Business is Business. Paul DePodesta, Strategery, and the Browns

Terry Pluto et al are wrong about the Duke Johnson situation.  Trading him would set no dangerous precedent, because he is justified in his trade request, as he has indeed become a fifth wheel.

Comparing him to Antonio Brown or Ebineezer Bell is just dumb.

And why do you seem to forsee a flood of trade demands, should John Dorsey "cave" now?  Hell, Duke's last straw was Dorsey admitting that he was "on the block" in the first place!

And I told you why before Dorsey said that!  I told you way back then that Hilliard can do everything Duke did, plus is a little bigger.

At the time, I said it wasn't about Kareem Hunt, but they've been lining Hunt up at WR, so I was wrong about that too.

You think players and agents are a bunch of stupid brats, or what?  Who tf else on the Browns would ask for a trade?  And if anybody did, wouldn't "no" mean no anymore?

Jeff Risdon listed 6 things we learned about the 2019 Browns, and the one that bugged me was his assertion that this team lacks depth at Offensive Tackle.

I can't refute that.  Jeff is not impressed by veteran free agent Kendall Lamm, and the younger guys are raw and unproven.

I'd be more nervous about that if this was a cave-man offense, in which you so often have a "prototype" Quarterback standing tall 7 steps deep, patiently waiting for his deep receivers to uncover...like everybody else thinks it is...

But didn't any of you see the formations Freddie used the instant he took over the offense, or the patterns the receivers ran?

Have you somehow managed to miss Monken's scheme, and what they practiced throughout OTAs and Minicamp?

Sigh.  Here we go again: Freddie used extra tight ends to chip the edge guys, denying them the edge, and delivering them into the powerful hands of the tackles.

2: Baker Mayfield made the Tackles look good by either getting rid of the ball early, or running away from pressure (and more often than not completing a pass anyway).

3: Monken is a reputed "Air Raid" guy, but has said he intends to run RPOs a lot, and in Preseason so far Jake Burns has observed that the Browns have been running more compact formations than spreads.

As I pointed out in earlier posts, this will help the two outside receivers get open sooner, as the outside DBs will have to play "off" them (really, they start out open, and that's Landry, OBJ, and Callaway.)

Then of course the Tight end(s) will set up in-line more often, so they can chip.

RPOs rely on zone-blocking, which looks to defenders like pass blocking for the first second or 2.  It confuses them.

Further, the passes in RPOs come out quickly, so these defenses with scary edge-guys hesitate to give them outside "go's" because the Quarterback sets up shallow, and it takes too long for them to run all the way around the Offensive Tackle.

Defenses will try blowing these offenses up with inside (up the gut) pressure, but that's a separate issue; RPOs help Offensive Tackles, see?

We all miss Joe Thomas, but Kitchens, Monken, and Dorsey have adapted to the modern NFL.  The Browns, like the majority of other NFL teams, can get by with so-so Offensive Tackles, and are trying to get better Centers and Guards.

Most Head Coaches are copycats, and that's one reason Lord Insideous keeps winning Superbowls.  He's the guy everybody else tries to copy.

Look at the crap Freddie Kitchens pulled last season!  The Wishbone? An inverted Wishbone?  3 Tight ends?

I'm optimistic that Freddie Kitchens isn't a copycat.  Monken is adapting to him, and seems happy with it so far.

Naturally, Defenses are already coming up with countermeasures (notably inside passrushers) to stifle RPOs, like they stifled the read/option, and the Browns probably won't run that often enough to make it a "tendancy".

Nor will they abandon the spread and Air-Raid stuff.  That would be stupid, with Mayfield and OBJ; they have to go deep sometimes.

"Identity" chuh.  They have the offensive talent to be whoever they need to be.

Risdon's concerns are right in one respect:  On 3rd and 20, trying to come back yeah...you need those Tackles.  The Browns could lose a playoff game because of it.

I hope Jeff is wrong about Lamm, or that one of the young guys pans out.

Jeff also notes (better late than never) that the 2019 Browns will use only two real linebackers about 80% of the time.

But that doesn't even mean that they'll use 3 the other 20% of the time.  Ever hear of a "Dime Defense"?

