He's cerebral!

we'll see who calls plays I guess

Hide your laptops.

Interesting hire considering the Bills fired him midseason and improved offensively.

The Bills fired him due to the Offense turnovers rate

Wasn't that the problem this season for the Browns offense?

Makes no sense

Cleveland Browns hiring Ken Dorsey as offensive coordinator
Chris Easterling
Akron Beacon Journal


BEREA — The Browns are bringing home a former quarterback of theirs to be their new offensive coordinator.

Ken Dorsey will be hired as the Browns' new offensive coordinator, a source confirmed for the Beacon Journal. He spent the last year and a half as the Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator before being fired following a Week 10 loss to the Denver Broncos dropped them to 6-5 on the season.

Dorsey, 42, was a quarterback for the Browns from 2006-08.

The Browns' offensive coordinator post had been open since Alex Van Pelt, who had been with head coach Kevin Stefanski in that role since 2020, was let go days after the AFC wild card loss to the Houston Texans. Van Pelt was part of an offensive staff shake-up that also included running back Stump Mitchell and tight ends coach T.C. McCartney.

Dorsey interviewed for the job last week. He was one of five interviews the Browns conducted for the job, along with Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, Houston Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson, ex-Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson and Seattle Seahawks offensive line coach Andy Dickerson.

Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey walks the sideline prior to an NFL football game, Oct. 30, 2022, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Bryan Bennett)
Former Carolina Panthers assistant head coach/running backs coach Duce Staley will replace Mitchell. The Browns and former University of Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees were working toward a deal for him to be the next tight ends coach, with additional responsibilities in the development of the pass game.

The Browns also hired Houston Texans defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire for the same position on Saturday. He replaces Ben Bloom, who may still be re-assigned within the defensive staff.

Will Kevin Stefanski give up play-calling duties to Ken Dorsey?

Now comes Dorsey to fill the last, and arguably most important, of those vacancy. It's a hire that could also have a seismic impact on the Browns from a game-operations perspective with regards to the age-old question of "Who's calling the plays?"

Stefanski had called the plays over his first four seasons with the Browns. A source did not say if he was going to cede those duties to Dorsey.

While Stefanski was not directly asked that question in his end-of-season press conference the day after the Houston loss — and hasn't spoken since the staff changes were made — general manager Andrew Berry was asked about it during his season wrap-up availability.

"So it's a good question," Berry said. "I'd say No. 1, that's something that we always talk about every offseason in kind of the self-assessment. Part of that depends on where we land with staff and what Kevin's preferences are. Ultimately that's going to be his decision as he constructs a staff. We've mentioned multiple times, I think that's one of Kevin's strengths, but how that operates from year to year, that's ultimately something that we reassess."

Ken Dorsey takes fall for Buffalo Bills' struggles early this season

The 42-year-old Dorsey was fired during this season after the Bills suffered a loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 10. The Bills offense, at the time, was ranked seventh in the league in total yards, seventh in passing yards, eighth in points scored and 13th in rushing, but had struggled as part of a 2-4 stretch.

Quarterback Josh Allen, at the time Dorsey was fired, was tied for first in the league in touchdown passes (19), second in completions (246) and attempts (350), third in completion percentage (70.3%), fourth in passing yards (2,600 yards) and 12th in passer rating (96.6). However, he did throw a league-high 11 interceptions in that time as well.

The Bills struggles at times to consistently move the ball during that early-season malaise, especially on the ground. However, their biggest problem were the 18 turnovers, which was tied for second in the NFL behind the Browns' 19 through Week 10.

Dorsey's interim replacement, Joe Brady, was given the full-time role earlier Sunday. Buffalo finished the season fourth in total yards, seventh in rushing and eighth in passing, while they turned the ball over 28 times.

Allen finished with a league-high 18 interceptions. Buffalo won six of their final seven in the regular-season, including their final five, while Allen finished 11th in completion percentage (66.5%), fourth in yards (4,306 yards), tied for fifth in touchdown passes (29) and 16th in passer rating (92.2).

Dorsey was in his second season as the Bills offensive coordinator, having been promoted from quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator to the post when Brian Daboll was hired as the head coach of the New York Giants early in 2022. He had been the Buffalo quarterbacks coach since 2019.

