DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Chud Continued

I like the hire. Wasn't crazy about Kelly. Was ambivalent about Wisenhunt. Thought Shanahan or Jay Gruden might be decent considerations. Overall, I really like this hire more than the other candidates out there that were being bandied about. Now, he needs to get it together and start winning games.

Presser recap:

Welcome aboard, Chud. Jimmy Haslam and Joe Banner introduced Rob Chudzinski as the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns Friday morning, spending about 45 minutes answering questions from the media. Here is a reader's digest of what we can take away from the presser at this point:

Chud's Background & Growing Up A Browns Fan

For those who don't know, we are getting a head coach who grew up as a Browns fan; Chudzinski was born in Toledo, OH. While that doesn't qualify someone as a head coach, it means that Chudzinski should understand this franchise's storied legacy and why fans have been clamoring for a winner. He was here in Cleveland for two different stints -- one as a tight ends coach, and another as an offensive coordinator (2007-2008).

"I am excited about this opportunity. I’m excited about the chance to bring back what I grew up in and the feeling that this city, this region, this area have in the Cleveland Browns. I was the kid that was in the backyard playing, pretending I was Ozzie Newsome or Brian Sipe or the greats that played for Cleveland. The tradition of this franchise is such that the people here want a winner, and I’m here. I would not miss this for the world – the opportunity to come back and bring a winner back to Cleveland."

Haslam noted that while Chudzinski's connection to Ohio was a plus, he would have hired him "even if he were from Plano, Texas."

Hiring Process & Number Of Coaches Interviewed

While he did not list names, Haslam confirmed that the Browns interviewed 9 or 10 head coaching c|ndidates, ranging from current coordinators in the NFL, former head coaches, and coaches at the collegiate level. By our tally, the Browns seemed to at least interview Marc Trestman, Ken Whisenhunt, Ray Horton, Mike Zimmer, Bill O'Brien, Doug Marrone, Chip Kelly, and Chudzinski. Those would be eight of the candidates; the team also reportedly showed interest in Bruce Arians, but it is unclear if an interview ever took place.

Haslam also said that they interviewed 4 or 5 of the candidates twice. Reports seem to indicate that Whisenhunt, Marrone, and Chudzinski were three of the candidate who were interviewed twice.

The Browns first interviewed Chudzinski on Wednesday for five hours at Haslam's home in Bratenhal. On Thursday, Haslam and Banner went to Charlotte to meet Chudzinski for the second time over dinner, where he was hired.

Offensive Structure

The Browns did not discuss any other names, meaning nothing was said about Norv Turner being the team's offensive coordinator. Still, if the rumors are true, you can expect Brad Childress to be out and Turner to be in over the next couple of days. During the conference, Banned noted that Chudzinski's ability to recruit solid assistant coaches was a key factor in hiring him.

Because an offensive coordinator hasn't been named yet, Chudzinski could not say whether he would be the offensive play caller on gameday or not. As for the keys on offense, Chudzinski emphasized:

Effective balance in the pass/run game
Having a vertical/downfield passing game
Cater to the strengths of the offensive personnel

To clarify what the above means, here are the words out of Chud's mouth:

"It’s an attacking style. I like to be balanced. Balance to me does not mean we’re going to throw the ball and run it the same amount of times. Balance to me means you run it when you need to run it to win, and throw it when you need to throw it to win. You have to be able to win games in different ways. You have to win a low-scoring game in snow or a high-scoring shootout. You have to be able to do both."

Haslam also liked the results that Chudzinski had achieved with Carolina's offense over the past two years, compared to what happened under Pat Shurmur.

"He is tremendously innovative. We are very bottom-line people. You look at results. The last two years, Rob was coordinator at Carolina and they scored 88 touchdowns. We scored 48."

Throughout the process, one of the common themes that Haslam said candidates would bring up is that Cleveland had a very good, young offensive line in place.

Defensive Structure

This is the category that fans seem to be questioning right now, but let's wait and see for a final decision to be made, and then get deep into our reflections. None of the three men shot down the idea of the Browns moving to a 3-4 defense, stating that it would depend on who the defensive coordinator was. There was no indication that Dick Jauron is out yet, so that remains to be seen.

