Cleveland Browns: Pump the brakes on the Lincoln Riley bandwagon

Many Cleveland Browns fans want Lincoln Riley to fill the head coaching job at the end of the season, but it might be too early to crown him as the best fit.

As the Cleveland Browns begin the process to find their next head coach, many fans wants the organization to take a long look at Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley.

He has an innovative offense that NFL teams are implementing into their schemes. He is a young coach that many NFL organizations are looking for to run their teams. But most importantly, he is the mind that helped Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield become a Heisman Trophy winner.

He hits all of the main points in the recruiting process, which is why many see him as the favorite to be the next full-time Cleveland head coach.

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But there is prior history that can give some pause about saying he is the best available coach. Take a look at two head coaches that were in the college ranks, and many assumed that would be the next best NFL coaches: Chip Kelly and Kevin Sumlin.

But before we take a look, this does not mean that because of history that Riley will not work out in the NFL. This is just to point out that there is room to be cautious if the Browns hire Riley.

Before Kelly became the Philadelphia Eagles head coach in 2013, many viewed him to be a game-changing head coach at the NFL offense.

He had an explosive spread offense at Oregon that used tempo to wear defenses down, allowing the offense to put up big points. He also used his quarterback as a weapon, forcing defenses to consider the possibility of the quarterback running the ball. His success at Oregon with the spread offense is what started the change from pro-style offenses in the NFL to most teams running the spread.

In the NFL, Kelly’s offense was dominating in his first two seasons. His offense was putting up 30 points a game regularly, and it seemed like it was going to be hard for NFL defenses to adjust.

But NFL defensive coordinators were able to adjust, and Kelly’s pace did not have the same effect on defenses, thus explosive plays were limited. And NFL organizations valuing their quarterbacks so much forced Kelly to not run his quarterback as often, creating a one-dimensional offense.

How does this relate to Riley? Riley runs a completely different offense than Kelly. But it is more likely that NFL defensive coordinators are going to figure out ways to shut down the offense than defensive coordinators in college. It may not happen right away, but it would happen at some point.

Riley forms his offense around his personnel. His offense this season with Kyler Murray is different than the offense he ran with Mayfield.

His offense has some parts of an Air Raid offense, but he also uses concepts of a West Coast offense, and he is not afraid to use his running backs. His use of running backs creates a lot of play-action opportunities.

It is a more complex offense than Kelly’s, and there is more room for adjustments. But it is fair to say that there is a good chance the offense may not be as effective in the NFL as it is in college.

Another reason that Browns fans need to pump the brakes on Riley is because of his connection with Mayfield. Because Riley’s offensive scheme helped Mayfield become a Heisman winner, many believe that putting Mayfield back into Riley’s offense will make him an even better quarterback in the NFL.

Many said the same thing a few years ago when the Browns drafted Johnny Manziel. Manziel was also a Heisman winning quarterback that executed the spread offense perfectly. With Manziel not expected to play well in a pro-style offense, many wanted his head coach at Texas A&M, Kevin Sumlin, to take over the Browns.

But after just a few years, Manziel is now playing in the Canadian Football League, and Sumlin lost his job at Texas A&M, and is now coaching at the University of Arizona.

Riley is a better coach than Sumlin, and Riley actually adjusts to his personnel. But to say that Riley should become the head coach of the Browns because of his connection to Mayfield is a bit of a reach. They have a connection, yes, but that will not equate to immediate success in the NFL.

This is not to say that history with two different scenarios means that Riley is not going to work out in the NFL. Riley could become a much better coach than Kelly was in the NFL, and Riley and Mayfield are a more talented duo than Sumlin and Manziel.

But for Browns fans saying that Riley would be a home-run hire, they need to pump the brakes a bit. The NFL is a much different game than the NCAA, so it will be much harder for Riley to take his coaching to the professional level. So let’s let the situation play out before saying Riley is the best and only option for the Browns.