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While on the surface this sounds great I have ever rarely heard a college coach not pimp his players no matter what.

Interesting...

Mayo has made it pretty clear that he feels that he can make the jump... and that is his wish.

I think a lot of it has to do with scheme. But this isn't as complicated as you're making it sound. Most of the best teams in the NFL have very good passing QB's. Those who don't have one want one. Their offenses are predicated on using the passing game to open up the run game. They use multiple WR sets. As such as the game has changed so has the abilities you are looking for in your LB'ers. The teams you will have to beat if you ever want to advance in the playoffs win a SB will require you to have LB'ers who are fast and agile enough to compete in coverage. Now I do understand that you need some physical LB'ers to use in obvious running downs.

But are running downs as obvious as they used to be? I don't think so. Some people consider it foolish to pass on third and 3 or 4. But I believe that people who say that underestimate the power of surprise in play calling. Yes, with the evolution of the game so comes the evolution in what you need the most at the LB'er position.

Wouldn't surprise me to see Mayo stay with Pats until an HC gig opens up.

While at the same time this situation may force the Pats to give him the title of DC in order to keep him. Being a named NFL DC would only further the likelihood he would get HC'ing offers moving forward.

Maybe... and BTW, I agree with Milk, and tend to think he's staying in New England.

I don't think the Pats want to risk any friction with Steve Belichick, and I think Bill likes the ambiguity of having no coordinators named.

I'd expect a new title like "associate head coach". It would serve to show that the Patriots have real respect for his role, and probably start rumblings that he's being groomed to take Bill's job. That would create more of a likelihood he would be interviewed for HC gig next year, if it doesn't happen this year.

I don't really disagree with your premise here. But if what your doing is to avoid friction with Steve Belichick, wouldn't advancing Mayo to the associate HC position which elevates Mayo to an even higher position than the DC accomplish the same thing?

Keep reading. It turned around.

It did seem the team drafted CB's who were highly touted for man coverage. It would seem like a positive to use man coverage more. While the old saying is true, "You live by the blitz and you die by the blitz", using it more than we have I too think would be a positive. It seems to me the biggest issue has been the communication and getting the D all on the same page. We actually heard it from the players this season. I'm certainly not against having a DC that implements more discipline but I think that communication was the biggest issue.

I am fine with either - and as the article mentions teams are in their base defense maybe 30-33% of the time. But I do not embrace the idea of Myles Garrett being part of "massive set of edge setters against the run" - but I do think Flores would find ways to utilize MG. And maybe the 3-4 actually plays to the strength of JOK and Delphit? The flip side is finding a starting, impactful starting NT to play in that 3-4 might be hard, and then to add depth?

When I read articles about Schwartz - they talk about how creative and brilliant he was in coming up with schemes and variations. Disguising pressure and mixing up where an extra man may be launched from. Either is fine but maybe I have a slight preference for Schwartz ...

Other positives and negatives for Flores - to my mind - he probably brings more of the hard nose attitude and culture change/shock that the entire team and coaching staff might need. The flip side is that if Watson/Stefanski don't hit the ground running early in the season, you could see calls for Flores to replace KS by mid-season which I think would be detrimental no matter what.

Hmm, I guess that could be possible. But that would only be true if Steve has a problem with that, right? Steve calls the plays on defense. He's confident and comfortable in that role. I don't know what his ambitions are, but he may actually be the heir-apparent? Maybe everyone knows that. If Mayo isn't interested in DC as a stepping stone -- maybe this scenario works best for everyone. I think DC is Steve's natural progression, while Mayo doesn't need to take that role to elevate himself to HC material. I also think it would be strange to make Mayo the DC and still have Steve calling the plays.

I get excited when I read articles like that with Flores. I think he would be a great pick up at DC. The problem is we just spent a year basically waiting on the franchise QB then a dramatic defensive switch would not garner overnight success and could be something that year two in will be better than year 1. I don't know how much patience the team has left. If he is the best candidate, then I think we must hire Flores. But if winning now matters and making smaller changes and getting the most out of the players and scheme we run now is Schwartz then I think hiring him is best. I don't have a problem with Flores. I think he is a very good coach and I like his aggressiveness and think that is something the Browns have needed on defense for a while now. I just think if they were going to make that dramatic change on defense it should have happened this year while they were having a dramatic change on offense and the cultures could have grown together.

I like Schwartz as well.

One thing about Schwrtz is he is very sound with his defensive front. He has a proven history of getting the most out of that unit.

That's a good article about Flores. Thanks.

Like others, I'm good w/either Flores or Schwartz although I think this is way more about players than schemes.

mac, we have had this discussion before about Woods scheme. I provided proof of all the teams that run the same/similar scheme.

Perhaps Woods was not a good communicator? I don't know the answer to that. However, the scheme was not the issue. All schemes can be exploited.

They should have kept Joe Woods.
I'm disappointed that nobody seemed to go to bat for Joe Woods, whether it would have mattered, that of the faces of analytics and ownership, Who stood up for Their guy, Who stood up for what was working and not broken, who stood up for Joe Woods?

They Can, could, and probably will do a lot worse than Joe Woods.
The defense was not broken.
The Defense against the pass, was the best its been since I994, and back then there were different rules.