In a potentially intriguing twist, it was hinted that the Browns could deploy a hybrid 4-3 and 3-4 attack of sorts. After the press conference concluded, some reporters met with Banner off to the side, where he discussed the hybrid attack a little bit more:

"I think you should pay attention closely to Rob’s comments, that there are a lot of hybrid defenses out there right now that actually kind of go back and forth depending upon the down, distance, circumstance and opponent. I think either system we play there’s additional needs of talent to add to the defense to get it to the quality we want. But neither would require a massive revamping of the talent we have."

GM / Personnel Search

Haslam and Banner have been actively interviewing candidates for the general manager or player personnel position. In terms of a timetable, they said it could be anywhere from a couple of days to a month from now. When they end up hiring that person, they'll have another press conference to introduce him.

Banner stated that Michael Lombardi did not have an influence on Chudzinski being hired and was not involved in the process of interviewing coaches:

"Mike hasn’t been involved. I pick brains of a lot of people and call lots of people ‘do you know so and so.’ I’m not going to get into who exactly I did that with. I did it with a lot of people."

Chudzinski will dictate a lot of what goes on in terms of the roster. By that, Banner said it means that Chudzinski will control the direction the team takes in bringing in new players, but others would be involved in helping him pick and recruit the actual players. He was also scheduled to meet with the assistants still under contract later in the day, and let people know who he'd like to interview to see if they'll be retained or not.

Link

No transcript yet.

First and foremost: Hello, all.

Now, having just watched the presser, quick, general thoughts:

- Haslam and Banner seem to be creating a stable organization that pushes leadership and accountability, something we have desperately needed for years. I'm positive I've been tricked into thinking previous regimes were getting it right, but Haslam and Banner, aside from minor embarrassment by having Kelly skip away while giggling, seem like they actually know what they're doing. They aren't in over their heads.

- Chud didn't say much but if you're expecting the guy to go into depth on X's and O's in an introductory presser, you're always going to be disappointed. He displayed enthusiasm and confidence, and you aren't going to get much more from a guy who hasn't slept in over twenty-four hours and has been reaching out to everyone he knows in the league nonstop.

- One of the few things he did say about specific schemes (because continuing to use the word 'balanced' really means nothing) is "vertical passing game". Any glimmer of hope McCoy fans had that he might factor into the future should now be gone. Remember how quickly Chuck Frye got booted in 2007? Yeah, that was Chud. He got a Pro Bowl season out of Derek Anderson and Brandon Weeden simply seems like a more talented version of Anderson. That may not be saying much since Anderson isn't much himself, but Weeden can run a Chud offense.

- Boom or bust for Jordan Cameron. There will be no more talk of his 'potential'. If he has it, Chud will find it. If he doesn't have it, the question will be answered.

- Keep an eye on free agent-to-be Delanie Walker. He has played behind Vernon Davis his entire career (they were drafted the same year) but everyone familiar with him is extremely high on him. He is versatile and can do a bit of everything, including special teams. He may not receive as much attention as he should with Fred Davis and Dustin Keller also set to be free agents. If San Fransisco somehow lets him go, Walker could be a great pickup.

- A potentially dreadful note to keep in mind, though you guys have surely caught it: Chud brought DA to Carolina with him when he arrived. DA will again be a free agent. Success in Cleveland (under Chud). Brought him to Carolina. Now in Cleveland and he is available. It is incredibly unlikely given the negative attention it would receive but it's just a potentially amusing thing to keep an eye on.

- Speaking of DA, Ken Dorsey played under Chud here in Cleveland and has since become a pro-scout for Carolina and worked with Cam Newton and, yep, Brandon Weeden. Just another familiar name to keep in mind.

I would not be shocked to see DA brought in to help mentor Weeden in this scheme. Thats why we kept Dorsey around, just to mentor Quinn and DA. DA knew where to go with the ball, he just had a tendency to throw it 20 yards past his intended target.

I think we will also draft another QB this year. I just get a strong feeling Haslam and Banner want their franchise own chosen one. Dont be surprised if it isnt another QB out of the state of Oklahoma we draft lol.

It depends how successful Anderson has been in mentoring Newton. Chud would obviously know that, and Panthers fans might have a pretty good idea. I can just imagine the media slamming having anything to do with Anderson (didn't he rip the city/team on his way out?).

As for Jones, I really don't want another third round Quarterback. Either give Weeden a year in Chud's offense, an offense he seems capable of running on paper, or just go big and replace him. Each and every Browns fan should be beyond sick of the slightest QB 'controversy'. I'm always shocked to see people still fired up over Weeden vs McCoy. How on earth do you guys still have it in you?

