NFL Playoffs: What Browns Can Learn from the Teams

Dec 21, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys fan holds a sign that the Cowboys are going to the playoffs against the Indianapolis Colts at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL Playoffs kickoff today. Sadly our Cleveland Browns won’t be in those playoffs but that doesn’t mean they can’t learn from the teams that did make it. It won’t be simple to replicate what they have done but it is always said that the NFL is a copycat league and since the Browns want to make the playoffs let us see if they can copy anything from the team’s already in.

We will take a look at the teams that made the playoffs in a variety of ways over the next few slides. We want to get an entire picture of the team and what got them to where they are. We will start by looking at the coaches, their philosophical basis and years as a head coach. For each category we will include the Browns information at the top for comparison sake.

We will then go on to look at the offenses, since fans are often most intrigued by the Browns offensive production, to see what we can learn there. Where do they rank in both rushing and passing, who is their quarterback, running back and primary receiver and talk about how the Browns can start to catch-up with these teams.

Then we go to the other side of the ball to the defenses that made the playoffs. How they did against the run and the pass, where is their strength and where is their weakness. The Browns have tried to build around their defense but are they close to what it takes to get to the promised land?

Finally we will use this information to track progress through the playoffs. Are their certain factors that lead to success in the second season? Should that impact how the Browns try to attack both free agency and the NFL Draft?

We want to learn as much as we can from the NFL Playoffs, and the teams involved, as we can to help evaluate our own Cleveland Browns. We start on the next slide and the coaches.

Next: What Coaches Made the Playoffs?