Cleveland Browns: Todd Haley adds continuity to offense
By Joel W. Cade
The Philosophy
Todd Haley’s football roots go back to Bill Parcells. Haley initially served as the receivers coach for Parcells with the New York Jets then went on to work with him for the Dallas Cowboys. As Haley tells it per Ray Fittipaldo of the Post-Gazette,
"That’s who I learned from, and it really stuck with me — no square pegs in round holes. I’ve said it a million times. It’s what our guys do and what gives us a best chance to win. Whatever that is, we’re going to try to do it and not waste a lot of time with things we’re not in love with. We have a scaled-down playbook. Some guys have a million plays. We try to hone in on what we really love our guys doing and what we think gives us a chance to succeed."
Should Haley bring this approach to the Cleveland Browns, it will be a nice change of pace. Last season, Jackson stuck with his offense regardless of his players.
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He would continue with the same offense regardless of personnel. His unwillingness to adapt his scheme to his players was a main reason fans were calling for the hiring of an offensive coordinator.
Adapting the offense to the skills of the players will give the Browns a better change at winning. It will also put playmakers in a position to make plays. How often has Duke Johnson been on the bench only to watch Isaiah Crowell miss a hole and fall over? Hopefully those days are over with Todd Haley.
One thing Haley did well with the Pittsburgh Steelers was “go with the hot hand”. When Haley found something that worked, he would stick with it until the defense adapted. It was maddening last season to watch the Browns find a play that worked only to call it once or twice more during the game. With Haley as a dedicated offensive coordinator and play caller, the Browns should be able to better adapt and change as a game progresses.
Philosophically, Todd Haley and Hue Jackson’s offense are very similar. Both like to run the ball (although with the Browns Jackson has not committed to it) to set up a play action passing game.
Conversely, both like to use run pass options as a means of keeping defenses honest in the running game. Both coaches like to use formations and motion to make defenses tip their coverages. Further, both like to attack downfield with the passing game. In these ways, Jackson and Haley agree philosophically about how to attack defenses.