I'm in favor of seeing what Weeden can do with a vertical scheme and Chud's coaching. We can't really be ready to crumple up a first round pick a year later, can we? Haslam and Banner don't strike me as Chicken Little. If Weeden has more growing pains, the organization isn't going to light him on fire and damn Chudzinski.

Remember that 2007 offense? There are parallels. Richardson is probably a better (2007) Jamal Lewis. Gordon has the makeup of another Braylon Edwards. Weeden can be a better Derek Anderson. Okay, Watson will not be Winslow but Cameron will hopefully open up the field.

We've suffered through two seasons of Chuck Frye. A season of Jeff Garcia not caring. Derek Anderson. Bruce Gradkowski. Colt McCoy. This isn't an 11-5 team next year, especially with the potential defensive shift, so I don't see much reason to wash our hands of Weeden, and if he does fail, Haslam and Banner have the excuse of not being the ones to bring him in.

Except wasn't DA a bad additude/ rotten apple when he left? I've read various things over the years that he wasn't the easiest guy in the world to get along with. Anyway, I want him mentoring no one.

From Derek Anderson about Cleveland:

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"The fans are ruthless and don't deserve a winner," Anderson said in the e-mail Tuesday. "I will never forget getting cheered when I was injured.

"I know at times I wasn't great. I hope and pray I'm playing when my team comes to town and [we] roll them."

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Something tells me he won't be coming back.

but Ken Dorsey is likely coming back (either soon or after the draft)









don't worry. he's just a scout now. apparently has been close to Chud from "the U" days and Browns days and Chud brought him to Carolina.

Personally, I don't really give a damn if he's the type of guy to complain about his soup not being hot enough or the guy next to him on a flight breathing too loudly. If he proved himself to be a quality mentor for Newton, I welcome him back and get BFF bracelets for he and Weeden.

I do not like the idea of him being one play away from stepping on the field himself, of course.

Also, there is this: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4981767. Given that and his blow up presser after he was 'laughing' while getting stomped on, he just seems like a competitive, hot-headed person. There are far worse things to be.

Ah yes, I remember that.

Weeden is going to get his shot and he wont have to look over his shoulder this year but there are a lot of big, strong quarterbacks coming out that can be had in rounds 2-4 and I just dont see this regime passing on drafting one. Philly took Qbs often even when McNabb was having terrific years. They would build them up and trade them off.

EJ Manuel, Jones, Glennon man there is just a ton of those guys in this draft.

Another free agent to keep an eye on (you guys may have noted this elsewhere): Danny Amendola. He has had injury issues the past two years (missing 20 games, though, to be fair, 15 were in one year) but if we're looking to reproduce Joe Jurevicius, Amendola can be the guy.

I'll also be curious to see if the new regime thinks anything of Josh Cooper.

Glennon would be a reasonable backup to Weeden but certainly no replacement. Heck the guy is basically a carbon copy of Weeden. If you don't like Weeden, it would make zero sense to try to replace him with Glennon IMO.

For the first time since Holmgren canned Mangini I am actually excited about the direction..

Yes I HATED the Shurmer hire and went into my hole the past two years because I hated being the voice of negativity but I have to admit that this hire has me very optimistic..

IF he gets three years from management, I am completely confident we will FINALLY see a playoff team..

For those that are concerned about going back to the 3-4 I cannot say that I share that same fear.. Keep in mind that the type of attacking defense that he has eluded to would resemble the Charger defense that was so disruptive under Wade Phillips rather than the vanilla and "base" 3-4 that cRAC always runs..

Shurmer was a JOKE prior to his stint with us and had zero upside when you looked at his past experience.. Chud has been applauded as being a brilliant and innovative wizard and there has been a track record of his innovation at different points in his coaching career..

I know he doesn't have the "flashy" name as some were hoping for but for ONCE since our return, I am THRILLED about a hire..


IN CHUD I TRUST!

BOLD PREDICTION for 2013... Top 15 offense and 20+ points per game avg..

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For the first time since Holmgren canned Mangini I am actually excited about the direction.

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I'll take it a step further and say since Holmgren was hired. We've been stuck in a ridiculous purgatory and now there is a glimmer of light. Of all the candidates out there, this hire actually makes good sense. Young, innovative, offensive minded hard worker who has a solid resume of real life NFL experience under winning regimes. Because of his ties to the area and where he sits in his career, he'll be extremely motivated to establish an identity and a field a winning franchise. He has the backing of a caring owner, some talent on the field, a fairly high draft pick and plenty of cap space. We might actually field a competitive product in 2013 if Weeden can get his mind right.