Buffalo was a top-eight offense in multiple categories in Dorsey's first season as offensive coordinator. The Bills were second in total yards, seventh in rushing yards, sixth in passing yards and fourth in scoring, while being the most efficient third-down offense in the league.

Prior to going to Buffalo, Dorsey's NFL coaching resume included time as Panthers quarterbacks coach from 2013-17. He also served as a pro scout from 2011-12 with Carolina.

The former University of Miami (Fla.) quarterback played six seasons in the NFL. His first three years were with the San Francisco 49ers, and he then spent his final three seasons as a player with the Browns.

https://www.beaconjournal.com/story...s-new-offensive-coordinator/72366694007/

It is an absolute MUST that he call plays.

Browns fans think Stefanski is a good play caller. He’s not. He’s a good schemer. Two completely different things.

Why am I uninspired by this hire?

Because they fired van pelt for no reason and were left scrambling to recover and rushed into a decision?

Wow the Browns still aren't any closer to
Winning the AFC North. Didn't Dorsey QB a game for
The Browns 15 years ago? This guy wasn't even
In demand to be a OC. It's milk and cookies move
By the Browns front office.

Good point! I am not seeing it at this time, but the coaching staff has infinitely more knowledge then I do....

I think it’s a good hire. He’’s bringing in different perspectives and experience in different offenses. I think we’ll be fine, but changes at that level in the NFL always bring some kind of unexpected consequence.

Looking at his coaching career I think what got Ken Dorsey the Browns Offensive Coordinator job was he spent 4 years as Cam Newton's QB Coach during the years Cam was a perennial MVP candidate. Then he moved to Buffalo to be Josh Allen's QB Coach. Was promoted to Bills Offensive Coordinator position. Josh Allen also had some very productive years working with Dorsey. I think the Browns FO probably likes Dorsey's familiarity with working with 2 dynamic playmaking QB's vs the traditional pocket passers that turn their back from the defense.

3 things to know about the Browns’ new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey
Published: Jan. 28, 2024, 7:58 p.m.


By Ashley Bastock, cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns took care of a major piece of offseason business on Sunday when they hired Ken Dorsey to replace Alex Van Pelt as offensive coordinator.

Dorsey, 42, interviewed in Cleveland last week; but did you know he already has a history with the Browns?


Here are three things to know about the Browns’ new offensive coordinator:


1. He was a Browns quarterback from 2006-08

Dorsey spent the first three years of his NFL playing career as a quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers -- they selected him in the seventh round of the 2003 draft.

He wound up in Cleveland in 2006, however, as a part of the 49ers’ trade for quarterback Trent Dilfer.

In Cleveland, he worked as a backup behind Charlie Frye, Derek Anderson, and later, Brady Quinn.

He made three starts in Cleveland, all coming towards the end of the 2008 season after Anderson was injured in a Week 13 game against the Colts. Dorsey started the next three games once Anderson was placed on injured reserve. Dorsey suffered a concussion in the penultimate game, and was replaced as starter by Bruce Gradkowski in the season finale that year.

In total in Cleveland, he completed 43 of 92 passes for 370 yards with zero touchdowns and seven interceptions.



2. Ohio State fans will remember his playing days for this reason

Dorsey left the University of Miami as the winningest quarterback in school history with a record of 38-2 (1999-2002). He led the Hurricanes to a national championship in 2001.

Ohio State fans will remember him of course for his performance in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, in which Ohio State won the national title in double overtime. In that game Dorsey passed for 296 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.



3. He comes to Cleveland after an interesting tenure in Buffalo

Dorsey was fired in November by Bills head coach Sean McDermott with Buffalo falling to .500 (5-5) following a 24-22 loss to the Broncos. It was their fourth loss in six games, and quarterback Josh Allen committed three of the Bills’ four turnovers in that game. It also marked the sixth straight game Buffalo was held to under 26 points.

With Buffalo’s playoff hopes slipping away and Allen leading the NFL with 11 interceptions at the time, quarterbacks coach Joe Brady took over the offense and helped guide the Bills to a 6-1 mark down the stretch of the regular season, a run that included five straight wins. The Bills went on to win the AFC East and beat the Steelers in the wild card round 31-17 before falling to the Super Bowl-bound Chiefs in the divisional round, 27-24.