This is why, even before Steve Wilks was hired,  I've been telling you that concerns over "depth at linebacker" were stupid.

So far the lead linebackers are Schobert and Kirksey, but keep your erasers handy:

Schobert is a brain, but Steve Wilks isn't Gregg Williams, and doesn't need him to be a Field-General.  Joe excels in coverage, but Wilks has real Defensive Backs doing that for him too.

Schobert led the NFL in missed tackles last season, and is entering the final year of his contract.  He has real trade value, and Dorsey will not be able to afford him, so do the math.

Kirksey is, per PFF, an inferior linebacker, all around, and is being paid too much for that.

Meanwhile, Takitaki looks terrific, and Wilson looks good too, and Adarius Taylor is Kirksey (except cheaper, and better on Special Teams).

Football is a business, and John Dorsey needs to start rebuilding his cap money right tf now, because he has a couple massive balloon payments on the horizon.

He also needs more draft picks.

Dorsey has been bashed for getting the Chiefs in cap trouble.  I haven't checked that out yet, but it wouldn't surprise me.

But you people don't get this: Paul DePodesta is still here, for a REASON.  And he is NOT subserviant to John Dorsey...for a REASON.

Trust me: Paul is pushing to trade Duke and Schobert, and to release Kirksey.

Forget the "dead money" hit, ok?  It's irrelevant for 2019 and off the books in 2020.  You people say the funniest things!

Anyway, DePodesta is an "efficiency expert", and he's asking "who are we going to cut in favor of Kirksey?  Isn't Taylor as good as he is?  Schobert ran Gregg's Defense and covered, but led the league in missed tackles, and what are your plans for him, Steve?  He's made a Pro Bowl and is elite in coverage-he will be gone in 2020 no matter what, John."

Duke Johnson makes too much money for his projected role, and Dontrell Hilliard appears to have taken over that role---for what that's worth in a new offensive scheme.

He offers value to other teams.  Cash out now.

Paul DePodesta has to be excited about Kareem Hunt: 

Obviously in 2019 he represents perhaps unprecedented RB depth for the last half of the season and the playoffs, but then he's gone, right (one year deal)?

Maybe not! Chubb will have 2 years left on his rookie contract, and the Garrett/Mayfield/Ogunjobi/Ward/Williams etc balloon payments are a couple years away.

DePodesta Dorsey could re-sign Hunt to an obviously very expensive contract, see?

So in 2020 it's Chubb AND Hunt?  Are you KIDDING ME?

Well, not neccessarily: Before, during, or after 2020 Kareem Hunt is on the block, and inflation will make him cheaper:

You have to remember that Kareem Hunt is a Swiss Army Knife like Ebineezer Bell or Todd Gurley.

He can line up anywhere Duke or Ebineezer line up.  Several teams would want him bad, high salary and all.  He could rate a first round pick, or multiple picks, or players.

...e voila! There goes the big cap hit, here comes the draft picks, and we can afford Nick Chubb!

Sorry was that too complicated?

That's why DePodesta is DePodesta, and you're not.

DePodesta is the Chief Strategy Officer.  Jimmy Haslam hired this top business consultant away from the Fortune 500 and everybody else to build a dynasty here.

"Moneyball" my ass!  Look up Paul Depodesta on Wikapedia, for cryin out loud! You thought he was picking players? He's not a talent scout and KNOWS it oh you people...

...I guess power struggles and egotism are more common among you than I thought it was.  These crappy fake reality shows are like the Soap Operas I remember on steroids.

Then there's the deliberate conversion of public education into public indoctrination but I digress:

Paul DePodesta is an efficiency expert.  Jimmy Haslam probably hired him some time in the past to help him take over Flying J and expand massively.

At the time, Jimmy might not even have been aware that he was the "moneyball" guy.

Anyway, this is why I expect Schobert and Johnson to be traded, and Kirksey to be released.

The Hunt thing might not happen, as his agents will want him to test free agency first, and the bids would get rediculous.

On the other hand, Hunt is damaged goods due to his off-the-field antics, and is in some sort of alcholic treatment program...

I could go on and on but it's last call okbye