New Browns coach Mike Pettine has his defensive staff in place, the real challenge is to find the right coaches for offense.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Lots to talk about from the Browns coaching search to the Cavs troubles and the Tribe bullpen:
About the coordinator interviews ...
When the Browns bring in an offensive coordinator candidate, here is what they do. Let's use former Washington coordinator Kyle Shanahan as an example as he appears to be the choice of the Browns:
1. Before he arrives, lots of research will have been done. For example, the Browns talked to former coaches and players who were with Shanahan in Houston (2008-09), when he was offensive coordinator with the Texans. Part of the background checks were to determine not only if Shanahan called the plays, but if he authored the main part of the game plans. He was only 28 when hired, and he worked for head coach Gary Kubiak. Furthermore, Kubiak had been an offensive coordinator under Mike Shanahan in Denver.
2. The Browns discovered that Shanahan did quite a bit, especially in his second season. That was 2009, when Matt Schaub had his best pro season at quarterback. His record was 9-7 with a 98.6 rating, 29 touchdowns compared to 15 interceptions.
3. Shanahan wasn't the only reason for Schaub's success, but he called the plays and was a factor. Shanahan left after the 2009 season to join his father Mike Shanahan, who became the head coach in Washington. The Browns believe Shanahan had a very positive impact on Schaub.
4. They did the same research on Kyle Shanahan in Washington. For the most part, he designed the offense. And he was creative in trying to make it fit Robert Griffin III, who is not pocket passer. The problem is after RG III's knee injury, Washington had problems blending him into an offense in 2013.
![Kyle Shanahan, Robert Griffin III]()
Former Washington Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan had some good and bad times with Robert Griffin IIIAP 5. When Shanahan arrived in Berea, he spent the day with new head coach Mike Pettine. At different parts of the day, he met with the front office: CEO Joe Banner, General Manager Mike Lombardi and Assistant General Manager Ray Farmer. The discussions with the front office were more big picture -- what was his general approach to offense, developing and evaluating quarterbacks, etc.
6. A lot of time was spent in the film room. Tapes from Washington's offense were shown, and Shanahan talked to Pettine and some of the other coaches (including defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil). These sessions were very detailed. The coordinator candidate was asked why certain plays were called, why the game plan took a certain direction, etc.
7. The coordinator also worked on the board, doing Xs and Os. This is the kind of stuff that coaches love.
8. The Browns have been impressed that Pettine appears to have a good sense about offense, even though he has been a defensive coach in the pros. Pettine was an All-State quarterback for his father at Central Bucks West High (Pa.). He played free safety at Virginia.
9. They didn't show much tape of the Browns, because that wasn't Shanahan's offense. Yes, they did discuss some of the Browns players. But it was more about what Shanahan did and why he did it when he was a coordinator in Washington and Houston.
10. They went through much of the same process with Dowell Loggains, who was offensive coordinator in Tennessee for five games in 2012 and for all of 2013. He was fired along with head coach Mike Munchak. The Browns have made Loggains the quarterback coach, a job he had for 2 1/2 years in Tennessee before taking over as offensive coordinator.
11. It's harder to evaluate a candidate such as John DeFilippo, the quarterback coach from Oakland. Other than one season as an offensive coordinator (San Jose State, 2011), he has always been a position coach. So more of the discussions are hypothetical than looking at his own offense.
12. The Browns discussed Loggains with several offensive coordinator candidates, making sure they would be able to work together.
About the defensive coaches ...
The Browns are not especially concerned about Pettine calling the defense.
They noticed that two of the most successful rookie coaches in 2013 -- Arizona's Bruce Arians and Philadelphia's Chip Kelly -- called their own plays on offense.
The Browns and many other teams believe that is more demanding than calling the defensive plays.
Furthermore, because Pettine has brought four coaches from his old Bills defensive staff, it should be easy for him to delegate responsibility.
The four are Jim O'Neil, Brian Fleury, Jeff Hafley and Chuck Driesbach. A fifth could be defensive line coach Anthony Weaver.
Why would the Bills allow these coaches to leave, as some were under contract? Because former Lions head coach Jim Schwartz is taking over as Buffalo's defensive coordinator, and he wants to hire his own staff.