When Dorsey was fired, Allen was also leading the league with 19 touchdown passes, and was second in both completions (246) and attempts (350).

It was Dorsey’s second season as coordinator after Allen favored him to succeed Brian Daboll when the latter left to take the Giants head coaching job. After Dorsey was promoted in 2022, he helped lead the Bills to a 13-3 record, and a second-place finish in both yards per game (397.6) and points per game (28.4).

Buffalo lost in the divisional round that year, but Allen had one of his best career statistical seasons, finishing 7th with 4,283 yards, tying for second alongside Joe Burrow with 35 TD passes, and finishing eighth with a 96.6 rating.


https://www.cleveland.com/browns/20...ew-offensive-coordinator-ken-dorsey.html

Have anything to do with

Frye Anderson and Quinn ?

Hope his coaching skills are improvements over his playing skills as his times in Cleveland

I agree OCD. When Dorsey played here I said I thought he would be a good coach. He has been and will be.

Good coaches are mostly never good pro players....in pretty much all sports. Having one skill set doesn't mean you have the other.

Dorsey needed a job, KS will be calling plays, so he needed an “offensive coordinator” in theory, one who won’t try to be in charge. I’m like ‘whatever’ on this hire.

I find this fascinating. By most accepted measures, Allen was absolutely humming (except for the interceptions) up until Dorsey was fired. Then after, Buffalo starts winning again, but Allen's stats have dropped off (except for INTs, in which he's still out in front of the league).

Based on that, I wonder if they're brining him in to basically be a glorified QB coach (that's maybe me being overdramatic and simplistic). I didn't watch Buffalo and don't know their issues (thought I heard their D was bad for a while due to injuries).

I could have typed this.

Stefanski is a great play-caller. If this helps keep everyone on the same page with game prep / planning and he can meld Watson's style into a more fluid Stefanski offense, then it's a great hire. Time will tell.

Hopefully Dorsey can be the Yang to Kevin's Yin.

Just me personally, I think we have seen times and games when KS was a great play caller and game manager. I think we've seen equally as many games or more where he lacked the ability to make adjustments, got too cute in predictable ways and made bad in game management decisions.

This last season seemed on balance to be a major move in more consistently being 'good' to 'very good' - but it also falls into another pattern we've seen with KS: Outperforming in seasons with lower expectations because of injuuries (and previously with Covid) - but arguably lower performances when the team had high expectations.

I'm left hoping that with KS it's a maturation / improvement situation and he's evolving and getting better in which case we see a continuation of the 'good'. While I agree Dorsey is an uninspiring choice on the face of it - there's also no reason to believe he can't improve and learn. Watch this space.

One thing is for sure. Dorsey's temperment is a lot more like Schwartz than AVP's was.

This hire is about DW.

Dorsey played quarterback. He coached quarterbacks. He has been an OC.

DW, Cam Newton, and Josh Allen although different in size. All are mobile quarterbacks.

KS is a proven offensive coach. This hire is not like hiring Schwartz. Schwartz was hired to run the defense. Dorsey was hired to assist KS.

No matter what happens on offense it will always fall on KS. This hire is about what kind of ideas and offensive concepts that Dorsey can bring to the offense.

Is he good at game planning and attacking defenses? How can Staley and Dorsey improve the run game and pass game?

Dorsey is qualified. He was fired from Buffalo. However, that does not mean he will not be a good OC for the Browns.

IMO the receiver room needs more than what is there. We need to add at least two receivers. Moore was a disappointment. Tillman needs to make a big leap. Bell has done little.

The offense needs to hit another gear with DW. Hopefully Dorsey can help.

Tell that to Van Pelt.

Agreed and I believe Dorsey will help. He's helped those QB's you spoke of and he will help DW. We do need a couple of new WR's. My buddy is a Packers fan and they have some good young WR's. I checked their roster and noticed none of them are 1st round picks. A couple are 4-6 round picks, so it is possible to draft good ones later on. Because we don't have a 1st round pick our scouting department has to step up to find talent in the later rounds.

I have mixed feelings about this. My preference was the guy from Houston, truth be told.

On one hand, you have the Bills looking like night and day after Dorsey was fired. That's hard to get over.

