Last week, I compared the current Browns roster (and likely scheme) to the Greatest Show on Turf ('99-'02 Rams).
That was a bit of a knee-jerk generalization, so I checked Mike Martz/Kurt Warner's team out in some more detail to find similarities and differences.
Like Martz, Todd Monken favors a variation of "Air Coryall"'s vertical spread scheme, and ran it with great results last season in Tampa Bay.
Freddie Kitchens, who is not handing the keys to his offense over to Todd, is a little different, as he used up to three running backs, or three tight ends at times.
Freddie Kitchens seems to be open-minded, however, and did himself run some Monken-like stuff. He just used Njoku, Duke, and even Darren Fells as spead players.
Kitchens is very adaptable, and just got himself OBJ to go with Jarvis Landry, Antonio Callaway, and David Njoku.
Secondarily, you will see that Nick Chubb will be effective out of the slot, and Kareem Hunt has already proven himself there (so he's Memorex Moron-proof.)
The Greatest Show on Turf basically passed to set up the run (but actually ran a more conventional offense once they were in the lead; Marshall Faulk racked up over 1350 yards on the ground one season).
Back then, most defenses were copying Buddy Ryan's zone-blitzes and giving the (big, tall) quarterbacks major fits.
The rest of the NFL was using a second back to pick up blitzes and using a conventional in-line tight end in an effort to buy their big, tall guys more time to throw.
Martz said screw that, and essentially ran his third down offense on first and second downs instead.
As I've written a lot, it gets hard to blitze when there are four-plus guys going out for passes, and at least three of them are five yards away from the offensive tackles.
This is news to some of you, but the Defense is only allowed to field eleven players. If you try to single-cover four receivers without at least one safety over the top (vs a Warner...or a Mayfield) you are suicidal, so you only have six guys left for the box.
If you send a strong safety or linebacker on a blitze, that leaves one guy to cover the whole short middle...well it's just a big problem, okay?
Mike Martz wasn't a genius. When he became a Head Coach elsewhere later, he tried to run the same offense regardless of his quarterbacks and receivers, and failed, as he refused to adapt.
However, the 2019 Browns have all the talent that the '99 Rams had...sorta.
Orlando Pace was a great left tackle, and the Rams coughed up four draft picks to move up and draft him. For those Rams, this was critical.
I believe that big, tall Trent Green was the projected starter at that time, but even if he wasn't, Kurt Warner was not considered a mobile quarterback.
The 2019 Browns don't have that Left Tackle (unless Desmond Harrison rises to his potential in his second season).
But in 1999, there was no such thing as a Run-Pass Option, and I'm not even sure the inside and outside zone-blocking schemes had been invented yet.
I am sure that "edge-rushers" were all the rage in 1999.
Sans an Orlando Pace (or Joe Thomas), I still can't just say that the 2019 Browns can do everything the Greatest Show on Turf did, but that comes with a huge asterisk:
Freddie Kitchens exploited Mayfield's mobility, and ability to throw "off-platform", and even gain yards on the ground.
He generally avoided seven-step drops as well (to help out his tackles). I may be selling Greg Robinson short here, but I expect this to continue.
...but being a geezer, I can tell you that Kurt Warner himself was rarely seven steps deep himself, and got rid of the ball as quickly as any Quarterback in the NFL sooo.....
One writer called Orlando Pace the "unsung glue" that held that juggernaut together. WRONG.
Hall of Famers Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk were what made the whole thing work.
The 2019 Browns have their Kurt Warner in Baker Mayfield.
They don't have anybody like Marshall Faulk. Duke is similar, but not as fast. Chubb and Hunt are much bigger and more physical, but all of them can catch passes.
The "old" Rams have been comparing their team to the current Rams, and actually, the 2019 Browns have similarities to both teams. The 2019 Browns have one Todd Gurley and (trust me) another one about to emerge (Chubb).
Per the GSOT players, the big thing for both teams was that there were not any Divas. None of them were selfish, and they rooted for eachother. They all wanted to win games first and last.
Some of you people (and Cowherd) look at OBJ, Landry, Mayfield, and anticipate finger-pointing and intra-team twitter-wars. I respect that, but you're overlooking something:
Great quarterbacks spread the ball around automatically, and most receivers get this...hopefully including OBJ.
Let OBJ experience winning games, and he can't spazz out (even if he wants to). Torry Holt was (kinda) the top receiver for the GSOT, but the other guys (including Faulk sometimes) caught about as many passes as he did.
