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Browns hire Ray Horton as DC

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I really can't tell you how excited I am for the Browns to have hired Ray Horton as their DC... This was an absolutely terrific move that rounds out a terrific coach staff...

This is a guy who in the running for this head coaching job as well as other head coaching jobs around the league... He's on the rise as not only as a coordinator but also as a head coaching candidate...

The Browns needed to come in and take control of the defense, and do a good job in doing so, and this is what the Browns got... Getting someone like Horton to come in to run the defense will not only help in the Browns success but Chud's success as a head coach... Getting a strong defensive coordinator with this being an offensive minded regime was crucial... The Browns and Chud hit a home run in doing so...

Yes this means the Browns will be switching to the 34 but I don't see that as big of a problem as most do... The needs are the same, more emphasis now will be placed on rounding out the LB core..

What kind of defense exactly should we expect? Horton is a disciple of the 34 zone blitz scheme that LeBeau has run forever in Pittsburgh.. The Browns will be a base 34 team but will provide multiple front looks throughout the game... They will be an aggressive, blitzing team that is looking to get after the QB... More than likely they'll be in zone a majority of the time... Horton also was in nickel a lot last year (not your typical nickel but a 2-4-5 one)... He's a guy that is going to get his guys in the best position to make a play and be successful...

Funny thing is the Cardinals defense has similar key pieces in place as the Browns (Docket, Campbell, Washington, Peterson, Rhodes and Wilson compared to Rubin, Taylor, DQ, Haden and Ward)... The big difference is that the Browns don't have a second dominant safety (Kerry Rhodes is a free agent; yes please) but rather have a better pass rush (although Horton did get a lot out of Acho and Schofield)...

I'm really excited in seeing Horton run this defense...

The only downside I can think in this hire is that he might leave in a year or two for a HC job, which makes it key in getting a potential heir to replace him on the staff now... But with his salary and maybe an asst. HC title could entice him to stay...

I also have to say, this didn't play much in my excitement for the hire, but having him be a former Bengal and Steeler and now more motivated then ever after being passed over, has to make me think he's going to have a chip on his shoulder...

I also like the amount of positive reactions from the Browns players on twitter...
 
Smooth said:
I really can't tell you how excited I am for the Browns to have hired Ray Horton as their DC... This was an absolutely terrific move that rounds out a terrific coach staff...

This is a guy who in the running for this head coaching job as well as other head coaching jobs around the league... He's on the rise as not only as a coordinator but also as a head coaching candidate...

The Browns needed to come in and take control of the defense, and do a good job in doing so, and this is what the Browns got... Getting someone like Horton to come in to run the defense will not only help in the Browns success but Chud's success as a head coach... Getting a strong defensive coordinator with this being an offensive minded regime was crucial... The Browns and Chud hit a home run in doing so...

Yes this means the Browns will be switching to the 34 but I don't see that as big of a problem as most do... The needs are the same, more emphasis now will be placed on rounding out the LB core..

What kind of defense exactly should we expect? Horton is a disciple of the 34 zone blitz scheme that LeBeau has run forever in Pittsburgh.. The Browns will be a base 34 team but will provide multiple front looks throughout the game... They will be an aggressive, blitzing team that is looking to get after the QB... More than likely they'll be in zone a majority of the time... Horton also was in nickel a lot last year (not your typical nickel but a 2-4-5 one)... He's a guy that is going to get his guys in the best position to make a play and be successful...

Funny thing is the Cardinals defense has similar key pieces in place as the Browns (Docket, Campbell, Washington, Peterson, Rhodes and Wilson compared to Rubin, Taylor, DQ, Haden and Ward)... The big difference is that the Browns don't have a second dominant safety (Kerry Rhodes is a free agent; yes please) but rather have a better pass rush (although Horton did get a lot out of Acho and Schofield)...

I'm really excited in seeing Horton run this defense...

The only downside I can think in this hire is that he might leave in a year or two for a HC job, which makes it key in getting a potential heir to replace him on the staff now... But with his salary and maybe an asst. HC title could entice him to stay...

I also have to say, this didn't play much in my excitement for the hire, but having him be a former Bengal and Steeler and now more motivated then ever after being passed over, has to make me think he's going to have a chip on his shoulder...

I also like the amount of positive reactions from the Browns players on twitter...
Click to expand...

Horton is the guy I'm most excited for. I absolutely love the zone blitz that Pitt runs, I can't tell you how thrilled I am that we got a guy who runs it and has been compared to Dick LeBeau. He wasn't compared just because of his style either, but because of his talent.