On the other hand, statistically, they were great across the board on offense.

I do remember everyone talking about how smart he was, with the combined IQ between him and Krenzel in the National Title game. They also talked about how he was a bench coach when he was here on the Browns, and how there were high expectations for him given his intellect and ability to dissect plays and schemes. They said the same thing about Adam Gase though, too.

One potential benefit of him vs AVP, though is that AVP was pretty much working with Aaron Rodgers, IIRC, for most of his career. That's a very different QB type than Watson. Newton and Allen are more similar to Watson, and Dorsey had good stats out of them (albeit the turnovers from Allen).

I wish I was a fly on the wall during their interview. I'd be curious to see how he addressed everything, because I'm sure they brought up his time in Buffalo and what he would do the same and what he would do differently. He obviously said enough to convince them.

Interesting read from The Ringer.

By nearly every offensive metric, aside from Allen turning the ball over, The Bills were better offensively under Dorsey than they were under Joe Brady.

https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2024/...ills-derrick-henry-jamaal-williams-lions

I have no idea why Dorsey was fired in BUF this season, whether it was fully justified or that he was a scapegoat for a larger issue(s). I don't follow the Bills like I do the Browns, so I'm not privy to what is most likely a very nuanced, layered situation.... like they all are.

IMO, however, Dorsey can easily be credited to various degrees with the development of Josh Allen as he's been is QB coach, passing game coordinator, and OC since 2019 (not all at the same time, but three different roles). It's funny, I have watched a decent amount of Bills' games this year and one of the issues I thought was different about Allen from past years was his lack of running the ball, more specifically, a decrease of designed running plays. I didn't see anything different year-to-year outside of a maybe uptick in INTs, which is five more than his average of 13 per year. But I usually blame the QB for those....or the receiver if it is tipped or something like that.

If I had to guess, the main reason for Dorsey's firing was his play calling and I do recall situational things that surfaced over the course of the year that put him under the microscope or that he was too predictable. That said, I do think his development of Josh Allen is the main reason why we hired him. I don't see this hire as one where Stefanski defers play calls to him, but rather leans on his ability to work with QBs. That said, we'll see because Cleveland.com apparently is reporting that the Browns are seriously considering giving him the play-calling duties. I would think that would have been hashed out prior to accepting the job which leads me to believe that already have that answer between them.

I texted my buddy who is a huge Bills fan and follow them much like many do here. He literally replied and I was typing this. He said...It (the firing) seemed warranted. Dorsey did a poor job at making adjustments and didn't rely on the Bills' offensive strengths (Josh's legs, etc.). He was certainly blamed when things weren't going great mid-season. It was a bad year for injuries, many on the D, but the offense was supposed to be THE strength of that team.

Yeah, I saw similar stats along with some others that indicated the Bills' O performed better with Dorsey over Brady.

Tell him what?

What was Dorsey told? What was Greg Roman told?

"We are going to make a change." Simple.

Me too. I think Dorsey was mostly a scapegoat for an offense that was simply not executing and a QB making dumb decisions and dumber mistakes. I even went back and looked at each loss. Also of note during that stretch was the near incredible efficiency of the opposing QB and six losses by an average of 4 points.

Yep. And this is what I was screaming for the final two years of Joe (I'd have to see a murder in real time to change the look on my face) Woods.

"If Stefanski is good cop, he has got to find a bad cop." He did in Schwartz, maybe the same in Dorsey. Everyone can't be Mr. Nice Guy.

Thanks Memph. Initially, I figured Stefanski would retain the playcalling, given that it appears he is still putting the offensive staff together, at least from what we've seen so far. That leads me to believe Dorsey was going to be just another "cog" on the offensive side. Hell if I know, though, since what you said makes perfect sense.

As far as Allen goes, I don't know how much to apportion those INTs to Dorsey's mentoring or playcalls. A lot of them just seemed big-time boneheaded.

Dorsey is going to get his chance to see if he can help the Browns offense perform at a playoff level.

He's the guy that Stefanski wanted and now it's up to Stefanski and Dorsey to produce.

As Browns fan, I refuse to lower my expectations...I expect the Browns to be competing in the playoffs next season and I will not accept excuses.