Head coaches and coordinators often take several key guys with them. For example, former Browns defensive coordinator Ray Horton brought Louie Cioffi with him from Arizona to Cleveland. Horton is now the Tennessee defensive coordinator, and one of his first hires was Cioffi to coach the defensive backs for the Titans.
About the Browns ...
![Coach Chris Tabor at practice]()
Cleveland Browns special teams coach Chris Tabor will be working for his third Browns coach in three years.John Kuntz / The Plain Dealer 1. This from Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders: "Pettine helped take the Bills defense from 27th in DVOA in 2012 to fourth in 2013. The Cleveland defensive personnel would seem to be a great fit for Pettine's aggressive hybrid 3-4/4-3 defense. Barkevious Mingo is going to go nuts. Whether Pettine has the CEO-like skills required of a head coach, and whether he can hire a useful offensive coordinator, I have no clue."
2. Here is what Football Outsiders wrote about Pettine before the 2013 season: "As a former defensive coordinator for the Jets, Pettine comes from the Rex Ryan school of 'move everyone around and bring crazy pressure.' Bring out seven or eight defensive backs to stop Tom Brady? Sure, let's try it. Five linebackers? We'll try that sometimes … the base will be a 3-4, two-gap system but there also will be plenty of four-man lines …"
3. That prediction from the Football Outsiders Almanac held true in Buffalo. The Bills had an aggressive defense, second in the league in sacks and interceptions. The Bills were 28th vs. the run, fourth vs. the pass.
4. Why did Pettine keep special teams coach Chris Tabor? The Browns ranked No. 14 in special teams, according to Football Outsiders. They were No. 2 in 2012. The reason for the drop was poor kickoff returns, and the injury to star punt return man Travis Benjamin. He played only eight games. They also allowed him to return only three kicks (and one was for 86 yards). Benjamin also had an 79-yard punt return for a touchdown.
5. Why didn't Benjamin return all punts and kicks? Because the Browns feared an injury, and that happened. Benjamin is fast, but fragile. He has been hurt in each of the last two seasons.
6. The longest punt return allowed by the Browns was for 36 yards, the longest kickoff return was 40 yards. None were for touchdowns. So the coverage was solid.
7. Jordan Poyer (14.3 yard average on eight punt returns) was effective. But no one else did well on kickoff returns, be it Fozzy Whittaker, Greg Little or anyone else.
8. Tabor was hired by Pat Shurmur, so he is on his third head coach in three years. Tabor helped Billy Cundiff revive his career as the kicker was 21-of-26 on field goals. He was excellent on kickoffs, as 68 percent were touchbacks (a team record). That ranked fourth in the NFL.
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Tyler Zeller is a rarity in the NBA, having played at only one high school and then four years in college.Thomas Ondrey / The Plain Dealer About the NBA and entitlement ...
Part of the reason the Cavs hired Mike Brown was that the team of mostly young players had a sense of entitlement.
With young men drafted high in the NBA lottery, they are made to feel as if they have "already made it" in the NBA before taking a dribble as a pro. Even more disturbing is how the league fuels that entitlement.
The NBA draft is a huge television show. Then comes the All-Star weekend, where there is a game between rookies and second-year pros. Nearly all of those young players have done nothing to merit being on the same stage as the real All-Stars.
But there they are -- hanging around with MVPs and guys with championship rings.
The Cavs' Tyler Zeller, Dion Waiters, Tristan Thompson and Irving all played last season in what is called "The Rising Stars" game of first and second year players. Other than Irving, none are even close to All-Star status.
Many players come from a culture of jumping from team to team. In the summer, it's the high-level AAU circuit.
But even during the school year, most players move around.
Consider some of the Cavs young players:
1. Anthony Bennett, the top pick in the 2013 NBA draft: He spent a year at UNLV. He spent two years at Findlay Prep near Las Vegas. His sophomore season was at Mountain State Academy in Beckley, W. Va. So the Cavs are his fourth team in six years -- not counting the different summer teams.
