John DeFilippo - Browns OC

Matt Cavanaugh took the Redskins QB Coach job.

Well, that kinda sucks. Hopefully DeFilippo has already learned all he needed to learn from Cavanaugh.

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/po...coach-joker-phillips-has-plenty-of-work-ahead


CLEVELAND -- Some news on the Browns' assistant coaching front courtesy of ESPN NFL Insider Adam Caplan:

The Cleveland Browns will hire former University of Kentucky head coach Joker Phillips as their wide receivers coach, a league source confirmed to ESPN. The Browns still need to hire a quarterbacks coach and an offensive quality control coach.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported earlier on Wednesday that the Browns are interviewing former NFL QB Kevin O'Connell for the quarterbacks job. Others confirmed to have interviewed for the quarterbacks job were former Bills QB coach Todd Downing (now Raiders QBs coach) and Glenn Thomas (Falcons QBs coach). A league source told ESPN that former NFL QB Steve Walsh interviewed for a job on the Browns offensive staff.

My thoughts: If the Browns are looking for experience, Phillips has it. Since 1991, Phillips has coached wide receivers at Kentucky (where he also was head coach), Cincinnati, Minnesota, Notre Dame, South Carolina and Florida. This is Phillips' first experience in the NFL but he should adapt just fine.

First thing Phillips should do on the job? Show Browns brass a list of free-agent wideouts, then pick out a few names. The free agency list is loaded -- Demaryius Thomas, Dez Bryant, Randall Cobb, Jeremy Maclin, Torrey Smith, Michael Crabtree, Kenny Britt, Cecil Shorts, Eddie Royal. Some of those names will stay put via the franchise tag or otherwise, but plenty of impact players are worth exploring here.

The Browns' top-three returning receivers -- Andrew Hawkins, Taylor Gabriel, Travis Benjamin -- combined for six touchdowns. No one from that group is taller than 5-foot-10.

The impact of Phillips will be felt, one way or another.

Randolphkeys said:

The Browns' top-three returning receivers -- Andrew Hawkins, Taylor Gabriel, Travis Benjamin -- combined for six touchdowns. No one from that group is taller than 5-foot-10.

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Holy shit.

Love Cobb but after seeing that tidbit of info, signing another 5-10 WR seems rough, even though he does have great talent. Also, what is he going to ask for after his very nice season.

Would of loved to try and get Britt with the solid (not number popping) season he had last year, but that looks to be off the table

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports impending free agent Kenny Britt's player reps met with the Rams at the Senior Bowl.

Britt has said he "definitely" wants to return to St. Louis, and it appears the feeling is mutual. All of Britt's best seasons have come under coach Jeff Fisher. With the Rams lacking anything resembling depth at receiver, a new deal makes sense for both sides. Britt wouldn't be a candidate for guaranteed money beyond 2015 on the open market. Jan 22 - 10:24 PM

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If you had a shot in hell of getting Cobb, you do it. Hawkins (5'7"), Gabe(5'8"), and Benjamin(5'10") are afterthoughts.

Britt, Gordon and Duron Carter would make a fantastic trio of suspended receivers.

Edit: nix that just saw that Duron signed with the Colts. My dream has been shattered.

As for the actual receiver core that Will be playing on Sundays, I don't think height alone should prevent the adding of Cobb. Hawkins and Gabriel are still slot guys and this team would still be in need of drafting a young WR. Make the draftee your taller guy if that is what is required. I think Cobb will have no shortage of suitors, however.

1) The Browns will keep a comparable approach in the running game

Why fix it if it’s not broken? Because of a skimpy month of December, offensive production dipped the Browns’ rushing total to 17th in the league. But when Cleveland was sitting with a 7-4 record and atop the AFC North, the running game was one of the main reasons why. DeFilippo will continue to utilize the zone-blocking system, though he added gap-blocking and downhill running will be interspersed.

“We are going to be able to run the football here,” DeFilippo said. “We have a fantastic offensive line. And when you can run the football – I’ll tell our guys this from Day 1 – everything else falls into place. Your play-action game falls into place. Then you can take shots down the field.”

2) Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West will be asked to be pass-catchers

DeFilippo said that Crowell and West were thrown into the fire early in their careers and, at times, “flourished.” But the offensive coordinator thinks they have untapped talents that can help the Browns move the football with more consistency.

Last season, West had 11 receptions for 64 yards while Crowell had nine catches for 87 yards. Just as a comparison, Pittsburgh’s Le’Veon Bell had 83 receptions for 854 yards and three touchdowns.

“Let’s see if they can catch the ball, run a slant, run a hitch, run a go, run a comeback,” DeFilippo said. “I want to see if those guys can do those things because that’s going to be a big part of the offense that I want to incorporate here.”

3) A playmaking tight end will be a necessity

Pettine indicated at the NFL Combine the Browns have been in contact with impending free agentJordan Cameron, but there’s a chance the tight end doesn’t return. DeFilippo said he’s very comfortable with Jim Dray and Gary Barnidge as his “Y” tight ends, who will primarily be blockers in the run game.

The other tight end in DeFilippo’s offense is called the “F” – who will be lined up all over the field trying to exploit the defense. If Cameron returns, he’s shown the knack for making big plays. If not, the Browns will need to go on a hunt for his replacement. DeFilippo was clear in what his offense will need.

