DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum RE: The Front Office....continued...

My knowledge of NFL history is not deep, so I googled when Rooney purchased the Steelers - 1933 and I looked up their record for 1933 and on. . . .

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Pittsburgh_Steelers_seasons

It looks like it took them 10 years before they had a winning record. So we should all wait another 6 1/2 seasons before we judge Haslam? Is that the message?

Great comprehension skills.

The next season they went 0-10.

Won their first playoff game in 1972.

'I thought he was a genius until he agreed to work for the Browns'

David Fleming
ESPN Senior Writer
This story appears in ESPN The Magazine's April 25 NFL Draft Issue.
Apr 11, 2016
link

NFL SCOUTING REPORT

Name: Paul DePodesta
Age: 43
Height/weight: 5-foot-9, 165 pounds
Hometown: Alexandria, Virginia
College: Harvard, 1995 (economics, [censored] laude)
Previous position: VP of player development and amateur scouting, New York Mets
Football experience: 1992-94 Harvard, wide receiver; 1995 Baltimore Stallions of the Canadian Football League, unpaid intern, duties included operating T-shirt cannon
Bench: 225 lbs. @ < 0 reps
Evaluated by: More than a dozen analytics experts from across the sports landscape

OVERVIEW

BROWNS' NEW CHIEF strategy officer is most intriguing NFL prospect of the last decade. Bob Bowman, MLB president of business and media, called DePodesta hire "most interesting sports story of 2016." Elite-level thinker spent 20 years as leading mind behind sabermetrics revolution in baseball made famous by best-selling book and movieMoneyball, based on his then-radical approach with Oakland Athletics. In January, with zero football experience, hired by Cleveland to oversee progressive, analytics-first overhaul of its front office, roster, culture. Will face major obstacles while attempting to challenge decades-old NFL scouting, drafting, team-building and performance models. At stake: fate of franchise, future of analytics in football and DePodesta's legacy. "Paul had a big impact on the way the entire baseball industry operated," states Ben Baumer, a statistical analyst with Mets from 2004 to 2012. "This is a chance for Paul to do it all over again in a different sport. We all want to know: Is it all going to translate, can Paul get lightning to strike twice?"

FEEDBACK FROM FIELD

"BRILLIANT BUT NOT condescending." ... "Reticent but not socially aloof." ... "Smarter than advertised." ... "Process-oriented to the end, not swayed by wins, losses or emotions." ... "Focused on getting it right as opposed to getting credit -- which is why he can't survive most front offices." ... "Not a great communicator." ... "I thought he was a genius until he agreed to work for the Browns."

VISION

BASIS OF WHAT DePodesta and Browns are attempting not new. Majority of NFL teams begrudgingly use analytics without fully embracing concept. Besides scouting and drafting, teams employ analytics to weigh trades, allot practice time, call plays (example: evolving mindset regarding fourth downs) and manage clock. What will differentiate DePodesta and Cleveland is extent to which Browns use data science to influence decision-making. DePodesta would like decisions to be informed by 60 percent data, 40 percent scouting. Present-day NFL is more 70 percent scouting and 30 percent data. DePodesta won't just ponder scouts' performance but question their very existence. Will likewise flip burden of proof on all football processes, models and systems. Objective data regarding, say, a player's size and his performance metrics -- example: Defensive ends must have arm length of at least 33 inches -- will dictate decision-making. Football staff will then have to produce overwhelming subjective argument to overrule or disprove analytics. "It's usually the other way around," states member of AFC team's analytics staff. "I'm jealous, to be honest. I was hoping we'd be the first to do this, but the Browns are beating everyone to the punch. Only question is how much of a tie-yourself-to-the-mast mentality will they have, and for how long?"

RED FLAGS

SECURING FUTURE OF analytics in football will require massive amounts of talent, patience and intellectual ingenuity from franchise notoriously devoid of all three. At MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in March, unilateral fear existed inside analytics community that systemic ineptitude of Browns franchise will be too substantial for even DePodesta to repair. Failure would damage legacy of beloved industry pioneer and set field of sports data science back decades. "If you love analytics and want it to grow and succeed in the NFL, then you know Cleveland is a nightmare scenario," states NFL executive with 20 years of experience in analytics. "Cleveland is a crazy, terrible place for this to be tested in football."