Want to know why they can't win the division?
They can't even fix the correct of the 3 coordinators
The defense worked out the best
The offense needed fixed and re schemed,
and the special teams was Penalty City.

so, Only in Cleveland? They fired the guy who ran the best ran group of the 3.

Don't cry when they are 4 and I2 next year with one game to play.

I hate reading about schemes, coverages, alignments etc. Then I watch the game and you see a confused mess of players getting run on thru huge holes and receivers so wide open that the wide angle lens can't even fit a defender into the frame.

Does anyone have an example of a DC that was hired that provided an instant turnaround to that teams defense. I can think of OC examples, but nothing dramatic on the D side.

When Buddy Ryan became the HC of the Arizona Cardinals he installed his D. The year before they were near the bottom in total D. The next year with Ryan they were in the top 15. Quite a turnaround. After that they didn't do so well.

Dan Quinn turned the Cowboys defense around in one year. He was also excellent in Seattle. Not sure about any timelines, though.

How about Belichick w/the Giants? I don't know the answer, but it seems logical to think he improved them a lot.

Belichick had a great 6-year run as DC with the Giants including 2 Super Bowl wins. However, he didn't turn the defense around in one year. In fact, Belichick was the Giants Linebacker and/or special teams coach the previous 6-years before being promoted to the DC position. The previous year the Giants were 9-7 and went to the playoffs and went 1-1. In Belichick's first year, the Giants were 10-6 and went to the playoffs again and finished 1-1. Not exactly a one year turn around but future years produced 2 Super Bowls.

Only when the D was really bad to begin with. If it begins really really bad, then the fix can feel dramatic, but if it were reasonably good to begin with, then a new guy coming in to make some special magic unbelievably good defense in one year is hard to remember.

Browns DC candidate has head coaching interview request in Carolina as well
It will be interesting if any of the others also get a HC interview
By JaredMueller@JaredKMueller Jan 12, 2023, 5:35pm EST 0 Comments / 0 New


The Cleveland Browns were expected to have competition for some of their targets for their open defensive coordinator position but that competition may be more interesting than expected. Jim Schwartz, Brian Flores, Jerod Mayo and Sean Desai are all respected in the NFL and should be in positions to call defenses next year unless they decide otherwise.

One way that they may not be calling defenses is if they get a chance to be a head coach somewhere. We know that the Browns have placed an emphasis on past head coaching experience in looking for their new coordinator. We also know there is a chance that Schwartz or Flores could be targetted for head coaching positions, although neither has been linked to an interview yet.

Somewhat surprisingly, it is actually Mayo that has the first chance, of the four, to interview for the top job. The Carolina Panthers have requested to interview him for their position according to a report:

The Panthers are in an interesting position. Interim coach Steve Wilks almost got the team to the playoffs after a putrid start under Matt Rhule but seems to have an uphill climb to get the position.

Mayo, a former first-round pick and quality starting linebacker for the New England Patriots, has never held the title of defensive coordinator but has called plays for the Pats for a few years. His only coaching and playing experience is with New England which could be a selling point given Bill Belichick’s resume but no coach off of Belichick’s tree has had much success in the NFL.

Schwartz and Flores interviewed with Cleveland on Wednesday and Thursday. There is no timetable currently set for either Mayo or Desai. With Seattle in the playoffs, Desai’s interview will depend on if the Seahawks advance.

It is likely that Mayo will prioritize the Carolina interview first before scheduling with the Browns.


https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2023/...Qx5xhpSrvph3sYyDvP7-RpBnbqM0BofRtERU6YRA

Schwartz is the guy I want.

I'd seen that mayo was interviewing the the panthers HC position. If Tepper doesn't give it to Wilks I think he's bonkers. But then look what he gave Matt Rhule, anything is possible

I want whoever gives us the best chance to get to a super bowl.

That is the bottom line for me too and I believe 'prior experience' should be one of the major factors the search team needs to consider.

j/c:

This is a general comment about coaching hires, and perhaps even anecdotal, but I feel like the flashy, popular name everyone wants rarely hits the mark and it is the unknown, under the radar hire that really pays dividends in the end. I suppose this thought is more geared towards HC hires, but just something I've noticed over the years in the NFL.

Thanks for the article. I respect Jake Burns more than any other guy who talks about the Browns.

I don't know if hiring Flores or Schwartz would be the best move. While a shift to a more aggressive philosophy is enticing, I think it might take a couple of years to get the right personnel. I think our window is now. Pushing things back a year is not ideal.

In the end, I don't know who we should hire. Again, I think the NFL is more about players than coaches. I will just trust Berry and Stefanski to hire the right guy.

Good. I don't trust the Belichick tree and never will. Don't want this guy, especially because he doesn't have enough experience. I hope we get Flores. I want someone to wake these guys up from the non chalant attitudes they have.

The window is now - it was 2022 too, which is why flushing it down the toilet upset a few posters.

I think there are plenty of examples - Williams when he took over from Hue, Pederson taking over the Jaguars, Belichick getting back up QB's to play at high levels - heck even Stefanski getting the most out of Baker - to suggest that coaching is a very significant part of how a team or an offense/defense performs. While you can't make chicken salad out of chicken poop - the right coach can make a Michelin Star rated meal when other coaches make meatloaf with the same ingredients.

And staying with Baker would have essentially meant flushing the season down the toilet too. At least now, there is higher upside of QB performance.