It is rare you ever hear an NFL coach belittling another experienced coach after a hire is made. They are all brothers in the same fraternity. That said, here is another article with plenty of praise from coaches regarding DeFilippo:
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...veland-browns-hiring-john-defilippo-as-new-oc
Cleveland Browns hiring John DeFilippo as new OC
Marc Sessler
At long last, the
Cleveland Browns have zeroed in on their new offensive coordinator.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday, citing a team source, that the
Browns are hiring
Raiders quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo as the team's new play-caller, replacing the departed Kyle Shanahan.
DeFilippo spent the past five years coaching the likes of
Carson Palmer,
Terrelle Pryor,
Matt McGloin and second-round pick
Derek Carr. He now inherits a quarterback group filled with
Johnny Manziel and plenty of questions.
The
Browns spread a wide net to fill the void left by Shanahan, who
voiced displeasure with the friction between coaches and front-office members. With names like Greg Roman and
Marc Trestman landing elsewhere, Pettine has doubled back to hand-pick the assistant he told reporters
"had an outstanding interview" before Cleveland hired Shanahan last winter.
Just 36, DeFilippo worked closely with former
Raiders play-caller and
Broncos quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp, who went out of his way last offseason to
compare the young coach to former Denver play-caller Adam Gase.
"When I was coordinator in Oakland, I said to him, 'You're the quarterback coach, and it's your job to coach me out of the room,'" Knapp said, per The Plain Dealer. "He did that in a half a year's time -- and that was seven years ago, when he was really young."
Knapp credited DeFilippo with fluidly teaching an option-based, Pistol-heavy attack to Pryor in 2013 before completely re-designing a pocket-centered scheme for McGloin. His work with Carr this season was admirable.
DeFilippo now takes on his greatest challenge yet in Cleveland, where the team must discover what they have in Manziel -- if anything -- while heat-seeking legitimate competition in free agency and the draft. With so few juicy prospects on either front, Cleveland's new offensive coordinator will be tested right away.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/1...-hired-cleveland-browns-offensive-coordinator
John DeFilippo hired by Browns
Updated: January 21, 2015, 1:44 PM ET
By
Jeremy Fowler | ESPN.com
- The Cleveland Browns are hiring former Raiders quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo as offensive coordinator to replace Kyle Shanahan, ESPN has confirmed.
[+] Enlarge
John DeFilippo, who coached the Raiders' quarterbacks at one point, will get to run the Browns' offense and try to mold Johnny Manziel.
DeFilippo impressed when he interviewed for the job last year and spoke with Browns coach Mike Pettine again last week after Shanahan resigned.
Fox Sports initially reported the news. DeFilippo's contract has not been completed yet but is expected to be by the end of the week, a source told ESPN.
DeFilippo has never called plays at the NFL level but did so for two seasons at San Jose State under now-Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre, who says DeFilippo has "great ideas and is excellent with quarterbacks."
DeFilippo's biggest challenge, unless the Browns say otherwise, will be helping mold
Johnny Manziel at the pro level. Manziel struggled in his two NFL starts this season, finishing with a 51.4 passer rating (18-of-35 for 175 yards, two interceptions and a 51.4 passer rating).
But DeFilippo did well with Raiders quarterback
Derek Carr, who threw for more than 3,200 yards with 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions as a rookie. The Browns showed interest in several coordinator candidates, including former Bears coach Marc Trestman, former NFL head coach Chan Gailey, Bills offensive assistant Jim Hostler and Jets running backs coach Anthony Lynn.