As opposed to performing at this year's playoff level?

Why?

Before the season started we read all sorts of reports the Browns O was going to be different. Even during the preseason we were reading about guys like Moore playing all over the field.

For whatever reason, that didn't happen, and I don't think that falls of Stefanski even if he calls plays.

The O and Watson never seemed to mesh, and that was on AVP. He wasn't just some government lackie there to collect a paycheck.

Dorsey is schooled in an open, shotgun based O that never materialized last season. We wanted that but it didn't happen. We were forced back to playing a 20th century type O.

No matter the reason why Dorsey was relieved of his duties, the Bills had a wide open, shotgun based O that fit Allens game.

With Dorsey, I expect we will see the type of O we were supposed to see last year. Time to move in to 21st century football since a quarter of the century is nearly over.

The level of QB play in Cleveland will be a factor...

Improved some. Their passing game was more hit and miss, but they did start running the ball more. Stephon Diggs was trash once Joe Brady took over.

The big difference was that Brady had Allen running A LOT more. It helps the offense stay in the field, but I'm not sure sending your prized franchise QB into the fray to get hit is better in the long run.

I'm fairly certain you don't have a choice in the matter.

That's a good point. I remember noticing early on in the season that they had a lot less designed runs with Allen, and figured they were trying to transition him more into a pass-first style QB, somewhat similar to what the Ravens have done. Pass first, but big threat to run. Definitely led to a lot more 3 and outs.

Interesting......

Bingo - look at Allen's rushing numbers last year (2022) and this year post-Dorsey - about the same - and their offense was much improved. Then look at numbers 1st half this year - he ran a lot less.

Allen ran a lot less because they were concerned about injuries. When they realized that approach resulted in more turnovers and less efficiency - Dorsey was to blame and shown the door. Brady goes back to what worked well (ie. lots more Josh running) and voila, the offense significantly improved.

This is the full episode. The Ken Dorsey conversation is the first segment. Jason Lloyd's insight seems the most thorough among the group.

Really?? I think the level of play is important in any city with a football team.

I could be wrong, but I took it as he was referring to the weather.

Because it's a pedestrian solution to a problem that was manufactured by making moves that didn't address any existing problems?

Bingo.

Fans hate play callers, all of them.

It does not matter the team, no matter if it is the head coach or the OC. I have listened to fans bitch about play calling for as long as I have watched football.

The reason is because it is the simplest thing to look at when a play fails. Every fan can say "look what a dumb play call."

Plays to run against a team are decided during the week. The game plan is formulated by the HC and OC for the offense if the HC is an offensive guy. The DC has his plan unless the HC is a defensive guy. Often the first series is scripted. Sometimes the first few series.

Then there are in game adjustments that can take place.

If you dislike a HC and he calls the plays. There is the target. When the OC calls the plays and the team struggles. Fire the OC is the call.

When a HC is out coached in a game. It is not because of play calling. It is because the other HC had a better plan. It may be a great defensive plan. It may be a better way to attack a defense.

KS is a good HC. He calls a good game. When I saw him out coached it was because the other team had a great plan against us.

The Ravens game plan against KC was horrible. They played into the strength of the KC defense. KC had five DB's most of the game. Monken kept throwing deep from shotgun. Not Lamar's game and into what KC does best. If the Ravens would have run the ball using Lamar running. They would have won the game.

Dorsey has experience with mobile qbs. He should be able to help DW and hopefully help in game planning that is where games are won and lost.

For stefanski this is the perfect hire. Dorsey was fired as offensive coordinator in Buffalo. So stefanski can justify not giving up playcalling responsibility to someone who was fired as a offensive coordinator that called plays in Buffalo

Interesting take on Dorsey.

KS is the head coach why does he need to justify anything in regards to play calling?

I'm still trying to get past the fact that we hired an OC that couldn't get the job done with Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs......and as soon as he left that team turned the corner and was playing at an elite level. Say what you want about the stats and nuances, but that's a big solid fact staring us in the face.

A deep dive disputes that.

In addition what happens in one place does not define the guy. There is a lot more to the full story in Buffalo.

He was Allen's choice. Cam Newton said Dorsey was responsible for his success in Carolina.

His entire resume spells qualified.