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I know he doesn't have the "flashy" name as some were hoping for but for ONCE since our return, I am THRILLED about a hire..

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What ! Chud isn't flashy ? It may end up being the flashiest ever

Some people really wanted a big name coach that's available, and looking at the teams that still need coaches, those big names are still job searching..

Big name coaches were no names at one time, so I'm THRILLED along with all the others who are.

I like Dorsey and figured he'd be a coach/scout oce his playing days were done. Very smart kid...

Baltimore and Atlanta fans rolled their eyes and sighed when Harbaugh and Smith were hired. Remember that.

Butch Davis was a hot piece of meat when we hired him. Remember that, too.

I am in the minority with this but I hated the Mangini firing because I saw signs all season of solid coaching.. I will have to look this up but if memory serves me correct we had the least amount of season pentalties under his regime and tackling was actually considered an important thing.. He was just crap at identifying talent and lacked in game adjustments which this team was in desperate need of.. Replacing him was a necessity but making that move and inserting Shurmer was a travesty and a crime to us fans..

Holmgren seemed more concerned with lining the pockets of his buds.. I swear his agent must have had some SERIOUS dirt on him LOL!

I truly see no reason why we don't have a shot at .500 record this year..

On a side note, it is amazing how many "Browns" fans that troll the ESPN boards have no idea of Chud much less trash him as not qualified yet throw out names like Lovie Smith, Ken Whisenhunt and Jim Tressell.

Not been following College football that much this season but what little I have seen, not much of this draft excites me..

I DO like Aaron Murray out of UGA but it is my understanding that he is returning to school and many don't view him as an Elite prospect and as I would concur that he isn't an Andrew Luck type prospect, he does display the ability to make all of the throws though and has some pop in his arm..

I would LOVE to see us go with O-Line early as well as some secondary help..

WHo you pimping this year if we stay at the #6?

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I'm always shocked to see people still fired up over Weeden vs McCoy.

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Heck, some folks still haven't gotten past Couch/Holcomb....

Must admit we would have been better off the past few years if it were you and Mourg doing our drafts rather than the clowns that were .. EXCEPT Mourg's man crush on Tannehill would have been a reach... LOL!

JC

Hey all, Wow nice shocker on the hire. I remember when Chud came here before and had drawn up a whole playbook for our offense and got the job.
I want Kelly because he was a teacher and innovator. I think Chud fits that bill very well.
Now I want to say right off the rip so there is no confusion here. With the Talent we have on the team atm we should make the playoffs next year. No excuses. I think Chud will get us there so that leaves the GM position as now the next important need.
Heckert would be great right about now IMHO.

Good Hire Im not to worried about having to give him time because if he isnt sniffing 9 victorys next year something has gone extreamly wrong.

For me its a good day to be a Browns fan.

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If Weeden gets his shot (didn't he just have that?) then he better be looking over his shoulder. If he isn't, then Chudzinski should be fired.

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Correct me if I'm wrong, You are saying if Weeden doesn't look over his shoulder, then fire the HC ?

Nick have you been sleeping ?

I'd be perfectly content just handing him the job outright. Give him everything he needs and could possibly want. Then, if by the last few games of the year he's still looking like the guy we saw this year, you bench him permanently and move on to the guy you say we just drafted in the middle-rounds.

Though they are two completely different QB's, McCoy and Weeds are both subjects of the two-year plan, meaning they get their two years then if they don't "get it" they are toast.

McCoy got a short leash because he lacks average NFL tools.

Weeds gets a short leash because he was around to sign Jesus' yearbook.

j/c

Interestung how a coaching hire turned into a QB debate....... but things like this never surprise me....

I haven't commented on the hire yet, so since I know people are just waiting for me to tee off on this FO yet again (in thier opinion)... here goes....



There are more than a few names I would have been comfortable with. I wanted someone who I felt was smart. Someone who it seemed could change things up to best suit the talent they had on the roster at any given time. I also wanted someone with strong leadership qualities.

I'm not ecstatic over the hire. I'm also not feeling that there's anything negative about this hire.

Leadership

We haven't seen Chud HC a football team on any level. But there are candidates that I would have liked to have seen get a shot here that also had no real HC experience. So to that extent, it's not a negative, but rather an unknown.