BACKGROUND (COLLEGE)

RECRUITED TO HARVARD in 1991 as shortstop, center fielder, pitcher. Played baseball for Crimson, one year. Injury to throwing shoulder forced him to quit baseball and switch to football, first love since fifth grade, according to associates. "Always been a football guy, deep down," confirms longtime Harvard coach Tim Murphy. Majored in economics with emphasis in psychology. Was once concerned about being labeled "dumb jock" at Harvard. To combat that image, wore button-down shirts, khakis and glasses (instead of contacts) in classroom. Worry about image unfounded. Despite running precise pass routes that former Harvard teammates state could have been measured with protractor, DePodesta failed to record single receiving stat in entirety of Crimson football career. "I got into baseball, and everyone just started calling me a geek, like, 'There's the nerd from Harvard,'" DePodesta stated at Sloan. "Then it took 20 years of working in baseball and me actually leaving and going to football for people to say, 'He's the baseball guy.' So maybe at some point I'll be known as a football guy too."

BACKGROUND (MLB)

AFTER CFL INTERNSHIP, started front office career with Indians in 1996; by the next year was advance scout. Using data, began to question game's processes and implicit assumptions about everything, especially inherent, yet undetected, flaws in decision-making. (Example: Scouts give excessive weight to a player's most recent performance in predicting future performance.) November 1998, age 25, hired away from Indians by Oakland GM Billy Beane. Despite minuscule payroll, analytic approach lifted A's to four straight playoffs (but no championships) while inspiringMoneyball book and movie. Played by Jonah Hill in movie. Beyond obvious physical differences, character seemed to be accurate portrayal: contrarian, painfully awkward at times, process-oriented and unswayed by emotion or outcome on field. "Paul's the Christopher Columbus of analytics," states Astros director of decision sciences Sig Mej­dal. "Others may have come and gone before him. But it was his arrival that led to a permanent industry change.

BACKGROUND (CONTINUED)

FEBRUARY 2004, NAMED GM of Los Angeles Dodgers. After initial success, struggled with role as public face of club, communication with media and human element. Interpersonal skills exposed as notch or two below elite. Derided as "Google Boy" by Los Angeles Times. 2005 season: 71 -- 91. October same year: fired. Spent four seasons with Padres in baseball operations, final two as executive VP. Joined Mets' front office, 2010, run by GM Sandy Alderson, Harvard Law School graduate and sabermetrics acolyte. DePodesta named VP of player development and amateur scouting. Commuted from family residence outside San Diego. Revamped processes behind Mets' approach to scouting, drafting, development, trades and free agency. Four straight losing seasons to start. October 2015, Mets win first pennant in 15 years. Lose to Royals in World Series.

PSYCH PORTRAIT, PART I

QUESTION MOST HEARD while preparing DePodesta report: Why now? Why leave chance at World Series for long shot with Browns? Opinion of associates familiar with Mets organization is that DePodesta was as far back as fourth in line for eventual GM job. Family and home remain in San Diego. GM job with Mets would require move to New York. (Browns allowing DePodesta to cross-country commute.) Also, analytics community feels that while sabermetrics pioneers such as Bill James and DePodesta transformed baseball, they never truly conquered it. "In the last 10 years, you'd be hard-pressed to come up with something new or original that Bill or Paul contributed to the field," states a former MLB analytics researcher. According to DePodesta, Browns offered chance to explore uncharted territory, "to try something different and take on unique challenge in the NFL."

PSYCH PORTRAIT, PART II

TO USE INDUSTRY colloquialisms: If DePodesta becomes first stat nerd to master NFL, he will forever be known as Obi-Wan Kenobi of analytics. No denying ego played some role in jump to NFL. In Oakland, DePodesta's superior mind was driving force behind team's success. Public credit and notoriety all went to Beane. DePodesta's high-profile flameout with Dodgers compounded by way it coincided with Beane disciple Theo Epstein emerging as sabermetrics savior in Boston. Success in NFL would instantly leapfrog DePodesta over intellectual contemporaries in baseball.

IMPENDING TECHNOLOGICAL REVOLUTION

NOT A COINCIDENCE DePodesta jumped to NFL just as league announced release of RFID (radio frequency identification) signals data collected in stadiums since 2014. Chips embedded in shoulder pads track real-time player position, movement and speed. Original massive amount of precise, insightful player performance data seen as NFL's Moneyball moment. Ben Alamar, ESPN director of sports analytics, classifies new RFID data set as "transformational." Says it "will wipe out all current limitations of NFL analytics and dramatically change the football world as we know it." Example: Teams will know instantly whether quarterback is throwing to most open receiver, pass rusher coming off knee surgery is moving at pre-injury speed or opponent alters position of safety by an inch in any direction on third downs. Use of RFID chips by NCAA would eventually make NFL combine obsolete. Only variable, Alamar says, is "how big teams want to think, how deep an understanding they want to gain." This being NFL, of course, many teams will likely not understand scope or potential of new data or even bother to open the files. Therefore, DePodesta's unique skill set combined with avalanche of raw RFID data could immediately close gap on competitors (like Steelers) who use more antiquated scouting systems.

