A real expert named Damien Woodie weighed in (nay: ranted and raved) about new Oline Coach (and possible running game coordinator) Bill Callahan.
Woodie actually played for Callahan the last 3 years of his carreer, and offered real insight into this guy.
The highlights are that Callahan is a grinder on the basics, and never quits drilling them into his players. This is footwork, hand placement, form, etc., and Woodie seemed to think this was important (*he came to Callahan as a five year veteran starter*).
Also, Callahan always built his blocking scheme around his players.
The way Damien said this makes me think it goes deeper than us fans might think; like if you have one road-grader and four zone-blockers, maybe he just says to the road-grader "you just put this guy and anybody behind him in the bleachers", and has the rest work around him.
Then other stuff, like if a guard slides exceptionally well, you do that instead of having a Tight End chip a pia edge-guy (or if he sucks don't).
I know some of you are really advanced and are wondering how a road-grader firing out vertically and driving could work in an inside zone scheme.
You have to use your imagination a little, ok? He simply fires out the same as everybody else, but doesn't let his victim go, and the guy who is suppposed to take over his guy just goes linebacker-hunting himself instead.
Too deep--I was about to address how defenses would adapt and the running back would need to act different and stuff...
Dan Labbe writes a solid article projecting some of the roster decisions Kevin Stefanski and his new GM will need to make, but he left out Paul DePodesta.
Dan is excellent, but I could tell in his article that he doesn't quite understand analytics:
1: Dan says that sans Olivier Vernon, there really isn't much opposite Myles Garrett, and points out that the Browns can afford the oft-injured thirty year old, so he doesn't see them letting him go.
DePodesta (or Bill Belichick) would smirk at this, and dump Vernon without hesitation. He is in decline, as well as injury-prone, and those injuries have hastened his decline.
Chad Thomas, entering his third season, could already be better than Vernon. And rollover is part of cap management: You dump old, injured, and expensive players period.
Next is Chis Kirksey. Dan is right that what they do with Joe Schobert, plus how they see the young guys (Wilson/Takitaki) will matter (and so will the DC and his system), but no...
Kirksey is a great leader and a fiery guy, but actually not a very good player. DePodesta will vote to kick him off the island (and perhaps lobby for Schobert).
See the pattern here? Dan Labbe (and most others) think about "who else is here to replace him?" a lot more than Paul and I.
Paul and I know that all that extra money is good for (wait for it...) hiring veteran free agents!!! Duke, Chris, I love ya man, but we can get somebody better for less buh-bye!
Dan thinks TJ Carrie is too expensive for his role on the team, but...really maybe not: Carrie plays every position except SS, and is a solid all-around player. He played a lot in 2019, too. DePodesta might accept that he's overpriced, but DB is critical in today's NFL (some teams carry NINE or more)...wow how did Dan zig as Paul and I zagged on this one!?!)
Hubbard check.
Dan can't imagine that Kevin Stefanski would ever contemplate parting with OBJ or Jarvis Landry, as he just came from Minnesota, where he had Diggs and Thielen.
Ahem: Stephon Diggs is a prototype number one receiver. He is big and tall and an easy vertical target. OBJ is NOT.
Trust me: Paul DePodesta is already pushing to trade OBJ (and his huge salary) for great value before (or during) the 2020 draft.
I hear ya: "But he just got his surgery and he's still in his prime! He'll probably go apeshit in 2020!"
That's why all the other GMs will want him. A LOT.
Nevermind who will replace him! I vaguely remember some guy named Rodney Higginsfield, and the fact that Baker Mayfield was much better with Landry and guys named Joe than he was with OBJ, and this was not lost on Paul DePodesta, either.
Next Dan gets into 5th year options and extentions, and was perfect there, including Larry Ogunjobi and Myles Garrett...(now he thinks about money!)
Dan Justik is rooting hard for the Browns to hire Rich Scangarello, recently fired by the Broncos after one year as their Offensive Coordinator.
Dan is mainly thinking that Scangerello looks like the best candidate to perform successful head-extraction on Baker Mayfield, whether as an Offensive Coordinator or QB Coach.
Scangerello was Jimmy Garrapolo's QB Coach in San Fran from his first start, and saw Drew Lock to a 4-1 w/l record in Denver.
I'm glad Dan didn't give me anything to correct.
Now, some food for thought: In this article, and Offensive Tackle Andrew Thomas is the consensus favorite 10th overall draft pick for the Browns in 2020.
That makes great sense, obviously, but Thomas is being projected as high as 4th overall so far.
For most of you people, that means the Browns need to trade up.
Nah! You people are still trying to replace Joe Thomas, despite the new prevalence of West Coast concepts, read-options, rolling pockets, RPOs, etc.
DePodesta has been working on it, but (if you listen to the words that come out of his mouth) still isn't a "football guy". But for sure he will argue (vehemently) against any trade-up in this OT-laden draft.
Kevin Stefanski runs a run-first, zone-blocking, play-action offense IS ANY OF THIS SINKING IN?
Best available Offensive Tackle at 10, then maybe at whatever they get for OBJ too.
Let Callahan sort it out.
I'll follow up later about how the Browns can contend in 2020 sans OBJ and stuff later, but an elite Offensive Line is a good place to start---re-read a the last 6 paragraphs...
...I tried.
No comments:
Post a Comment