We would have had that very same unknown had it of been Kyle Shanahan, McCoy, or Jay Gruden. After watching his presser, the passion is there and have no reason to believe that he can't be an affective leader, but we will all have to wait and see in that department.

Adaptability

As we heard from Chud, he likes the vertical game mixed with the run. Now that doesn't mean that a QB has to be an excusively a pocket passer, but I do feel that he would prefer that. What he ended up with in Newton wasn't quite that.

So I do feel he initially designed a lot of the plays and offense around Newtons skill set to begin with to have some success as he slowly worked on getting Newton to not run so much and be more of a pocket passer. The last half of this prior season shown he was being quite successful in that process.

So in regards to a HC that has the ability to adapt an offense to best suit his talent, I feel Chud qualifies in that department.

Smart

From listenning to his presser, this man is no dummy. He seems to have a clear vision and is quite well spoken. So on the face of things, he seems to fit the bill.

Then we can look back at our own experience......

Many on this board claim we have more talent on the roster than ever before. That our current roster has more potential for greatness than ever before. If they believe that truely is the case, they should all be jumping for joy.

Chud took the 2007 Browns and had them ranked 8th in scoring of all 32 NFL teams with an average of 25.1 points per game. So if we have more talent now than we did then, what's not to like?

Experience

There were former NFL HC's I would have been content with. Yet there were also younger NFL OC's I would have been content with as well. In actuality, Chud has more experience than some of the younger OC's I mentioned I liked as HC candidates.

So to me, his experience isn't an issue here. Even when we look back at his experience at The U, they ran the closest thing to a pro style O in the NCAA at the time.

No matter who was hired, there's no sure fire bet when hiring a HC in the NFL. When looking at the requirements I wanted in our next HC, Chud either meets or exceeds some and on the question of a HC that can be a strong leader, there's no evidence I can see that would indicate he won't be.

So I guess the best way to descibe my feelings on his hire? I feel quite "comfortable" with the choice that this FO made in Chud. I also feel "content" that he meets the requirements I had hoped we'd find in their selection in our next HC.

As far as his success as a HC, I think the jury is still out by a very long way. As has been mentioned, there are still a lot of questions left to be answerred in those around him. Coaching requires a "staff", not a single individual. When we look back at 2007 when Chud had our O 8th in scoring in the NFL, our D was ranked 21st in points allowed.

So who we have as OC, DC and all of the other coaching positions play a big part in the success of a HC.

And also, one of the biggest, if not THE biggest questions is "Who will be buying the groceries"? Without quality drafting and productive FA signings, it's impossible to build a tradition of winning.

A lot of question marks still remain. But the single hiring of Chud in and of itself gives me no cause for concern and in my line of thinking send up no red flags on the selection made at the HC position by this FO.

JMHO

Actually Toad, I think every new regime wants "their guy". The problem with that is there is no "their guy" in this years draft. I would see any first round selection this year as no less of a gamble that giving Weeden another year.

If we look on the face of it, we never really saw any steady improvement by either McCoy or Weeden. So as much as you may think the problem is in those two QB's alone, I feel one has to question if it's just the QB's, or if the manner in which they were coached doesn't play some degree of the role in their lack of development.

I can't really say one way or the other, but I do feel that question is legit.

Now on the issue of a later round pick, I could see a strong possibility they may take a flyer on a guy. But finding a Russel Wilson in round three is a long shot, not something one could possibly consider banking on. And to give someone that hasn't shown the tools or progress it takes to qualify as having the legit. talent to be an NFL QB the reigns, would not bode well for a teams success.

Unless of course you have only won a couple of games by week 12. Then you might be looking at the draft, not the record at the end of the year.



Which when looking at how the 2014 draft may very well be stacking up at the QB position, may not be a bad idea.



I mean even though you don't hear a lot about it, does anyone truely believe that Indy couldn't have signed, or set itself up with a better quality back-up than Painter?

But ya know, if your franchise QB is nearing the end of his career and gets injured for an entire season, there may not be a better long term strategy than setting yourself up to draft Andrew Luck.

Just sayin'

So, I heard they hired Rob Chudzinski to be the head coach.
Seriously, I'm thinking of anyone anywhere that would give me less confidence. Only those who are elderly. Seriously, and this is just a, hmm, I'm trying UGGH! to make this work somehow in my mind, but, cmon, I'd take, ( insert any name on the planet) and think we've got an equal to what Chudzinski is going to.

Not just football, not just sports, any name on the planet.

wow, phew, ( long whistle sound) I find it hard to believe they would hire,