OWNERSHIP OBSTACLES

FOR A YEAR, with franchise in disarray, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, his wife, Dee, and new executive VP of football operations Sashi Brown reached out to learn from successful sports organizations. Crash course for Haslam, among worst owners in sports, re: leadership, turnover, analytics. Case in point: Before 2014 draft, team commissioned $100,000 study on quarterback prospects. Data strongly recommended drafting Teddy Bridgewater with No. 22 pick. Haslam said to have dismissed analytics and drafted Johnny Manziel. Bridgewater now Pro Bowl QB. Manziel out of football. Team now on 25th starting QB since 1999.

Under Haslam, Browns are 19 -- 45 and have lost 18 of past 21 games. Since buying team in 2012, Haslam has fired three coaches, and Browns are on sixth general manager in past eight years. Last season owner publicly committed to long-term rebuilding plan with promise not to "blow things up." In January, fired coach Mike Pettine and GM Ray Farmer.

Upon meeting Haslam, DePodesta explained how most owners treat Moneyball approach like a child riding a roller coaster. Kids beg to ride, wait in line for 45 minutes, get to front of line, see giant first hill and say, "I'm not getting on that thing." DePodesta states owners often want disciplined, process-oriented plan. But when it comes time to make tough decision, they panic. DePodesta told Haslam, "There are gong to be parts of the roller coaster that are going to be scary, that are going to be uncomfortable, but hopefully at the end of the ride, when we get off, you're going to want to say, 'Let's do it again.'"

Consensus inside NFL: Browns will get worse, much worse, before they get better, and turnaround could require up to five years, or twice the time Haslam typically tolerates. "In the pros, five years might as well be forever," Harvard's Murphy states. AFC analytics staffer states DePodesta could have perfect front office season and Browns still lose 14 games in 2016.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

HASLAM'S NEW COMMITMENT to Money(foot)-ball model evident in restructuring of Browns front office into Harvard West. DePodesta reports only to owner. Final say on 53-man roster now belongs to Sashi Brown, 39, fellow Harvard grad and Browns' former general counsel who worked on salary cap and player contracts. Brown, in turn, hired Harvard grad and former Colts pro scouting coordinator Andrew Berry, 28, to be Cleveland's VP of player personnel. Browns' top analytics mind, Ken Kovash, promoted to director of football research and player personnel. Fourth Harvard grad, Kevin Meers, is now team's head research analyst. In total, three of top four decision makers have no NFL scouting or roster-building experience. Cleveland brain trust now unlike anything else in football, which is exactly the point.

Fifth person in team's draft-day war room, coach Hue Jackson, is wild card. He favors gut, eye and instinct over data -- even to own detriment. Seemed out of loop at combine when he suggested analytics "not going to drive our organization." Hope is Jackson can bring balance and unique perspective to data-driven decision-making. Fear is he's "a very bad fit," according to former NFL exec. "It's not just Hue Jackson," same source states. "When data overrides gut, the majority of his coaching staff will all be there screaming, 'What the f--- are these computer guys doing? They don't understand football, they don't understand the locker room. They're killing us.'"

EARLY FIELD DATA

FREE AGENCY OFFERED glimpse into DePodesta "roller coaster" and Browns' new dispassionate, counterintuitive process. Leveraged deeply flawed, desperate Robert Griffin III into two-year deal with minimum ($6.75 million) guarantee. Move allows team to still draft Carson Wentz or Jared Goff in first round. Only now Browns can use Griffin during roster rebuild while protecting and developing rookie passer and future franchise QB. Should Griffin long shot pay off, Browns can lock him up at minimal salary cap hit.

In first 24 hours of free agency, team let four starters leave, including right tackle Mitchell Schwartz (to Kansas City) and Pro Bowl center and team's 2009 first-round pick Alex Mack (to Atlanta). Move left fans, media, NFL "experts" dumbfounded. Left analytics community impressed. Since 2011, teams that have spent least amount of guaranteed money in free agency -- Bengals (.656), Packers (.706), Steelers (.613) -- are among those with highest winning percentages. These teams, along with Ravens and Patriots, rebuild over long haul by stockpiling as many draft picks as possible, then supplement with free agents only when team is within striking distance of title. Accordingly, Browns now have 10 draft picks, tied for second most in league, including two in top 32. Ultimate test of Browns' commitment to new team-building conventions remains trading perennial All-Pro left tackle Joe Thomas, 31, if team gets anything close to first- and second-round picks that Broncos offered at 2015 trade deadline.

