BEREA, Ohio — Change and disappointment were in the air as Browns players packed up their lockers and went through their exit sessions on Monday.
Cleveland failed to make the playoffs for the second straight year. For the second straight year, defensive collapses and a slow start to the season have been a problem with no apparent remedy. So the Browns fired defensive coordinator Joe Woods after Sunday’s season finale loss to the Steelers, which dropped them to 7-10.
“Every time you don’t succeed, someone has to take the fall for it,” said safety John Johnson III. “Like I said after the game, everyone on this staff are good people, good coaches, so I know he’s going to land on his feet. If he takes people or whoever comes in will they keep the boys with them? I have no idea. But like I said, all are good people, they will land on their feet.”
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It’s still unclear what the staff will be like in the hours after Woods’ firing is announced.
The Browns will interview Steelers assistant Brian Flores, Patriots LB coach Jerod Mayo, Seahawks associate head coach and defensive assistant Sean Desai, and Titans senior offensive assistant Jim Schwartz, who was also interviewed for Cleveland’s head coaching job in 2020 when the Browns Kevin Stefanski hired .
Stefanski said Monday he hasn’t had a chance to speak to his other assistant coaches yet. He also said he hopes to keep some of the current defense assistants but will not be interviewing any of them for the defense coordinator job.
Whoever takes over, however, hopes to mend the disconnect that has prevailed on defense all year – both Players and Woods spoke throughout the season of the need to simplify the system.
“I honestly just think it just stays more vanilla,” Greg Newsome II said. “If you have the talent that we have on defense, just call base material, just allow us to go out there, our eyes at the quarterback and just play ball. So I feel like Joe did a great job in the second half of the year when he just realized, ‘You know what, okay, maybe we don’t have to call everything, let’s just shorten the menu and just let these guys out and play. ‘ And I think once we did that, you can see how the acquisition started.
On the surface, Woods’ desire to trim the menu came as a bit of a surprise. For most guys, this was at least their second year – and for some their third year – in his system.
At the start of the 2022 season, the Browns’ secondary school communication problems were blatant with crucial, blown coverage. They led to Cleveland’s late collapse against the Jets in Week 2 and would have cost them their season-opening win over the Panthers were it not for Cade York’s game-winning 58-yard field goal.
But for most of the season, run defense was the biggest weak point. Atlanta opened the floodgates in Week 4, rushing for 202 yards in a 23-20 win. The Chargers (238 yards), Dolphins (195 yards), Bills (171 yards), and Saints (152 yards) are four other examples of teams that pursued their own run-heavy game plans to successfully beat the Browns.
While their roster of passing defenders improved slightly over the year, they were helped by the fact that they faced quarterbacks like Kyle Allen, Tyler Huntley, Andy Dalton, Carson Wentz and Kenny Pickett — barely the explosive passing attacks the defense would have to deal with to compete in the upper tiers of the postseason.
But when it comes to simplifying things on defense, players explained that it’s not the scheme itself that’s too complicated.
“At certain moments in the game, yeah, maybe we didn’t have to trick ourselves to trick the other team,” Johnson said. “Maybe we could just line up, get our cleats in the ground and make plays because that’s when we’re at our best. When we’re panicking and stuff like that, you’re all wide open to see running. If we can get our cleats on the ground we’re a pretty good defense. I don’t think it’s a schematic thing, I just think it’s a pose thing, like a calm thing. We need a calm out there.”
While it’s clear that most players expected a big change on the defensive side of the ball, it’s still a jolt to the system once that change happens.
It’s a necessary – but still often inconvenient – part of the business when there are staff turnover.
“I appreciate the man he is, the coach he’s been to us,” said linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. “Definitely helped me become a better player in terms of knowledge of the game and all of that stuff . So anytime – like I said, it’s a business – but whenever someone’s not here that you’ve built a relationship with, it’s always difficult.”
At the very least, the change could help change some attitudes in a unit that ended up seeming defeated and looking for answers.
Whoever the Browns hire next at the position has to be a guy who can not only execute his system — but inspire the guys on his side of the ball.
“I don’t like talking about plans that much because I think everything is working out,” Johnson said. “I think getting your players to play, that’s the bottom line. And this is in the soccer period. When your little kids, all the way through high school, college, get your players to play with you and go into battle, run through a brick wall for you. I think that’s what I’m looking for.”
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