t been good at is tailoring the offense to fit the quarterback’s skills. Although he doesn’t have adequate arm strength, I still would have liked to have seen McCoy run a two-minute, no-huddle attack as the Browns’ base offense. I also think Anderson would have followed up his successful 10-6 2007 season if not for the training camp injury to go-to receiver Braylon Edwards. Anderson and Edwards looked spectacular together that summer before Donte’ Stallworth spiked Edwards’ bare foot in Crennel’s infamous “kids are kids” moment.
But the success of a coach is tied to his quarterback, like the Patriots’ Bill Belichick and Brady, the 49ers’ Bill Walsh with Joe Montana, the Cowboys’ Jimmy Johnson with Troy Aikman and the Steelers’ Mike Tomlin with Ben Roethlisberger. The biggest challenge of the reorganized Browns is to find the quarterback who can be the face for their franchise for the next decade and lead them to success.
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WANTED: GENERAL MANAGER/PLAYER PERSONNEL DIRECTOR:
Seeking an energetic, tireless, detail-oriented talent evaluator who can find physical and intellectual standouts with high character, hunger and a passion for football. Must be an outstanding interviewer, investigator and researcher with an excellent ability to read people. Belief in analytics and cutting-edge methods required. Subordinate entry-level role could lead to future promotions in billion dollar industry. Inveterate texting prohibited, especially in rule-breaking situations or telling hecklers to “Go root for Buffalo.”
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This position becomes a smaller piece of the puzzle in the Browns’ new hierarchy. Because of that, they may have to settle for a 30-something up-and-comer who needs putting together a draft board for his resume in his quest to become a traditional general manager. There should be plenty of young bucks willing to sign on.
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her blog at www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.