DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Browns assistant coach rumors II

I like Schobert, but I hope they get a thumper to play LB. When was the last time we had a guy at LB, that other teams had to plan for?

y/c

I came to this thread to read about Browns assistant coach rumors. I avoid the threads whose titles are openings for arguments over things beyond the control of anyone on this board. Yet...

No, no, I didn't. That was a nice try/lie right there, though. If at first your shown to be wrong, lie, lie again. That's your credo, right? Or just your modus operandi?

It's frustrating having to respond to this garbage when trying to find football discussion.


TC McCartney's backstory is interesting...sad, but interesting. His biological father died of inoperable cancer at 21, so he spent a good bit of time around his grandfather, Bill McCartney, who won a national championship at Colorado in 1990.

Yet here you are. In the middle of it using personal attacks. Doesn't make you sound as smart as you think you are does it?

Have you noticed how many different people you get into spats with? It's rather remarkable.

You complaining about personal attacks - real or imagined - is laughable.

You have me confused with someone who gives a damn. I don't roll over and play dead. That sounds like a you problem.

BTW- I wasn't complaining about it. I've learned to expect it. I was merely pointing out that someone who acts as though they're above that sort of thing really aren't.

If I were trying to sound smart, I'd hang out with the Browns' FO and new HC more. Unfortunately, I hang around with you, so I sound hounded and frustrated. I know I should keep better company, but I continue to hold out hope that you'll change for the better if I keep kindly pointing out your faults.

I'm a Browns' fan. I'd be nothing without hope.


Any word on Pagac yet? I keep checking.

Ah, rationalizations and excuses for poor behavior. I thought you would be more original than that. Obviously I overestimated your skill set.

Why don't you just tear up his speech? (In my best Nancy Pelosi representation).

Well I see dawgtalkers hasn’t changed much...

"Bam-Bam"? I don't know that answer. I want Schobert here, but a thumper will make him better. He has done well, but he isn't good enough to carry the D himself. Plays catch up ball later in plays.

I expected FP's sets and schemed stunts to help our LB play. Hope against hope.

At MLB/ILB, our last "thumper" might be Eddie (The Assassin) Johnson or Robert L (Stonewall) Jackson. The Browns always seemed to prefer finesse guys at that spot, like Tom Cousineau, Mike Johnson (who was very good) back in the day, or Joe Schobert, more recently. I would like to have seen Genard Avery get a shot at that inside LB spot.

Lol strife, did you really think it would?

Chip Banks....and more recently Jamir Miller.

Hopefully if we look for a thumper, we find someone that works out better than David Veikune and Beau Bell.

Maybe Takitaki can become that guy.

Sir, this is an Assistant Coach thread.

PS: No one will "like" this post. LOL

Seems we have a few more hires to make. I have been watching for news. So far it looks like we are getting solid guys, but we say that every time.

I just have to go by what I read on most of them. I can't say I know much about any of them except maybe Callahan.

Alex Van Pelt sees 'great opportunity' as Browns offensive coordinator

https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/ale...ive-coordinator

The early meetings have already stirred the excitement inside new Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. Watching film of the key players who will play the biggest roles in 2020 and beyond elevate it even more.

Van Pelt is already hard at work with head coach Kevin Stefanski and the experienced coaches who surround them in all directions as the Browns look to bring the best out of the talent they have at a number of offensive positions.

"To have the opportunity to come in and help build an offense from the ground up is exciting," Van Pelt said. "There are starting points, but to get to work with those guys and have Kevin in there just kind of make it our offense from Day 1 is pretty cool. The most important thing now is to get this system in place and make it as easy and friendly for the players so we can get off the ground and start rolling.

"You understand the passion of the Browns fans and the toughness of the city and the grittiness of the city. That's obviously appealing. Having the opportunity to come here and work for the Haslams and to have the talent that's here right now on board with the offense is a great opportunity."

Van Pelt, after two seasons as quarterbacks coach in Cincinnati, knows the personnel well after squaring off with the Browns four times in the last two years. And with 15 years of experience coaching quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers -- on top of the decade he logged as an NFL player -- Van Pelt brings the kind of diverse skill set to the position Stefanski -- a versatile, experienced offensive coach himself -- knew he wanted when he took the reins as head coach of the Browns.

