Browns in time could resemble symphony
If new Browns coach Kevin Stefanski switches to a zone blocking scheme as he indicated Tuesday, hardcore fans in the end zones at FirstEnergy Stadium are once again in for a show.
Assuming the Browns’ yet-unnamed general manager can acquire the players to pull it off.
A seat behind the goal post at Three Rivers Stadium in January 1998, as Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis led the Denver Broncos over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game provided an eye-opening view. Watching the system used by then-Broncos coach Mike Shanahan and later adopted by his son Kyle, the San Francisco 49ers coach who spent 2014 as Browns offensive coordinator, was like taking in an orchestral performance. The zone blocking was a football symphony of motion, timing and working in tandem.
Davis rushed for 139 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries in a 24-21 victory over Jerome Bettis and the Steelers and even those with no rooting interest could marvel at the beauty of the Broncos’ offensive execution.
At his introductory news conference, Stefanski discussed the scheme he and assistant head coach/offensive adviser Gary Kubiak put together in Minnesota last season, Stefanski’s first as coordinator. Kubiak coached the Broncos in 2015-16, winning a Super Bowl in his first season there after eight years directing the Houston Texans.
“It was really my chance with all of our coaches to put a system together that we collectively believed in,” Stefanski
said at FirstEnergy Stadium. “So certainly, as I think about what we are going to do here, probably the jumping off point is where we started last year. You can call it any system you want and we will just make sure it is the Cleveland Browns’ system.”
That means tremendous changes are in store for quarterback Baker Mayfield and the offense.
The Kubiak/Stefanski scheme emphasized an aggressive running game with outside zone blocking and play-action passing. Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins operated more under center than is the norm. There were fewer receivers on the field as the Vikings utilized tight ends and a true fullback — the latter almost extinct in the league. Timing and rhythm were of utmost importance.
Browns running backs Nick Chubb, who finished second in the league in rushing, and Kareem Hunt, third on the team in receptions and receiving yards despite playing only eight games, should be overjoyed with the plan.
So, too, may be left guard Joel Bitonio and center JC Tretter. The lone member of the Browns offense remaining from Kyle Shanahan’s season in Cleveland, Bitonio played in the kind of system Stefanski will install. Tretter may have heard it touted by former Browns left tackle Joe Thomas either in person or on his podcast. Both Bitonio and Tretter have the mobility needed in zone blocking.
But for a Browns team that already has holes at both offensive tackle spots, tight end, safety, defensive line and perhaps linebacker, now a fullback joins the list. Offensive linemen cannot be behemoths. Certain physical traits and talents will take on more importance in scouting both pro and college offensive players.
Mayfield was already destined for an offseason of work and study because of his poor production in 2019, which cast doubt on whether he will prove to be the franchise quarterback. With Stefanski’s arrival, Mayfield must not only improve his eyes and feet, but become comfortable operating under center and a master at play action.
“I am about working and I am about putting a foundation together,” Stefanski said Tuesday. “We will be methodical about it. We will not skip steps two and three to get to four. When I am talking about this, I am talking about schemes and technique. We will be diligent about working with our players so that they can develop into the best version of themselves.”
Stefanski realizes the physicality of the team in the AFC North and said “it will never be too far from our thoughts.” He wants to be explosive in the running and passing game, but seeks a marriage of both even if going run-heavy at the beginning might take some pressure off Mayfield. Stefanski mentioned his days playing defensive back at Penn and said he knows what it feels like “when you have a run that looks like a pass and a pass that looks like a run.”
Recalling when the Vikings were putting together their scheme last year, Stefanski said he was approached by five-time Pro Bowl free safety Harrison Smith, an eightyear veteran.
“It was very comforting when you had a player like Harrison Smith come up to you and tell you, ‘Man, that is a tough scheme that you are running. This is really hard on the defense,’“Stefanski said. “That gave us great confidence knowing that we were going down the right path.”
It’s the same path on which Stefanski and the Browns will soon embark. But it will take months of study, practice and commitment — along with a few more good men — before end zone seats become coveted and the symphony begins.