OC's move around that is common practice. Look at Monken. Look at Eric Bieniemy.

https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2024/...ensive-coordinator-ken-dorsey-josh-allen

jc...

After all is said and done, those responsible for hiring Dorsey should be judged based on the performance of the 2024 Browns offense.

If Dorsey is able to produce an offense that gels with Watson's talent and the offense thrives and produces enough points to win...the fans will be satisfied.

IMO, the Browns fan base is worried about a repeat of history, when the Browns were knocking on the door of success making the playoffs in 2020 and defeating the Steelers in the wildcard game. The Browns followed that brief period of success during the 2020 season with two seasons of failure, with the Browns unable to qualify for the playoffs in 2021 and 2022.

The Browns fan-base does not want to see a repeat of the "one step forward, two steps back" period of time when the Browns missed qualifying for the playoffs in 2021 and 2022.

Winning enough games to qualify for the Playoffs in 2024 should be the #1 priority.

This.

There is gobs and gobs of spin going on around this hire. Hopefully it works out. We’ll know about December of this year.

What's the 'spin'?

Because people don't see things the way you do??

And not just 'gobs' but 'gobs and gobs'?

Honestly, I think the biggest problem with the offense during Buffalo's "bad stretch" was that the defense struggled to get the offense back on the field. They gave up early leads and then Josh got caught trying to play hero ball while trying to come back from behind. Unfortunately, when losing, teams frequently have to take more chances to get back into games.

You can call plays a lot more conservatively when playing with a lead.

Hopefully, our defense will be dominating and we can play from in front. It really does make an OC's job much easier.

Stefon Diggs receiving yardage went in the toilet once Brady took over. Diggs averaged an abysmal 43.1yds/game and not a single 100+ yard game with Brady as OC. Diggs also had 0 TDs.

Under Dorsey Diggs averaged 86.8yds/game and five 100+ yards games including seven TDs.

Being able to get production out of your best offensive weapons is a key requirement from an OC.

And looking at the game situations ie, playing from behind as Bull pointed out is a huge factor as well.

How the hiring of Dorsey turns out remains to be seen.

Clearly Dorsey has the qualifications to be a OC.

Personality wise Dorsey is a tightly wound guy. Intense seems to be a good description.

He knows quarterbacks. He should be able to work with DW. Was DW in on his hiring? They are going to have to work together.

IMO play design will change. I expect more shotgun and more motion. Route trees combination may change. Rub routes have become a staple in the NFL The receiver room has to change.

KS still decides how the offense will be run.

I actually left a couple of gobs out.

One thing I think Buffalo did when they fired Dorsey was pivot from a long-term vision in order to achieve short-term gains, because there was a huge sense of urgency to "win now."

I think they were trying to transition Allen into more of a passing threat who could run if necessary, vs a QB who was a threat for a QB draw on any given play. To Dorsey's credit, the passing game did a lot better under him, minus the glaring turnovers, and the bottom-line win percentage. Dorsey seemed to stick with that construct through thick and thin, even post-meltdown when he was in the booth.

When the team pivoted to "win now, or else" he was on the outs. There was no long term vision for transitioning Allen's skills at that point because they just wanted to make the dang playoffs.

Hmmm, don't you think he's going from the pot into the fire then? Afterall, it probably goes without saying that 2024 for the Browns is also going to be a "win now, or else."

No, he's going from the soup line to the kitchen. He went from unemployed to lateral move.

If he goes from "can't stand the heat" to "baby it's cold outside"... again... that's on him.

#metaphorwars

Do you mean "win it all now or else"? Because they just had a good season making the playoffs with an injury list that made the roster look like a hospital ward. You don't count that as winning?

Is that anything like saying he's Mental?

Don't know if this helps as all, but today I read a statistical fact sheet that disputes that thinking. Not sure you'd agree..

Whatever. With mac, he can be talking about anything.

I agree. Someone hit the panic button at the top and the coach had to hit the eject button.

j/c...

Old pal, D.A., chimes in...

Former Browns QB Derek Anderson confident Ken Dorsey will excel as offensive coordinator

Chris Easterling
Akron Beacon Journal
Published 12:40 p.m. ET Jan. 30 2024

Ken Dorsey was the new kid in the quarterback room for the Browns when Derek Anderson first met him.