"We were looking for a guy that could come in here and really work together with the offensive staff that's in place, work with me as we all talk about our vision for what we want our offense to look like," Stefanski said. "Just be able to bring this all together, be able to take the great ideas from the offensive staff and mold this thing into the Browns offense, Browns system."

Van Pelt broke a number of Dan Marino's records during his playing days at the University of Pittsburgh and became only the fifth collegiate player to throw for 2,000 yards in four consecutive seasons. It was there where Van Pelt got his first taste of West Coast offense principles under coach Paul Hackett, a former Browns offensive coordinator (1981-82) who later worked under legendary 49ers coach Bill Walsh.

An eighth-round pick by his hometown Steelers in the 1993 NFL Draft, Van Pelt later signed with the Buffalo Bills and found a home as both a player and coach. Van Pelt backed up Hall of Famer Jim Kelly at the start of his career and did the same for a number of others from 1995-2003. He appeared in 31 games and made 11 starts, eight of which came during the 2001 season.


"I think so highly of Alex from that regard because he played the position at a high level collegiately and in the pros," Stefanski said. "When you're a backup quarterback, there's so much that goes into that from a preparation standpoint. It's no surprise then that a lot of those guys become great coaches because they understand what it takes to prepare for an NFL game from that position when you're not getting any reps oftentimes. I just think that's made him a better coach."

Van Pelt spent two years in Buffalo after his playing career as a radio analyst before heading overseas in 2005 to coach the quarterbacks and call plays for the Frankfurt Galaxy (NFL Europe). He returned to Buffalo one year later to join the Bills' staff in 2006 as a volunteer assistant. He quickly rose the ranks from there, going from a quality control coach to quarterbacks coach (2008) before taking over as offensive coordinator in 2009.

After two years as the quarterbacks coach in Tampa Bay, Van Pelt got the opportunity to diversify his coaching resume as the running backs coach in Green Bay. Working under Mike McCarthy, who was a graduate assistant at Pitt during Van Pelt's playing days, Van Pelt got to know the intricacies of a new position for two seasons before shifting to quarterbacks coach in 2014.

"It's definitely helped. There's no question," Van Pelt said. "That was a great opportunity for me to learn more about offensive football and how the running back mind thinks. That was huge and beneficial. Also, he allowed me to coach receivers for a year when I was coaching the quarterbacks. To have that group in the room, it broadens your perspective of offensive football."

Van Pelt, of course, worked closely with Aaron Rodgers as quarterbacks coach from 2014-17, a stretch in which Rodgers completed 64 percent of his passes for 14,305 yards, 125 touchdowns and just 26 interceptions. In 2016, Rodgers led the NFL with 40 touchdown passes and became just the second QB in NFL history (Tom Brady, 2015) to post 600-plus attempts and seven or fewer INTs in a season. Rodgers was named NFL MVP in 2014 after totaling 4,381 passing yards, 38 touchdowns, five interceptions and a 112.2 rating.

"As much as we worked together, I probably learned just as much from him as I was able to teach him," Van Pelt said. "Just having those experiences with an elite player and being able to work side by side with him every day has helped me so much as a coach."

Van Pelt's two seasons in Cincinnati tasked him to work with a veteran (Andy Dalton) and multiple players at the early stages of their respective careers (Jeff Driskel, Ryan Finley). He embraced both sides of the challenge and is chomping at the bit to work with Baker Mayfield, who will enter his third NFL season in 2020.

"I evaluated him as a QBs coach for the draft and I was obviously impressed," Van Pelt said. "Playing against him for the last two years, you see the type of competitor he is, the type of player he is on the field, loves the game, plays it with passion, those are all the things you're looking for in a great player."


The players around Mayfield draw a similar response from Van Pelt, who inherits an offense that produced two 1,000-yard wide receivers (Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr.) and an 1,000-yard running back (Nick Chubb) in the same season for the first time in franchise history. Van Pelt sees those players' respective skill sets meshing well with what the Browns want to do on offense under his watch.

"It all starts with the run game and the play-action off it and the keepers that come off from the action," Van Pelt said. "Obviously having Nick is huge and Kareem (Hunt), those two are two of the best in the league. The outside receivers are tremendous players. To be able to come in and put an offense together with two 1,000 yard receivers and a 1,400 yard rusher is pretty exciting as a coach."

Months remain before those players will have a shot at compiling yards in 2020. The work is just beginning, and Van Pelt will be a main figure in the collective effort to rejuvenate the Browns' offensive attack.

