Browns interim Williams will get shot at gig
BEREA, OHIO (AP) >> As John Dorsey prepares to make a critical decision he knows may shape Cleveland’s football fortunes, the Browns general manager spends a moment every day giving himself a pep talk.
And a stern warning. “Just make sure you don’t mess it up, that’s what I tell myself,” Dorsey said. “Just don’t mess this thing up.”
Dorsey is in the early stages of heading his first coaching search with the Browns, who have been in a futile pursuit of a competent leader for nearly as long as they’ve been looking for a quarterback.
With the Browns (3-6-1) on their bye this week, Dorsey provided some insight into a quest that will accelerate once the season is completed and conclude with Cleveland’s ninth coach since 1999.
As expected, Dorsey said interim coach Gregg Williams will be one of the candidates interviewed. Dorsey has been impressed with the job that Williams, the team’s fiery defensive coordinator, has done over the past two weeks since taking over for Hue Jackson, who was fired on Oct. 29 after going just 3-36-1 in two-plus seasons.
The Browns beat Atlanta 28-16 on Sunday and have split their two games under the 60-year-old Williams, who Dorsey feels he has provided more than stability.
“I’ve always been a believer of you play the game like you practice and I think these practices have been very competitive,” Dorsey said. “They’ve been very structured, they’ve been very disciplined, and guys have had some energy and that’s the difference I see. There’s been a focus on the little things which I think is important.”
Williams has previous head coaching experience with Buffalo from 20012003. He was also the defensive coordinator in New Orleans from 2009-2011, when he guided a group that won the Super Bowl but was also embroiled in the “Bountygate” scandal that resulted in him being suspended by the NFL for one season.
Besides Williams, Dorsey has been pleased with how Cleveland’s offense has played under running backs coach Freddie Kitchens, who took over play-calling duties when coordinator Todd Haley was fired the same day as Jackson. Dorsey would not speculate on Kitchens’ future with the team, but said he “has done a heck of a job.”