Report: Kevin O’Connell, 29, Interviewing for Browns QB Coach
The Cleveland Browns are still on the look out for the most important position left to fill on their coaching staff. According to Adam Schefter the team is interviewing Kevin O’Connell today:
Former Jets QB Kevin O'Connell, who worked with Mike Pettine in NY and with Johnny Manziel last year, interviewing today for Browns QB coach
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 28, 2015
O’Connell was a 3rd round pick of the New England Patriots and, as Schefter noted, was with the New York Jets when Browns HC Mike Pettine was there. He also worked with Johnny Manziel last off-season, as his QB guru much like George Whitfield, which gives him a unique perspective on the Browns QB position.
This isn’t the Browns trying to hire someone to make things work with Manziel though. They have made it clear that they have no idea about the QB position and who will play it. Instead Pettine and new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo are casting a wide net to find the right guy to fit with what they want.
They have already interviewed former #1 pick Steve Walsh but did not find that to be a fit.
O’Connell would be an outside the box hire. He is young, with many players in the league being drafted in the same year as him, and his primary coaching experience comes from working at QB academies. Trent Dilfer, who works for ESPN but also is highly involved in the development of young QBs, speaks highly of KOC:
Props to Browns for thinking outside the box by interviewing @KevOC7 Dude is a rockstar coach on and off the field
— Trent Dilfer (@DilfersDimes) January 28, 2015
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Dilfer, like KOC, works in the Academy ranks. For the Browns this should be seen as a positive. In the academy world KOC would have had a chance to work with a variety of QBs, unlike coaches in the NFL who are limited to whom they work with. This could help him be successful with a variety of styles of QBs, instead of trying to force a square peg into a round hole.
It is yet to be determined if O’Connell is considered a front runner for the job. It is possible, just like the HC and OC process, that the Browns will take their time. If KOC is hired quickly that would be a sign of how much he blew them away in his interview.
What do you think about the Browns interviewing young Kevin O’Connell?