"I think his work with the different guys he's had over his career is very impressive," Stefanski said. "Just like me, he's been in a ton of different systems. There's a really fun discussion when we put up a play and say, 'what'd you call this or how'd you teach this?'

"I think we're really trying to get to the bottom of how we want to run the Browns system next year."

Alex Van Pelt's NFL Playing Background:
1995-2003 Buffalo Bills, quarterback

Alex Van Pelt's Coaching Background:

2005: Frankfurt Galaxy, quarterbacks coach
2005: Buffalo Bills, volunteer offensive quality control coach
2006: University at Buffalo, quarterbacks/passing game coordinator
2006-07: Buffalo Bills, offensive quality control coach
2008-09: Buffalo Bills, quarterbacks coach
2009: Buffalo Bills, offensive coordinator
2010-11: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, quarterbacks coach
2012-13: Green Bay Packers, running backs coach
2014: Green Bay Packers, quarterbacks coach
2015: Green Bay Packers, quarterbacks/wide receivers coach
2016-17: Green Bay Packers, quarterbacks coach
2018-19: Cincinnati Bengals, quarterbacks coach
2020: Cleveland Browns, offensive coordinator

Mike Priefer has 'unfinished business' entering 2nd season as Browns special teams coordinator

https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/mik...s-special-teams

Mike Priefer got the Browns special teams units collectively headed in the right direction in a much-improved 2019 campaign.

It just didn't meet the standard he expects as a longtime special teams coordinator.

"We have some work to do, some unfinished business," Priefer said. "That's what the opportunity to come back is going to provide for us to do, to finish that business."

Priefer and assistant special teams coach Doug Colman are back for a second season in Cleveland, joining run game coordinator/running backs coach Stump Mitchell as the three retained coaches from the 2019 staff. Priefer, who grew up in Cleveland, wanted to return no matter who was hired as head coach. That the Browns went with Kevin Stefanski, whom he coached alongside from 2011-18 in Minnesota, made coming back even more rewarding for Priefer, who is entering his 15th consecutive season as an NFL special teams coordinator.

"I've seen him grow as a coach from being a quality control coach to being a running backs, tight ends, quarterbacks and then offensive coordinator. I've seen his growth," Priefer said. "I knew from the get-go he was going to be a very good coach as he kind of gained experience. Obviously he had that head coaching mentality about him. He's got that charisma about him, he's got leadership and he's going to do a great job for us here."

Cleveland's special teams made significant improvements in nearly every facet of the game under Priefer's watch in 2019.

The Browns were among the best in the league at covering kicks, ranking fifth in the NFL in average yards allowed per kickoff and sixth overall in kickoff return yards. On punts, the Browns went from 30th in the league to 17th. Cleveland was among the best in the league in tackles inside the 20-yard line and average starting field position after kickoffs.

The improvements stemmed from the strong directional kicking of rookie Austin Seibert, better tackling from core players such as KhaDarel Hodge, Tavierre Thomas and Tae Davis and a significant decrease in penalties. The Browns went from one of the most penalized special teams units in 2018 to middle of the pack in 2019.


"There's a lot of improvements in a lot of different areas if we continue to bring young men in here that love the game of football and like playing special teams," Priefer said. "There's unique people who play that. You have to have something wrong with you if you're going to go cover a kickoff or punt and people say you have to have something wrong with you if you're going to coach special teams, so it goes hand in hand. I'm excited about our future."

Priefer had both the present and future in mind when he entered the 2019 season with rookies at both punter and kicker. Both Seibert and Jamie Gillan proved worthy of their selections to the 53-man roster and finished the season on the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team.

Gillan, an undrafted free agent who hails from Scotland, was named the AFC's Special Teams Player of the Month in September and set the Browns' single-season record for net punting (41.6 average). He finished tied for fifth in team history with 28 punts placed inside the 20-yard line and had just five of his 63 punts go for touchbacks.

Seibert, a fifth-round pick out of Oklahoma, made 25-of-29 field goals, set a Browns rookie scoring record with 105 points and opened his career with 16 consecutive makes, a streak that ranked fourth in NFL history.

"They will get better," Priefer said. "The thing I've told them is they've made a big mistake. You have proved you can do it and now we're going to expect you to do it more often and be more consistent and be more productive. We left some points on the field with Austin and we left some big plays on the field with our punter.