CONCLUSION

DEPODESTA DISPLAYS LEGITIMATE high-level, game-changing assets in otherwise staid NFL. Scores off the charts in mental makeup, creativity, vision, instincts, potential. Greatest variable remains whether Browns and owner Haslam can do something truly radical and stick to DePodesta plan for more than two years, especially if team initially struggles on field.

So far, DePodesta responding well to unique challenges of NFL. In February, attended first NFL combine. He reported overhearing NFL front office types trash-talking Browns. Synopsis: Browns so desperate, team turned to "baseball guy." Conversation, attitude reminiscent of famous scene from Moneyball movie involving similar grizzled, stubborn, get-off-my-lawn old-timers. Those scouts were eventually exposed, rendered obsolete, by DePodesta's analytics. "I said, 'All right, this is like 17 years ago in Oakland all over again,'" DePodesta says. "That's part of the fun."

High-character response consistent with overall exceptional NFL prospect. Early, elite levels of optimism not major concern. Those will quickly regress to mean in Cleveland.

This, I believe was the underlying essence of the article.

The 2016 Cleveland Browns never stood a chance...


by Steven Kubitza
link

The Cleveland Browns are a team that fights hard, but the team was set up to fail before the season even got underway.

The Cleveland Browns mercifully have a bye week this Sunday, giving fans a break from what has been a miserable season of football.

On the same weekend when the Ohio State Buckeyes pulled off one of the greatest wins in program history, the Browns fell to 0-12. There would be outrage if the Buckeyes lost 12 games in a five-year span, let alone a single season.


But double-digit losses are nothing new to Browns fans. In fact, even a 7-9 season would be considered an overwhelming success after the constant turnover in all areas of the organization.
The turnover continued last offseason, as fans were introduced to an entirely new front office regime, along with a new head coach. Nothing new for fans in Cleveland.

The new group even made it clear that the team was going to rebuild, but fans may not have understood the scope of the process. But to be fair, the new group may not have understood it either.

The plan from the beginning was to strip the team of all its talent and to start over. The only notable survivors of the roster demolition were Joe Haden and Joe Thomas. Every other notable name was let go in the name of saving money and starting over.


This strategy may allow for some success when done to a baseball or basketball organization, but a football team stands no chance, making 0-12 an unsurprising mark.
The group in charge failed to realize that when talent is present on the team, a complete rebuild is not necessary. Especially on a football team, where taking away too much talent is simply dangerous, which has led to quarterbacks being injured seemingly every week.

Letting Alex Mack leave may make some sense, but Mitchell Schwartz surely could have been retained. Then there are others like Tashaun Gipson, Taylor Gabriel and Donte Whitner, who surely could have been of some use for not too much cost. There needs to be a few veterans around to mentor such a young team.

The idea of a rebuild is sound on paper, but it does not look like the team has set much of a foundation in the first year. There are rookies like Carl Nassib, Corey Coleman, andEmmanuel Ogbah who seem like solid pieces for the future, but this may just be us noting the few positives among a sea of negatives. This is not to say that the rookies won’t pan out, but it is too early to assume they will be key pieces in two or three years. Names like Jabaal Sheard and Phil Taylor speak to that mindset.

So while the talent was stripped away and 2016 has become one of the worst years in franchise history, the optimism heading into 2017 is bleak. A win or two in the final four games can help the team have something to rally around heading into the offseason, but the 0-12 start has taken its toll on fans.


We want to believe things will turn around, but we have been told the same lies since 1999. The only hope now is that Sashi Brown knows what he is doing, and it is only fair to let things play out to see if his plan works. If it doesn’t, well, we may be having this 0-12 discussion once again very soon.

Mac, it is pointless to respond to your post as you seem to be mired in the "But Its Always Been Done This Way" school of thought and unwilling to give DePo's analytics sufficient time to realize it's potential...

That is the only point that I took away from that article...

The only point? And you call mac closed-minded? He may be, but many of you are, as well.

You reached so far up your ass for that one that your going to need to use both of these before you touch your keyboard again

Great football take.

In Internet slang, a troll (/&#712;tro&#650;l/, /&#712;tr&#594;l/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the intent of provoking readers into an emotional ...

By what indications???

This was a very good article. I thought it presented the information in a straight-forward manner. I enjoyed the entire article, but will only touch on a few points in the interest of length.



and



I think it is obvious that Depo is an extremely intelligent man. I think he is innovative, progressive, and a deep-thinker.




This is obviously worrisome. It might be a good plan, but can it work in such a toxic environment. I'll expound on this later.




Sounds like Depo gives the Browns a significant edge w/the use of pioneering data.




This is a huge concern w/me regarding the plan. The amount of losses already has the fans and the media grumbling about coaching decisions and schemes. And there is ZERO evidence that Haslam will display patience w/this group, especially if the plan does indeed take 5 years.