In Oakland, Pro Bowl fullback Marcel Reece was this sort of player.

“A guy that can move around, be a mismatch on a linebacker, can run a choice route, get in and out of breaks on third and fourth down, can win against man-to-man coverage,” DeFilippo said. “That’s what I think we are in the market for. Everybody is looking for that personnel mismatch to be able to go out and do all those things. It just totally broadens the field for you and widens and makes you much more diverse.”

4) There will be more team meetings

When he begins to install the offense at OTAs in April, DeFilippo said almost everything will be done together as an entire unit to avoid misinterpretations. There will be team bonding. There will be pop quizzes. There will be one unit in unison.

“We’re going to meet the majority of the time together, so that players hear one voice as much as possible,” DeFilippo said. “I’m a big believer in that. That way there is no miscommunications from coaches, from coach to player, from player to player. Those expectations will be set from Day 1.

“The one thing I’ve really enjoyed in watching the tape is that with our guys on offense, effort is not going to be a problem. We’re not going to have to coach effort – which at some places I’ve been, you’ve had to lay out expectations for effort. It’s been a very pleasant surprise to watch our players play so hard.”

5) There will not be separate playbooks for Johnny Manziel and Josh McCown

DeFilippo explained there will be 10-15 plays that Manziel might focus on more because they are plays tailored to his scrambling skill set, but the coordinator repeatedly said having two playbooks is a trap for other players on offense to be confused.

“The majority of your game plan needs to be able to be ran by all the quarterbacks on your roster, because that’s what you’ve practiced, and that’s why you have these plays to attack the team that you are playing that week,” DeFilippo said. “It does a disservice if you say, ‘Hey, this is quarterback A’s game plan, this is quarterback B’s game plan. Those other guys on offense will look at you like you have eight heads.”

http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news...eFilippo/1bc8f104-c190-412a-810f-e6acd4a8aa5f

Snowblind said:

1) The Browns will keep a comparable approach in the running game

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Love it. We looked freaking fantastic when we could pound the ball. Hopefully another year under their belts and the 2-headed monster can flourish.

Snowblind said:

Just as a comparison, Pittsburgh’s Le’Veon Bell had 83 receptions for 854 yards and three touchdowns.

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I mean that is kind of dumb. You can not compare them to Bell. I get what he is saying, but get your head outta the clouds.

If they can start making plays outta the backfield though and both perform at a high level each game, that will be so hard to defend against. There will always be fresh legs in the game.

Snowblind said:

3) A playmaking tight end will be a necessity

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Sucks that Maxx is going to be gone by the time we roll around in the 2nd. If he is there, would love to snatch him up.

Snowblind said:

4) There will be more team meetings

When he begins to install the offense at OTAs in April, DeFilippo said almost everything will be done together as an entire unit to avoid misinterpretations. There will be team bonding. There will be pop quizzes. There will be one unit in unison.

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Like this. Gotta have all the guys be 1 before you can start putting W's on the board. This isn't basketball. Hopefully that was a slight "shoulder nudge" to Manziel too. Showing that he needs to be there and be a part of the team and let's see if you really turned your life around.

I think the writer of the article is the one who added the Bell comment. I don't know if Flip actually used that comparison.

This guy has a long road ahead, aside from the texting incident and almost unheard of resignation of the OC...

The Browns went into last season with Ben Tate as a starter, Gordon as a promising #1, Cameron as a play-making tight end, a legit offensive line, and 2 possible starting quarterbacks

A year later, the RB situation is OK actually but Crow and West were inconsistent, there are now no viable starting QBs, there is a glaring need at WR, Cameron looks like he's gone, the O Line is a question mark depending on how well Alex Mack returns from injury. That's basically question marks at all aspects of the offense besides the LT and LG positions. The Browns have a ton of cap room but dont look like they're going to spend it and defense is looking like a strong possibility for emphasis in the draft. Imagine what this organization would have been like if it didn't draft Joe Thomas.

I'm surprised they got anyone to agree to be the OC of this train wreck. Pettine deserves way more credit for squeezing out 7 wins last year.

Crowell talking about the new playbook in comparison to last year's on wknr: "I think, you know, there's some things thats the same. And at the same time, ya know, theres, ya know, some differences."

Deep thoughts

NtG said:

Crowell talking about the new playbook in comparison to last year's on wknr: "I think, you know, there's some things thats the same. And at the same time, ya know, theres, ya know, some differences."

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and THAT is our main back...

"Well, I thought I saw some holes through the line, but ya know, I don't think I did, so I just ran into the line"

NtG said:

Crowell talking about the new playbook in comparison to last year's on wknr: "I think, you know, there's some things thats the same. And at the same time, ya know, theres, ya know, some differences."

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I'm Jerod Cherry, and I approve this message.

SixPACK said:

and THAT is our main back...

"Well, I thought I saw some holes through the line, but ya know, I don't think I did, so I just ran into the line"

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Trent Richardson rode that philosophy to the third pick in the draft.

Didn't see this mentioned away, but the Rams asked to interview Flip yesterday.

It will be interesting to see if we try to hold off to see if the HC would want him.