"The good thing is they've made enough plays to encourage you to say, you know what, they can do it. It's there. It's in them. Now we've got to continue to improve our technique, be more consistent and be a more productive unit across the board."

Priefer expects to see improvements on kick return and punt return in 2020. The Browns ranked 16th in the NFL on punt returns and 20th on kickoffs. Cleveland used four different returners on both punts and kicks.

"At the end of the day, I think we need to hold up better, hold up on punt return better, protect with our drops better on kickoff return," Priefer said. "We have to have more production from our returners. We left some yards on the table, whether it was not hitting the seam right or going down too easy on an arm tackle. Those are the areas we want to improve on."


Stefanski knows from experience to expect Priefer to meet his goals in 2020 and beyond.

While they coached together in Minnesota, Priefer's unit led the NFL with 14 special teams touchdowns. The team scored on seven kickoff returns, five punt returns and two touchdowns off blocked punts. The Vikings led the NFL in kickoff return average in 2015 (28.3) and 2016 (27.3) and finished second in 2011 (27.2). His units also led the league in punt return average in 2013 (15.2) and finished second in the league in total kick return yards in 2014 (1,981) and 2015 (1,540).

"It's been awesome to be back with Coach Prief," Stefanski said. "He's somebody on a personal level I have a great deal of respect for. Great family man. I couldn't be more thrilled to be back in the fray with him. I've seen him coach. I've seen his units play really well. It's exciting to be back around Coach Prief."

Mike Priefer's Coaching Background:
1994-96: U.S. Naval Academy, graduate assistant
1997-98: Youngstown State University, offensive tackles/tight ends/special teams
1999: Virginia Military Institute, inside linebackers/special teams
2000-01: Northern Illinois University, defensive tackles/special teams
2002: Jacksonville Jaguars, assistant special teams
2003-05: New York Giants, assistant special teams
2006-08: Kansas City Chiefs, special teams coordinator
2009-10: Denver Broncos, special teams coordinator
2011-18: Minnesota Vikings, special teams coordinator
2019-: Cleveland Browns, special teams coordinator

Good to read. Hope it continues to improve, especially some of the punt returns. We need to raise the bar and get consistency in performance.

Liked what I read. Best of luck, coach!

https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/jef...ive-backs-coach

This is the slowest rollout of a coaching staff I have ever seen. Most of these guys we have known about for weeks. It means nothing but I am impatient and want to know now.

None of it will matter.

Zegura said yesterday on CBD, he expects Fred Pagac to join the defensive staff in senior advisory role.

If I heard Zegura correctly, the coaching staff was in Berea all having lunch at the cafeteria. He was not even sure why it's been so slow to make the hires official, but expects everything to be official by the end of the week.

He must be reading my posts.

Just let us be idiots without bringing us down!

All of it will matter. For good or bad is yet to be determined.

Hopefully it's just contract details and solidifying responsibilities and plans. Instead of just hiring the first name to come along, actually working together on how they're going to actually do the job. I can dream, right?

Still, I'm definitely feeling impatient, too.

It just dawned on me....Chris Kiffin, our DL coach is the son of Monte Kiffin….long time NFL DC, and the father of the Tampa 2.

He had good coaching as a kid along with brother Lane.

Who knew Sherlock Holmes was on this board?

As long as it isn't Lane.

Unless it's Lane Meyer, then we're totally covered.. especially if we need someone to ski the K-12.

Add Scott Peters to the list...

Head coach - Kevin Stefanski
Chief of staff – Callie Brownson
Senior offensive assistant/offensive line – Bill Callahan
Offensive coordinator – Alex Van Pelt
Offensive assistant - T.C. McCartney
Run game coordinator/running backs – Stump Mitchell
Wide receivers – Chad O'Shea
Tight ends – Drew Petzing
Assistant offensive line – Scott Peters
Offensive quality control – ???
Offensive quality control – ???

Defensive coordinator – Joe Woods
Defensive line – Chris Kiffin
Assistant defensive line – ???
Linebackers – Jason Tarver
Defensive backs/passing game coordinator – Jeff Howard
Senior defensive assistant – ???
Defensive quality control – ???
Defensive quality control – ???

Special teams coordinator – Mike Priefer
Assistant special teams – Doug Colma

Excuse me?



https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/scott-peters-named-browns-assistant-offensive-line-coach

It seems like this is the 5th or 6th time the Browns have brought in some form of MMA fighter to teach hand techniques.