The lack of experience is worrisome. The take on the differences between the top 4 FO guys and Hue is alarming. Can't believe that he was the hire if this wasn't agreed upon during the interview process.




Dumbfounded vs impressed. That's interesting. I have to think about this more, but it certainly is thought provoking.




Whether or not Haslam will give this plan the time needed is the essential question. It's going to be hard for him to deal w/high volume losses, dwindling attendance, public ridicule, etc while watching other teams turn things around at a much faster rate.

Ok ... so what actually happend?

I disagree. Kessler is a true outlier. I don't think there is any way that analytics would prefer Cody over other quarterbacks such as Prescott and Jones.

This pick has Hue written all over it.

And again, I thought it was troubling that the top guys in the FO and Hue don't see eye-to-eye on the analytics thing.

I predicted that day 1 ... no way these guys get along .. no way .. maybe for a short period .. this kumbya crap ain't gonna last for more than 2 years ...

It wouldn't shock me if Hue being late for the presser was cause the "rift" may be beginning .. either that or the THIEF and MONEYBALLERS were pro-active and were "re-selling" the plan and letting Hue know how much patience will be needed during this re-build ..

We'll be at least 4 wins better next year .. at least ... if we can get a QB ... maybe even more ... problem is Hue will have to be admitted to the "psyche" ward by week 10 if were 2 - 8 or 3 - 7 then ...

j/c:

This season is miserable, but the Browns' plan to rebuild can work

To think the Cleveland Browns are not burdened by their past would be ignoring reality.

The team's massive struggles since 1999 magnify its present struggles and eliminate any shred of patience. It's understandable for fans to lose faith after seeing little but schlock for 17 years, and it's frustrating for the team, which isn't trying to lose.

A miserable 0-12 season has been made even more miserable by the years of post-expansion misery.

But none of that means the Browns' rebuilding plan won't work. Losing in the past and losing this season does not guarantee more losing in the future. The failings of previous regimes doesn't guarantee the present one will fail. The only guarantee of failure is if owner Jimmy Haslam again loses patience and changes course. That will make a restart and another rebuild a certainty.

The Browns' new regime is off to a miserable start in terms of wins and losses, but the plan can still work. Here are a few factors to consider:

1. The Browns gutted the roster to rebuild the team

Yes, it hurt in the short term to let players such as Mitchell Schwartz and Alex Mack and Travis Benjamin leave. But the team committed to rebuilding with younger players, and it didn't make a half-baked attempt. The bottom line: The Browns went 3-13 in 2015 with those players and wanted to start fresh with new coach Hue Jackson.

2. The Browns told us about this ahead of time

The day the 2015 season ended, Haslam said he was embarking on a "multiyear rebuild." By that definition, this rebuild has not hit the first turn.

Multiyear means more than one, which means the team's intent this season was to lay a foundation with a new coach and new players while trying to win as many games as possible. Thus, this season was not totally about wins and losses.

The Browns didn't go half-hearted with their "reboot" (the word Jackson prefers). This roster was pared to the nails. Anyone who thought the roster as comprised could win six games was drinking spiked eggnog.

3. The team is building a new culture with its new coach

Jackson is the linchpin of everything the Browns are doing. He is the face of the franchise, the guy entrusted with building a culture that leads to wins. It hasn't happened yet, but Jackson is unwavering that it will, and the players have not abandoned him.

Pro Bowl offensive lineman Joe Thomas even called him exceptional.

Of course, Thomas also said this of the idea of a winning culture: "I'm not sure that I've ever believed in culture or anything like that. To me, that's just a matter of, do you have good players that play well? Then all of a sudden you have a winning culture."

Which is pretty much spot-on.

Which leads to …

4. The team has a bundle of extra draft picks

The Browns have extra first-, second- and fifth-round picks in 2017. They have extra second-, fourth- and sixth-round picks in 2018. They gave up a conditional fourth-round pick to the Patriots for LB Jamie Collins, whom they must sign. But if he leaves via free agency, they likely will receive a fourth-round pick as a compensatory pick.

If the Browns keep all of these picks, they will have four of the top 65 players in the '17 draft. That should be four new starters.

More picks increase the chances of success. These picks also could provide flexibility if the Browns decide to move up or (perish the thought) down in the draft.

The picks are the foundation of the team's approach, and the Browns have a lot of them. On paper, this is a good thing.

5. Lots of salary-cap room

At the moment, ESPN Stats & Information says the Browns have $82.7 million in cap space for 2017. A fair portion of that will be eaten up, but the Browns could be $40 million to $50 million under the cap when the offseason starts.

At some point, the team will use that cap room to improve the roster. It may be waiting for the right time -- such as the Cleveland Indians' acquisition of relief pitcher Andrew Miller before this year's World Series run -- but the cap space is there for the taking.

