5 Cleveland Browns who hold the keys to victory against the Seahawks
By Joel W. Cade
Freddie Kitchens needs to worry about overall game management
Ok, Freddie Kitchens isn’t exactly a player. But he has more control over the game than the players on the field. As the head coach, Kitchens is responsible for game management. He is the man in charge of the time outs, clock usage, challenge flags, etc.
In addition to this, Kitchens is also the offensive play caller. He is the one responsible for making sure the offensive plays get in on time, that the play calls make sense in the situation and that the offensive is called in a complimentary way with the defense.
The narrative that Kitchens is in over his head is played out. He is over his head right now. Not only has he never been a head coach before but he has only been an offensive coordinator for half a season. Right now he has too much on his plate and he is not doing well in either aspect of his job.
The play calling is not complimentary with the defense. When the defense has been on the field a long time, it is imperative for the offense to eat clock and give the defense a rest. But when in those situations, Kitchens has called plays that do not take the game flow into account. The Browns offense is the same up 15 points or down 28 points.
As the head coach, Kitchens has to manage the game flow on both sides of the ball. He is responsible for making all three aspects of the game work together. But on offense, the play calling seems to have blinders when it comes to anything outside of the offense.
Next. Browns potential offensive line trade targets. dark
Learning to balance how the offense works with the defense is the greatest area of improvement for Kitchens. Taking an overarching view while calling plays requires that Kitchens be experienced in at least one area. Right now he is learning both on the job. It has been a steep learning curve so far.