You have to be mentally impaired (or Antonio Brown) to resent a great quarterback not focussing on you if you are winning games.
Player-wise, the 2019 Browns' roster is as loaded as Warner's was, but with a better defense (now).
It's going to be more physical...
I've gone back through all the Browns teams I can remember. None of those Kardiak Kidz rosters had anywhere near this much talent. None of Schottenheimer's teams.
Aikman's Cowboys were awesome. Montana's 49ers were right up there, and of course you gotta put the Greatest Show on Turf with or above them offensively.
NONE of the Patriots' teams were as talented as the 2019 Browns (even so far).
Now for some corrections:
1: Julian Edelman is not the standard for slot-receivers. He is the best. Stop looking at Jarvis Landry as nobody, and stop saying the Browns "lack" a (insert Antonio Callaway's scouting reports here) slot-receiver. For that matter, quit ignoring Duke in the slot.
1a: Stop modelling every offense in the NFL per the Patriots. All that is is Lord Insideous adapting to the talent he has on his roster! He's run every scheme and personnel group concievable and you think you can beat him by copying what he did last year!?!
2: Copying what other successful offenses win with is dumb, especially if you don't have the people to do what they did. Even if you do have that talent, it's still dumb, because Defenses adapt.
Copycats lose. Creative, adaptable people win.
As I've said, Freddie Kitchens may or may not be a genius, but common sense is all that is required of him!
Now, Randy Gurzi came up with three safety candidates to keep Rodney Kindredfield on the bench (or in another role).
Steve Wilks's likely defensive scheme is 3-deep and zone for those three players. I disagree with Randy (and everybody else) that Derrick Kindred has no place in this scheme, but the veteran safeties Randy lists should be affordable, and are all better in coverage.
Ex-Viking Andrew Sendejo slipped last year, but was playing with a groin injury. Browns fans should recall Joe Haden, who had similar issues. I personally supported his release, but he's regained his form with the Steelers (dammit).
Sendejo is younger. And bigger.
Johnathan Cyprien was one of the best safeties in the NFL 'til he got injured (twice: the bad one was a hamstring). He's 28.
Randy's number one option is (rightfully) Tre Boston, who is still young, and a candidate for a longer-term deal.
Gurzi, who has better sources than I do, can't figure out why this guy is persona non grata, but I think we can count on John Dorsey to be checking him out.
Leverage matters, and he looks cheap.
I tip my hat to Randy Gurzi here, as all these guys fit well next to Damarius Randall in a Wilks scheme, and his favorite is a likely long-term signing at a cap-freindly price.
Dan Justik caught me napping as he points out that Austin Corbett's "inherrittance" of Kevin Zeitler's Right Guard spot won't be uncontested.
Newly-signed interior Offensive Lineman Eric Kush was a STUD pass-protector.
Dan (and I) expect Austin Corbett to win the RG starting slot, but Kush will give him hell (and no doubt teach him a few things).
Competition is good. Socialists can't or won't comprehend this, but this is why the United States, despite the deliberate and systematic...
Nevermind I'm in enough trouble as it is...
Competition is good. Austin Corbett will have to at least come close to Kush in pass-protection by the middle of preseason, or he might not start.
I think Corbett WILL start, because he's a superior athlete and a strong run-blocker, and because he has more long-term upside even if Kush looks better up-front, in-turn because chemistry is critical for offensive linemen, and well...is any of this sinking in yet?
Competition is good (in the real world): Corbett will be duking it out with Ogunjobi and Sheldon Richardson in practice.
Because they are teammates, these guys will "coach" Corbett, as Joe Thomas coached Myles Garrett.
Competition is good.
Skipping back to the Greatest Show on Turf, those offensive skill-players were competing with eachother: Trying to out-do the other guys after the catch!
I doubt that OBJ will be a problem on this specific team. I know he's a clown, but he's not like Antonio Brown. He will get paid. He will win.
His bro Jarvis Landry will (if neccessary) spell out for the less-mature Beckham that Callaway, Njoku, etc are like HIM, and they deserve to be targetted too!
It's critical that Baker Mayfield himself had a "summit-conference" with OBJ and Landry during the combine (no doubt with drinks)...
Baker no doubt told OBJ then and there that he would not "favor" OBJ whatsoever.
"If somebody is open deeper, I'll hit him. If somebody is more open than you, I'll hit him. You will need to accept my decisions. You can't be selfish, if you come here."
Trust me: Mayfield spelled this out to OBJ. He might even gave given Dorsey the green light in re trading for OBJ, based on that meeting.
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