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Freddie Kitchens: vaguely employed

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What grade to you give the Browns for hiring Freddie Kitchens as their next Head Coach?

  • A+

    Votes: 38 20.8%
  • A

    Votes: 57 31.1%
  • A-

    Votes: 15 8.2%
  • B

    Votes: 18 9.8%
  • Less than that, but I'm also not fun at parties.

    Votes: 55 30.1%

  • Total voters
    183
Delete if you want. I paid for it, I do as I like.



The short tenure of Freddie Kitchens was a difficult time for the ownership of the team to endure. Likewise, it was a rough time for some within the locker room and the fans of the franchise.

The owners, a couple of coaches on staff, and players wondered what the former head coach was about very early in the off-season training, conditioning and install processes. Instead of the coaching staff and players 'working' together, setting the ground-work, expectations, and discipline, Kitchens’ leadership was all over the map, with many involved not knowing what the head coach was attempting to do.

At times, Kitchens appeared lost in his attempts to 'gather the troops' to become a 'eam, as many players were dealt with as individuals and they walked the path they basically wanted to. Discipline was lacking, there was no attention to detail, and Kitchens basically did not have a plan.

It has been said within the organization - notably from coaching and players - that the head coach was stubborn, did not take to recommendations, and was too “old school” to adapt. Kitchens did not supply the 'tough coaching', especially in the early days, to develop the roster and preparedness to the level required in the NFL.

The belief within the organization was Kitchens entered the OTAs and through training camp wanting to show people he would do things HIS way. It seemed as if Kitchens took seriously the talk that the Browns late-season offensive success in 2018 wasn't his doing. Murmurs and ex-coach interviews suggested was said he was a 'caretaker' of the offense during this period. Kitchens seemed to feel he needed to put his personal stamp on the program.

Unfortunately, Kitchens approach proved to be detrimental in nearly every facet imaginable when it came to the basic approach of player utilization, coaching cohesiveness and structure.

Often, the offensive line structure and the coordination of the offense (including scheme and planning) were thrown for a loop as the head coach would let the coaches do their work. While the position coaches and offensive coordinator would coach and prep, it was the head coach that chose nor to implement the specific coaching and game-planning provided to him. In a handful of cases, the offensive coordinator was rebuffed in attempts to implement different personal and packages he felt would play to the strength of the team.

The head coach was not receptive to using data to provide help to his play-calling, nor was he forced to accept the use of data to improve the game-day experience of the team.

Put all this together, and ownership started deliberating a change at the position.

Despite the shortcomings, GM John Dorsey insisted to ownership that the head coach would turn things around and coaching would not disregard data as a tool to help in their process. This contention became a sticking point between the team owners and general manager later, as the data was not used, and was even ridiculed and not viewed as truly viable.

Incidentally, the scripted offense developed by the offensive coordinator which was predicated on Kitchens' 'wants' were by far the most productive and imaginative series/sets of plays the Browns utilized in 'flow' which the team ran throughout the season.

As the team continued to display a lack of leadership, discipline, and accountability, along with their mediocre play, the ownership of the Browns were on the verge of removing the head coach, only to have the general manager tell them the team was very close.

The ownership came to a conclusion that changes needed to be made. Rather than firing the head coach before the end of the season, they decided to let it play out and gauge whether there was truly any reason to keep the status quo.

Truth be told, many coaches and players within the team were not enthralled with Freddie Kitchens and expected the head coach to be fired. Many in these positions think of Kitchens as a nice guy, a good guy to share a drink or laugh with, but that he was overwhelmed as a head coach of a professional team.

By the time the head coach wanted to get down and dirty and instill discipline and responsibility, the gig was up ---- players had begun to lack confidence in the structure, and some would come to lack respect for the man chosen to lead them into battle.

It was over.
 
Dude had no business being a head coach. Fricken Dorsey
 
Freddie dooped us all. Can’t fault Dorsey for that too much. The offense looked so glad with him. He and baker had a great relationship which is incredibly important. Too bad he was just another stubborn fool.
 
Seems like the interview processed failed them and Dorsey didn't want to admit a mistake, even though Freddie was actively hurting the team. Humility, Dorsey might still have a job right now if he had some.

Who would have guessed Wylie was right about Kitchens? I truly wonder if Zampese was the guy running the offense last season.
 
Seems like the interview processed failed them and Dorsey didn't want to admit a mistake, even though Freddie was actively hurting the team. Humility, Dorsey might still have a job right now if he had some.

Who would have guessed Wylie was right about Kitchens? I truly wonder if Zampese was the guy running the offense last season.

I don't think Wylie was right about Kitchens. I think Kitchens was just in his element as an OC where all he had to do was call plays, but once he was the head coach he was in over his head and also was too stubborn to admit he needed help. He wanted to do things his way even if it was to the detriment of the team.
 
I don't think Wylie was right about Kitchens. I think Kitchens was just in his element as an OC where all he had to do was call plays, but once he was the head coach he was in over his head and also was too stubborn to admit he needed help. He wanted to do things his way even if it was to the detriment of the team.

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So has Bubba's Bait Shack made him Head Worm Harvester yet?
 
That was a pretty tame article by JLC. He rarely misses and opportunity to shank Haslam and I found it interesting that he didn't really hit him hard at all. That being said, the article basically said Kitchens became coach on a 4-2 vote. Jimmy/Dee/Son in Law/Dorsey were a yes. DePodesta/Berry were a no. Nothing new there
 
JW was fooled? Man I didn’t expect that from someone who has no qualifications at all
 
That was a pretty tame article by JLC. He rarely misses and opportunity to shank Haslam and I found it interesting that he didn't really hit him hard at all. That being said, the article basically said Kitchens became coach on a 4-2 vote. Jimmy/Dee/Son in Law/Dorsey were a yes. DePodesta/Berry were a no. Nothing new there

So the 2 smart people were against it, huh?
 
Poor Giants.

Shall we move this thread to Around the NFL?

Why poor Giants? Freddie was awesome last year as a pure OC. He was just in wildly over his head as an NFL head coach. The Peter Principle at play. He got promoted past his level of competence and failed, as is the case with a lot of NFL coordinators when they finally get the chance to run a team. A lot of guys are good in their roles as position coaches or coordinators but just don't have what it takes to be the guy.
 

I forgot all about this story. Did we ever find out what happened?
 
I've already pretty much forgotten about Freddie Kitchens, except for the phrase "Whooptey-Hell" WTF does that mean, and where did he come up with that from? Did he just create it inside his own brain, or is it common where he's from?

It just slightly bugs me for some reason. I mean, whooptey-hell?
 

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