Wouldn't be at all surprised if we tried hard to poach Cardinals in free agency. Rhodes would be my top target.
 
I'm sure the players love it, because it's a fun defense to run. If they can't get to the Qb though, it's going to be an absolute disaster. Really need a safety and pass rushers somehow.
 
BTW, for those wondering... Here's the Cardinals defensive FAs:

Michael Adams (CB)
Nick Eason (DE)
Quentin Groves (OLB)
Vonnie Holliday (DE)
Rashad Johnson (FS)
Paris Lenon (LB)
Kerry Rhodes (FS)
James Sanders (FS)
Greg Toler (CB)

There's also word that Dockett may be on the block with his salary...

But a quick word on those listed guys:

Eason and Holliday are backup types and really don't offer much more than depth and a veteran presence...

Adams is a solid slot corner who played well in limited snaps last year...Toler played real well this year in about 25% of their defensive snaps on the outside corner... I could see him being brought in as the #2 opposite of Haden...

Johnson and Sanders both didn't play much at all and neither were more effective than the other... Both are average players...

Rhodes is really the guy that stands out since he's long been a high end safety and played terrific last year.. Him coming over to compliment Ward would make me drool...

Groves played a lot due to their weak pass rush and not having a lot of options at the OLB position... He's an average player, who surprisingly graded out better vs. the run despite being known for his pass rushing, but wouldn't be a bad backup considering he's still only 28...

Lenon has started both years for Horton and has been on the field for over 1,000+ plays both years... The problem is that he has been ineffective both years and is about to turn 36... I kind of expect him to come over considering how much Horton has seemingly leaned on him... Could be a potential stopgap for a year until one of the younger LBs is ready to take over or the Browns find a suitable guy next to DQ...

Based on all this, I would like to see Rhodes and Toler brought over here... I'd probably expect Eason to come back considering he followed Horton from Pittsburgh to Arizona and I'd also probably expect Lenon to come here...
 
kiji said:
I'm sure the players love it, because it's a fun defense to run. If they can't get to the Qb though, it's going to be an absolute disaster. Really need a safety and pass rushers somehow.
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Sign Kerry Rhodes and draft Damontre Moore. Boom, Horton is running yet another nasty defense.
 
Me likeee younger Dick LeBeau

growling-dog.jpg
 
I love, love, love this hire. Horton and Norv are about as ideal coordinators that I could think of, and I can really envision them working well with Chud. The best thing about this team is Chud only needs to lead the team, work the refs, jump in as a sounding board if necessary.

My only concern is next off-season he will most likley be an even better candidate for a HC position. I'm not sure if he has a progidy in Arizona, but if he has one I hope he comes to Cleveland as a position coach.
 
For the love of god just keep the 4-3 please
 
Surprised at how many people in here are so excited about this hire. Considering the sky is falling in the Lombardi thread, I figured most people would say that it doesn't matter who our DC is since Lombardi will just draft shitty players for him. :chuckles:
 
This is the perfect guy to turn our 4-3 around into a 3-4. I enjoyed the Arizona video of him, but I couldn't help but keep thinking of Black Amish from that Amish Mafia show. I think he is the kind of coach that will find a way to use a guy like Robertson, who impressed me a lot this past year as a young linebacker. Heckert and the scouts did a fine job in getting some young and talented players on the defensive side of the ball, and this guy is plenty wise enough to find a way to use the talents these guys have. Our coaching is looking to be top shelf, and that is what Jimmy promised coming in. I am with most about the VP of personnel hire, but hopefully he just ends up managing scouts and handles the phone in New York on Draft day.
 
selby56 said:
Surprised at how many people in here are so excited about this hire. Considering the sky is falling in the Lombardi thread, I figured most people would say that it doesn't matter who our DC is since Lombardi will just draft shitty players for him. :chuckles:
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I think there's still some decent talent on D to build off. We do still have the same secondary concerns, however, in this scheme, I'm a little bit interested to see how they utilize what we have. IOW, imo, it may not be a bad idea to consider moving Sheldon Brown over to FS. He's got good ball instincts and his regressed speed shouldn't be as noticeable on the back of the D. The schemes Horton is using is actually designed to take a little bit of pressure off the DB's, thus deprioritizing our need there just a bit.

Now, as far as Lombardi and drafting....ugh....Banner kind of left it open ended as to how much say he will have on the final choices. My hope is that our scouts and coaching staff have enough weight in the ring that we can counter any stupidity Lombardi attempts to throw in. With so much defensive talent at the top of the draft, I'd like to think even Lombardi can't f this one up. Hopefully, we have a nice system of checks n balances to ensure the right guy is holding that Browns #1 jersey next to Goodell this year.