Some of these factors are intangible -- things like mental belief, approach and culture. But the draft picks are tangible, as is the cap space (though unused cap space pretty much is as useless as an egg on the sidewalk). There are opportunities for improvement.

The two most important parts of the equation are, (A) the Browns have to find a quarterback, and (B) they have to hit on their draft picks.

The quarterback is a given. Jackson admits it, saying he was brought to Cleveland to find that player.

The draft picks can't be wasted. Every year that happens is another year away from fixing the mess.

Johnny Manziel is a perfect example. The team misjudged him on and off the field, and as a result, the Browns wasted two years trying to see if he could play. Once those years are gone, it takes the same amount of time to find and groom another quarterback.

It's not hyperbole to say that drafting Manziel set the Browns back five years.

The addition of injury-prone QB Robert Griffin III has done little to help. That's another year wasted on trying to get him ready, and another year will be spent finding and developing the new guy.


There are many who feel the Browns blew it by not taking Carson Wentz. But the team likes the extra picks it acquired. Wentz can't be judged this soon in his career, nor can the trade. But if the Browns got that one wrong, it's another error.

A rebooting team can't afford errors.

Extra picks guarantee nothing. The Ray Farmer era included back-to-back seasons with two first-round picks. Those turned out to be CB Justin Gilbert, Manziel, NT Danny Shelton and C Cam Erving. Shelton has made great strides this season. The other three … eh.

Having the picks provides the chance. Using them properly defines success.

Yes, the Browns' approach can work.

They have to just get it right.

http://www.espn.com/blog/cleveland-brown...ebuild-can-work

A pretty generic and nothing earth shattering article but it's about the Browns so I thought to post. However, there are a few things I'd like to point out.

1. Although we have tons of cap space I don't see it being used on anything but escalating contracts already on the roster, re-signing our own guys (namely Collins, Pryor, Bitonio, Kirksey HOPEFULLY) and our plethora of draft picks. I don't see the FO allocating significant money in free agency...yet. And as I've said before, at this stage in the process, I am totally ok with that. I don't like the Cleveland Indians and the Andrew Miller comparison because the stage of both of those organizations is dramatically different.

2. They need to keep both Pryor and Collins. I don't care how it's done. Get Pryor lock up soon and franchise Collins or vice versa but I really think these two need to be retained. Not just because they're good but because it might send the message that the Browns want to retain their own players and, if both players sign, that they WANT to be in Cleveland.

3. The Collins' trade is interesting to me and I wonder if we will begin to see similar deals as teams try to secure young players completing their first contract and their current team, for one reason or another, will not retain them. Maybe their current team wants to allocate money elsewhere or are simply unwilling to pay the price tag, but another team recognizing that opportunity will swoop in, make the trade, and hope to work something out before everyone has access to the player in FA. I haven't seen many trades, if at all, have a strategy like this mid-year. So I'll be interested to see the results of it and if it begins a trend here, or elsewhere, of teams trading picks to have first rights to good players. I mean, it'll be a wash potentially even if he leaves in terms of compensation but we get the first stab at retaining him. It's an interesting strategy at least. Has anyone seen similar deals tied to that approach?

And wouldn't you consider that to indicate that we're on the right track? How steep is your learning/success curve based solely on wins/losses? No agenda here - just seeking understanding.

[quote=mac
...Depodesta is in charge of the draft [/quote]

I do not believe this to be factual. My understanding is that DePo was "hands-off" for the 2016 draft...

You have zero clue why they weren't retained. Stop passing this off as fact.

And mac, I feel I've seen you write that Sashi is in charge of the draft. Which is it?

Thanks for posting ... GREAT ARTICLE ...

Read it once .. will read it a few more times then make some comments ... my initial thoughts ..

- lack of football experience in the top 4 positions .. BRUTAL .. .
- Since 2011 some of the teams that have guaranteed the least amount in FA have some of the highest winning %'s ... would imagine that the Pats, Rats and Seahawks are also up there in winning % .. would love to know how they stand in the guaranteed money spent in FA category ...

That would tell me if this dude cherry picked or if their is a correlation there ..

I would love to say that it is common sense .. cause it allows u more freedom to get rid of the BUMS u OVERPAID for ... but i also know there's more than one way to skin a cat ..

Would love more data on that one ...

BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY ... the article doesn't address what i really want to know ...

What did they LEARN about the mesh between analytics and how it relates to the game of football over the last year and MORE IMPORTANTLY will they ADJUST there plan to what they learned ...