2. Irving, the top pick in the 2011 draft: Irving played two years at Montclair Academy and then at St. Patrick's in New Jersey. His next stop was a year (played only 11 games) at Duke. In 2011, the Cavs were his fourth team in six years.
3. Waiters, the No. 4 pick in the 2012 draft: He attended two Philadelphia high schools and South Kent Prep (in Conn.). He didn't play at any of those schools. He then played his junior and senior seasons at Burlington Life Center Academy in New Jersey. Then Waiters spent two years at Syracuse before being picked by the Cavs.
4. Thompson, the No. 4 pick in the 2011 draft: He began his high school career in Brampton, Ontario. His next stops were St. Benedict's (New Jersey) and Findlay Prep (same Nevada school as Bennett). After one year at Texas, he was drafted by the Cavs.
5. Zeller, the No. 17 pick in the 2012 draft: He is the exception, having played four years at Washington High in Indiana, followed by four years at North Carolina.
The point isn't to criticize the players -- most young NBA players have moved around a lot. By contrast, the Cavs fun teams of the late 1980s -- Mark Price, Brad Daugherty, Ron Harper, Hot Rod Williams and Larry Nance -- all played four years of college at the same school. Most went to only one high school.
But it is to show why this generation of young players have fundamentals that are so lacking. It's also easy for them to see themselves as their own franchise, rather than connecting with a team over a long period.
Then these players come to the NBA, often start immediately and are shocked when the game, and winning, are so hard.
It's also why many coaches (including Brown) prefer older players. They may also have played at several high schools. But after five or more years in the NBA, they usually understand what it takes to be a valuable player in the NBA.
Finally, it's up to Brown to reach these players -- it's why he was hired and armed with a lucrative four-year contract.
![Kyrie Irving's 35 points lead Cavs to victory]()
In terms of dollars, it makes sense for Kyrie Irving to sign some sort of contract extension with the Cavs this summer.Thomas Ondrey / The Plain Dealer About Kyrie Irving ...
Yes, Irving dribbles too much.
Yes, he is not a great player.
Yes, he's not really a leader.
But most of what is wrong with the Cavs is not his fault.
Irving is only 21, and not many 21-year-old millionaires are mature leaders.
Yes, there are times when it seems he pouts, or at least is discouraged.
And yes, he can check out defensively.
But the Cavs would be absolutely out of their mind to write off this point guard.
He is averaging 21.6 points, 6.2 assists and shooting 43 percent. This is considered a "bad year" for Irving.
And where else would the Cavs receive that kind of production.
This is not to excuse Irving, but it is to understand that patience is needed with him. He is discouraged by all the losing, and he's probably not the only guy in a Cavs uniform who wishes to be elsewhere at the moment.
As for Irving leaving, consider the following:
1. Irving is under contract until the summer of 2015.
2. The Cavs can't offer Irving an extension until this summer. The maximum is about $80 million for five years.
3. Since the current maximum contract system became NBA law in 1998, no rookie has ever turned down some form of the maximum contract.
4. LeBron James and Chris Bosh were offered maximum extensions in summer 2007. They signed for three years. So Irving may sign for less than the five years -- but odds are he'll take some form of the maximum contract.
5. If Irving declines an offer in 2014, remember, he is still under contract until the summer of 2015.
6. In the summer of 2015, he will be a restricted free agent, meaning the Cavs can match any offer. That makes it doubtful another team will offer him more money.
7. Irving can't become an unrestricted free agent until the summer of 2016. That's why the odds are he will sign at least some form of a contract in 2014, when first offered.
8. Irving also has a history of injuries. He'd be running a major risk passing on the maximum contract. Just ask Derrick Rose about injuries.
9. John Wall (Washington) and Paul George (Indiana) recently signed maximum contracts.
10. If the Cavs sense Irving has no interest in signing some sort of extension, my guess is they will try to trade him. But they really don't want it to come to that. And remember, they can offer him far more money than any other team.
About the Tribe's bullpen ...
![Cleveland Indians grab pitcher John Axford]()
The Indians hope John Axford can regain the form of the reliever who saved 70-of-75 games from 2010-11AP 1. The Indians believe their biggest loss is not closer Chris Perez (who signed with the Dodgers). It's set-up man Joe Smith, who signed with the Angels. For his Tribe career, he was 18-11 with a 2.76 ERA in parts of five seasons. He had a 2.29 ERA in 2013. While he never was a closer, he was reliable in the eighth inning.