I'm hoping our DL is set with the guys we have. We have a young group, but they have ability, so hopefully it transfers. Now, we just have to make sure we get a beast OLB in here and hope he and Sheard become a duo that teams must really gameplan for. I'm really very interested in Jarvis Jones. I think he makes for the ideal partner for Sheard. He definitely has all the tools you look for in this scheme. He has spinal stenosis. so it is a concern. However, it really depends how severe it is. I've had it since my early 20's and I'm turning 39 this year. I'm still heavy into athletics and working out....BUT...I don't do contact sports anymore. I feel great, but if I took a hit to my neck I could be paralyzed. I'm not sure what part of the spine Jones has his issue, but hopefully it's his lower back. That area is far less susceptible to further injury. The location of his stenosis will play a huge determinant in where he is drafted. I'm hoping for the best. This D has a chance to be exciting with a guy like that up front.
 
This was posted on the obr draft brew forum; usually a pretty good place without the typical obr BS.
http://www.scardraft.com/LeBeau34.html

I think many folks' view on the move to 3-4 is tainted, because of the TERRIBLE 30 front defenses we have seen in Cleveland since the return. Romeo's 34 was like a giant sieve, but I remember hearing RAC talk about trying to find players for the D as if he was searching for diamonds. Mangini's version featured old LBs who couldn't make a play to save their life. That Arizona D was borderline elite for most of the year, they were similar to us in that the D eventually would wear down because the Cards' shitty offense was three-and-outs for the whole game....

We have a pretty dynamic group of LBs for Horton to utilize, although I'm pretty sure OLB/pass rusher should be priority #1 for the draft. I think we could be able to find one starting quality CB in FA, and then grab one in the draft. One HUGE hole in our defense that Heckert ignored was the FS position. Horton will most likely be clammoring for a starting FS; I'd li



ke to see us grab a starter in FA, then draft a young FS mid-draft. There's a pretty solid FS from Florida International that would fit the bill, and if a guy like Ryan Mundy from Pittsburgh is available then I'd be all over him.

The flexible young DLs shouldn't have too much of a transition into a 34 front, the only real question mark is Sheard; however, I don't think he'll have too much of a problem making the move.
DEs: Taylor/Rucker (Winn backup)
NT: Rubin (Hughes)
OLB1: Sheard
OLB2: #6 draft pick
ILB1: DQ52
ILB2: JMJ
(Maivea, Fort, Robertson)
CB1: Haden
CB2: FA
(CB3: Draftee, CB4: Skrine)
SS: Ward
FS: Vacant
 
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http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/64044/no-decision-made-on-browns-defensive-scheme

The biggest reservation I had with the hiring of Ray Horton as the Cleveland Browns' defensive coordinator was his scheme. He learned the 3-4 defense during his days in Pittsburgh and that's the style of defense he ran as the defensive coordinator in Arizona.

So it was good news to hear Horton isn't set on sticking with a 3-4 defense. "I'm a coach of men, whether it's 3-4, 4-3, 5-5, I don't care," Horton told The Plain Dealer. "I'm going to coach men."

Going to a 3-4 would be a step back for a defense that has been making strides the past two seasons. As everyone knows when the Browns switched to a 4-3, the transition takes time and often results in changing personnel. This defense was built with it being 4-3, and it was turning the corner in terms of stopping the run. The strength of the defense is the line (Phil Taylor, Ahtyba Rubin, Billy Winn and John Hughes) and not the linebackers. Switching to a 3-4 wouldn't be developing a scheme to fit the players. It would be forcing a scheme on these players.

If that's the style of defense that Horton wants, the Browns will need to draft linemen more suited for the two-gap responsibility and more versatile outside linebackers. That's not going to happen in one draft or one free agency period. It's not just me who would question the change. Defensive end Jabaal Sheard, who would be affected the most by the switch, is against going to a 3-4 defense and a move to outside linebacker.

"I would be [disappointed in a switch], because I like the 4-3 we're in, and it's a defense where I've been comfortable," Sheard told The Plain Dealer. "But I'm up for a challenge at any time. I want to show how athletic I am, and show that I can play multiple positions."

Change, however, is the theme of the Browns lately. New owner. New decision-makers. New head coach. Even a new name for the stadium. That's why no one should be surprised if the Browns ultimately decide to change on defense.
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:spin:
 
The Browns are really a surprise this offseason. They got the best OC and DC on the market. Great signings IMO.
 
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