The Browns had just traded Trent Dilfer to the San Francisco 49ers in May, 2006. Cleveland got back a third-round pick and Dorsey, a quarterback who'd played in 11 games with 10 starts in his three season in the Bay Area.

Anderson was still backing up Charlie Frye at the time. However, in Dorsey — like him, a West Coast native — the big-armed quarterback found a sounding board.

"He got there and he really became a guy that I just felt comfortable bouncing things off," Anderson recalled Tuesday in a interview with the Beacon Journal from his Scottsdale, Ariz., home. "In the meetings and stuff, he brought up tons of good points, and as kind of the offseason progressed, I realized he was a great resource for me. (Then-quarterbacks coach Rob Chudzinski) encouraged it and he helped me a ton in the offseason studies and just things that we were doing and I really was fond of what he was telling me."

If you're looking for the origin story for Dorsey's rise from NFL backup quarterback to quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator, it might as well start in the three seasons he spent as the Browns' No. 3 quarterback. Now, 16 years after he last played in Cleveland, Dorsey is returning there to be its new offensive coordinator.

At multiple steps along the journey, Anderson has been there as well. He was already with the Carolina Panthers in 2013 when Dorsey was hired as the quarterbacks coach, his first NFL coaching job.

Likewise, when Dorsey was hired by the Buffalo Bills in 2019 as the quarterbacks coach, Anderson was on the roster. He would eventually retire before that season began.

"Obviously we played together and had a great relationship there, and then he became my coach in Carolina partly because they came to me was like, 'Hey, how do you feel about this?,'" Anderson said. "'I'm like, dude, it's fine. He's a buddy but he's got a great brain and I really think he can help (then-Panthers starting quarterback) Cam (Newton).' It's kind of the same thing in Buffalo, when I was there before he came in."

What happened to the Buffalo Bills after Ken Dorsey was fired as offensive coordinator

The Dorsey who comes back to Cleveland is coming off a career disappointment, having been fired 10 games into his second season as the Buffalo Bills' offensive coordinator. Buffalo's offense was ranked seventh in the league in total yards, seventh in passing yards, eighth in points scored and 13th in rushing, but had not scored more than 25 points in a six-game stretch in which they were 2-4.

Anderson points out how the Buffalo defense was an area which actually improved the most after the firing. The Bills went from 17th in total yards (330.6) to ninth (307.2), 19th against the run (115.2) to 15th (110.6), 12th against the pass (215.4) to seventh (196.6) and 12th in third-down efficiency (41.8%) to 19th (38.6).

"I think it was an easy out," Anderson said of the firing. "I didn't love it at the time, but I totally understand it. I understand the dynamics of what goes on in the league, and sometimes that's an easy out for an organization or a coach. It worked out for Buffalo and Joe came in and called great games and it all kind of came together. But do I think that if they keep Ken, do they come out of that slump and they continue to play? I do. I think that nothing would've changed and everything would've probably been fine."

Anderson believes what he's seen out of Dorsey, particularly what he's seen in person playing for him, backs up those feelings. It's specifically what he can do for quarterbacks, which is what the Browns are hoping for as well with Deshaun Watson entering the third year of his contract.

How Ken Dorsey helped Cam Newton, Josh Allen become top NFL quarterbacks

Dorsey helped Newton blossom into the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 2015. The former No. 1 overall pick posted a 99.4 passer rating and 35 touchdown passes, both career highs, while guiding the Panthers to the Super Bowl.

Once Dorsey got to Buffalo, he helped Josh Allen take a similar step forward after his 2018 rookie season. It's started with a six-point improvement in Allen's completion percentage from his rookie season in that first year working with Dorsey, then a third season in which he was MVP runner-up with career highs in completion percentage (69.2%), yards (4,544 yards), touchdown passes (37) and passer rating (107.2). He also had his lowest interception percentage at 1.7%.

"It starts with your understanding of your offense, where your eyes need to be, your progressions, all of those things," Anderson said. "Especially for guys like Cam, Josh, Deshaun, guys that can rely on their legs but also can throw the ball quite well. They tend to get out of the reads quick knowing that they can make a play with their legs.