RED FLAGS

SECURING FUTURE OF analytics in football will require massive amounts of talent, patience and intellectual ingenuity from franchise notoriously devoid of all three. At MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in March, unilateral fear existed inside analytics community that systemic ineptitude of Browns franchise will be too substantial for even DePodesta to repair. Failure would damage legacy of beloved industry pioneer and set field of sports data science back decades. "If you love analytics and want it to grow and succeed in the NFL, then you know Cleveland is a nightmare scenario," states NFL executive with 20 years of experience in analytics. "Cleveland is a crazy, terrible place for this to be tested in football."




vers...my take on this..I'm not sure that the Browns are Depodesta's #1 concern. It seems that there may be an underlying agenda by Depo and his fellow MIT Sloan members..as they are worried that the Browns are too much of a challenge and if Depodesta is not successful using his analytics to build the Browns into a winner, it will "damage the legacy of beloved industry pioneer and set field of sports data science back decades".

I get the feeling that the Browns are nothing more than a tool to be used by Depodesta and his fellow MIT Sloan members.

Once again, I disagree.

I think the biggest concern is whether or not Haslam gives them the time needed to see the plan through. There are a lot of obstacles in the way.

Not from this poster you won't. I have a great deal of respect for you and your posts to do otherwise. I share your optimism...

I'm not sure if folks realized that Depodesta does not live in the Cleveland area...he lives in San Diego, California..and he works from home..commutes to Cleveland when necessary...(and people complained about Holmgren!).

What I did not know, is before being hired by the Browns, Depodesta was hired by Scripps Translational Science Institute (STSI), San Diego, CA.

Wow, to think that the Browns might be Depodesta's "part time" job...

Bringing 'Moneyball' to healthcare
Jan 05, 2016 | Beth Walsh
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A big sign of just how much impact data analytics is having on healthcare is the announcement that one of the Major League Baseball executives from the "Moneyball"-era has joined the faculty of the Scripps Translational Science Institute (STSI). Paul DePodesta will serve as an STSI assistant professor of bioinformatics.

“Paul brings a valuable outsider’s perspective to medicine that will help make the field more precise and more predictive through the analysis of the vast amounts of individualized data now being collected through genetic testing, wireless sensors and other technologies,” Eric Topol, MD, director of STSI, said in a statement. “We are excited to have him work with our informatics data scientists to jumpstart the ‘Moneyball’ of medicine.”

AT STSI, DePodesta is expected to work on medical data projects with an analytics team led by Ali Torkamani, PhD, associate professor and director of genome informatics.

Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration plans to hire a data officer as part of its 2016 strategy to improve its internal IT systems.

The organization has been wrestling with disjointed IT networks that don't efficiently communicate with one another, which complicates the processes of analyzing data for insights, said Todd Simpson, CIO of the FDA, said in a Bloomberg report.

The chief data officer will oversee changes to how the agency uses the information it collects in testing food, drugs and medical devices, Simpson said. “We're a big data shop and data governance is obviously very important to us,” he said. “We believe it's key.”

I think data analytics has become key for more healthcare organizations.

Beth Walsh



San Diego News
'Moneyball' Comes to Medicine

Written by Keith Darce
Published: 25 December 2015
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La Jolla, California - After leading a data revolution in Major League Baseball, Paul DePodesta is joining the faculty of the Scripps Translational Science Institute (STSI) where he will apply his skills and insight to the emerging field of digital medicine.

“Paul brings a valuable outsider’s perspective to medicine that will help make the field more precise and more predictive through the analysis of the vast amounts of individualized data now being collected through genetic testing, wireless sensors and other technologies,” said Eric Topol, MD, director of STSI. “We are excited to have him work with our informatics data scientists to jumpstart the ‘Moneyball’ of medicine.”

DePodesta is a Harvard economics graduate who rose to prominence when, as the assistant general manager to Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane, he used his knowledge of data analytics to radically alter the way the team recruited players. His time with the Athletics was depicted in the film “Moneyball” through the fictional character Peter Brand, as played by actor Jonah Hill.

DePodesta will serve as an assistant professor of bioinformatics at STSI while maintaining his primary role as vice president of player development and scouting for the New York Mets. He joined the Mets organization in November 2010. In 2015, the team made the playoffs for the first time in nine years and played in the World Series. DePodesta previously worked in the front offices of several other MLB organizations, including the San Diego Padres.

Powering medicine with data

“In disciplines as disparate as baseball, financial services, trucking and retail, people are realizing the power of data to help make better decisions,” DePodesta said. “Medicine is just beginning to explore this opportunity, but it faces many of the same barriers that existed in those other sectors – deeply held traditions, monolithic organizational and operational structures, and a psychological resistance to change.

“Being part of the STSI faculty allows me to apply the things I’ve learned in baseball to a critical sector of our lives and our economy that is ripe for this kind of revolution,” he said.