2. But the Indians must find a closer, and they are counting on John Axford. Last spring, he pitched for Canada in the World Baseball Classic. When the season opened, he was Milwaukee's closer and was horrible -- his ERA was 8.44 in April. He lost the closer's job.
3. Just as Vinnie Pestano hurt his arm in the WBC, Axford also suffered a setback. But he recovered late in the season. Axford was traded to St. Louis, and finished the year with a 1.74 ERA in his final 13 appearances. His velocity had been in the low 90s mph. It rose to 94-96 mph in St. Louis as his arm came back and he made some adjustments in his delivery. He also allowed only one run in 5 2/3 post-season innings.
4. Axford was at his best in 2010-11, converting 70-of-75 saves with a 2.29 ERA for the Brewers. The Indians believe the 30-year-old right-hander is set for a bounce-back season. For his career, righties are hitting .238 and lefties .225 against him. It's important for a closer to be effective against batters from both sides of the plate.
5. Tribe pitching coach Mickey Callaway on Axford: "Anytime you’ve closed games, you remember what it’s like. It’s just him being able to finish what he was doing at the end of last season."
6. Callaway said Axford returned to throwing his fastball more often, as he did a few years ago: "We want guys to attack with their fastballs and finish people off with breaking balls. Last year I think we ranked third most in using our fastball in the big leagues."
7. If Axford can close, that will leave the eighth inning to Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen. They hope Shaw can develop into another Joe Smith. Shaw was 6-1 with a 2.43 ERA for the Tribe. The Indians think Allen can eventually close, and he is the next closer in line if Axford fails.
8. The Tribe is very curious to see what Pestano does this spring. He had a 2.42 ERA in 2011-12 for the Tribe. But last year, his velocity dropped because of those WBC-related arm issues. If he can come back, the bullpen will be very deep.
9. Matt Albers (3-1, 3.14 ERA) did a solid job in middle relief for he Tribe. He has since signed with Houston. The Indians hope David Aardsma (2-2, 4.31 ERA for the Mets) or prospect C.C. Lee can take that job.
10. The Indians are loading up with relievers. They have Marc Rzepczynski, Josh Outman and Nick Hagadone as lefties. Outman held left-handed batters to a .192 average. But righties crush him (.347), and that explains his 4.61 ERA for the Rockies last season. Hagadone has been trying to stick with the Tribe for the last three years, but his control problems haunt him.
11. Manager Terry Francona would love to have a dozen guys in his bullpen. Matt Capps (a former All-Star closer) is in camp, coming off shoulder surgery. Blake Wood throws close to 100 mph, and he's in camp. There's 37-year-old Scott Atchison (3-3, 4.33 ERA for the Mets) getting a chance. He pitched in Boston for Francona.
12. One of the skills demonstrated by Francona and Callaway was their handling of the bullpen last season, especially with Perez struggling as the closer. If Axford can nail down the ninth inning, the bullpen can be even stronger this season.
About Jimmy Dudley ...
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For 20 years from 1948-68, Jimmy Dudley was the Tribe voice of summer.PD file He was the voice of summer during my youth in the 1960s.
Jimmy Dudley called the Tribe games from 1948-68.
He has been credited with these phrases:
1. Hello, baseball fans everywhere!
2. The string is out (when it was a full count).
3. That ball is going … going … gone!
I also remember a few of his commercials:
1. Kahn's … the weiner the world awaited!
2. Call Garfield 1, 2-3-2-3, Garfield 1, 2-3-2-3 for aluminum siding.
Dudley dueled radio partner Bob Neal, and the two seldom spoke in their last 10 years together. In fact, Neal won a power struggle with Dudley, and that led the Tribe to fire Dudley after the 1968 season.
He is already in the Baseball Hall of Fame, and it's great that he's going into the Tribe Hall of Fame.
Of note: I will be speaking at the Lake Community branch of Stark
Library in Uniontown on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. It's free. Call
330-877-9975 to register.