"But I think where Ken really helped Cam was obviously his preparation, understanding the defense, knowing when to get the ball out of his hands and then go be an athlete. Just understanding the timing of the play and then go be an athlete, right? It's not always drop back, 'Oh, they're automatically in man coverage, I'm taking it down and running it.'"

How Ken Dorsey and Deshaun Watson will fit together with the Browns

Which leads back to Dorsey's newest challenge as the Browns' offensive coordinator. Specifically, it leads to Watson, whose skill set in both similar yet different than either Newton or Allen.

For one thing, Watson's isn't quite a physically big as either Newton or Allen. The other thing is that Watson has never been quite the focal point of a team's running game the way both Newton and Allen have been at times in their careers.

However, Anderson has followed what Watson's done in his 12 starts with the Browns over the last two seasons. He believes Dorsey can help unlock the old version of Watson the Browns need him to be this season.

"The limited amount of time that Deshaun has played, I would say that recently he's not really playing quarterback," Anderson said. "He's throwing to the first guy, and then running around and trying to make plays with his legs. It's imperative that he gets back to getting through his progressions and playing football like I think most people around the league know he can."

https://www.beaconjournal.com/story...s-qbs-offensive-coordinator/72406704007/

Good article.

Off topic, but Akron Beacon Journal beats the pants off the PD for Browns coverage. Sadly, Marla Ridenour retired at the end of last season. She's on my Mount Rushmore of All-Time NE Ohio sports reporters. /randomthoughts

Agreed. Scott Petrak is one of my favs.

I think you're going to get a certain degree of that regardless of where you're going. It's the NFL so there's never going to be a whole lot of patience. With the Browns, you've got a vet QB who (should) be elite and roughly fits the type of QB you've had success with in the past, and tons of pieces to work with.

Marla always asked the dumbest questions in pressers. I mean Grossi and Cabot were a distant second and third. I don’t recall any of her articles, but I recall that. It’s hard for me to believe anything she put in print would be much better.

Well, as long as you base you "beliefs" on vague recollections from press conferences...

Former Beacon Journal columnist Marla Ridenour wins prestigious national writing award. Former longtime Beacon Journal sports columnist Marla Ridenour has received national recognition from the Pro Football Writers of America with a first-place honor in the 2023 Dick Connor Writing Awards

https://www.beaconjournal.com/story...of-america-cleveland-browns/70785272007/

I'm having a hard time recalling anyone asking terrible questions quite like Grossi and MKC (in that order).

I think you're making inferences and extrapolations that aren't really there. What I mentioned was specific to Buffalo at that point in time.

I wanna say Ruiter has had more than his share of them, but honestly my expectations of the Cleveland media are so low I stopped paying attention.

Ruiter is by far my least favorite CLE media member ... he's awful

Yes!! Anytime it shows him he NEVER looks happy! EVER!

There was nothing vague about the recollections. She was beyond awful. Gobs and gobs of awful. Not just gobs but gobs and gobs. Embarrassing actually.

Maybe she was a good writer though. Good for her on the award.

Damn bro. I'm gonna have to break out the gobstoppers.

She never prioritized winning.

She was never always right either.

Apparently she did. She won an award I’m told.

He’s competitive in pickup basketball.

Phew…color me relieved.

I don’t really have an opinion on this one way or another, but this parade of fluff pieces and the constant “but Diggs was great before he got fired!” is ridiculous. It will either work or it won’t. As I said we’ll know in December.

He’s not walking into a stable situation like he had in Buffalo. He’s walking into a QB and team with a ton of question marks.

Well, to nippick, he didn't walk into a stable situation in Buffalo, albeit not as OC. He walked into a 6-10 locker room with a very inconsistent QB who threw more INTs than TDs.

PSA: There will be a Ken Dorsey press conference today at 11AM EST.

Looking forward to him addressing the Strength and Conditioning Team.

You're gonna poop your pants when he announces the hiring of Mac.

If so, then it would be a natural, bodily response after having died of a heart attack seconds before.

Stefanski was a ball of nerves introducing Dorsey and never addressed WHY the coaching changes were made. He mentioned them but didn’t address the why.

Never seen him so nervous before.

He looked fine when I saw him at the Cheesecake Factory earlier.

Him or Baker?

They were having lunch together. Does that pose a problem for you?