STSI is a National Institutes of Health sponsored consortium led by Scripps Health in collaboration with The Scripps Research Institute. Through this innovative research partnership, Scripps is leading the effort to translate wireless and genetic medical technologies into high-quality, cost-effective treatments and diagnostics for patients.

At STSI, DePodesta will work on large medical data projects with the center’s analytics team, which is led by Ali Torkamani, Ph. D., associate professor and director of genome informatics. Other team members include Andrew Su, Ph. D., associate professor, and Nathan Wineinger, Ph. D., director of biostatistics.

Wide range of research projects

The team’s work covers a wide span of diseases and medical conditions. Examples include:

• The Molecular Autopsy Study, which is searching for genes associated with sudden unexplained death by sequencing and analyzing the DNA of adults, children and infants whose death cannot be explained using traditional medical investigative methods.

• The GIRAFFE Study, which seeks to identify a set of genetic mutations associated with atrial fibrillation, the most common type of irregular heartbeat. Those mutations would then be used to predict a risk of developing the potentially dangerous condition.

• The IDIOM Study, which uses DNA sequencing to look for the genetic causes and potential treatments of idiopathic diseases – those serious, rare and perplexing health conditions that defy a diagnosis and standard treatment.

DePodesta first connected with Dr. Topol last summer after reading the physician/researcher’s acclaimed book “The Patient Will See You Now.” In an email to Dr. Topol, DePodesta explained that he was struck by the parallels between baseball and medicine, and was looking to apply his skills and knowledge to a field with global impact.

Soon after, the two scheduled a one-hour lunch which turned into a three-and-a-half-hour discussion about the intersection of Big Data analytics and health care. In October, DePodesta was a featured speaker at the inaugural Transforming Medicine: Evidence-Driven mHealth conference organized by STSI. He will join the institute’s faculty on Jan. 1.

DePodesta lives in La Jolla with his family.

So then he's not running the draft?

I think people have been putting too much emphasis on DePodesta and analytics. I thought everyone knew that he was basically a consultant.

I pretty much picture him as Doug Guggenheim from House of Lies.

But you just said, as fact, a few posts up that DePodesta is running the draft.

The "who knows?" part is perhaps the most logical thing you've posted on here.

I think you are playing a dangerous game - and all I see to support your position is assumption layered on top of another assumption - all in order to support your theory. It does not at all seem to be that the facts lead to your conclusion - it seems you reach your conclusion and then make the circumstantial and anecdotal 'facts' fit your scenario.

If this is the Breeders Cup classic - you're trying to predict the outcome of the race after the first 2 furlongs. It's a long term plan that requires long term review. Not knee jerk reactions - that is exactly what has been the issue with the Browns since 1999.

I won't call u those names tabber .. what i will call u is

A HOMER ....

u always have been and always will be ... but thats OK .. at least your a homer that knows the game unlike 98% of the rest of the homers .. ...

Love reading your posts .. being the realist i am, your homerism sometimes makes me wanna puke but its well worth it cause i usually learn either before or after i puke .. *L* ..

Get well soon bro ...

Great question ... I actually typed out another response about the article (think its a great article and i learned alot) but must have not hit the submit button after i previewed it .. damm, that sucks .. *L* ...

I will read the article a few more times (thats how good i think it is .. i'm talking about the one one depo and moneyball) ... and then make another post on it ...

My conclusion was that this article did not adress what i really think is important and the only thing that matters ...

WHAT did we learn about how football and analytics mesh together and IF we'll change the "formula" as to how it works ... to me thats the important part ...

The answer to that will be known to all with what we do with our draft picks and how they pan out and in FA .. it may or not manifest itself in w's and l's next year ...

The NFL is set up for "parity" .. its hard to do what us and SF are doing this year .. HARD .. hopefully ALL the coaches will be back and everyone will be in year two of the systems ... hopefully a few of the rooks make major strides between year 1 and 2 ,... hopefully we get at least 2 impact players with out first two picks(unless we take a QB with one of them .. no QB in this year's class is close to being nfl ready) and hopefully we get a few 2nd tier FA's to upgrade a few positions ...

Thats why i think 4 wins is the bottom of the barrel for next year .. and if we get a QB in FA maybe even more ... it won't necessarily mean we are "progressing" in the way I think u mean we are ... I think its built in to today's NFL and the fact were starting to re-build and there is no more tearing down to do ... *L*

Make sense?

It sounded like DP came on to make sure everything was running smoothly and operating as it should be. I think our FO is being ran much more like a business operation than a football team. So I always thought DP was the equivalent to a board of directors or special adviser. I wouldn't think too much of it.