Dan Orlovsky on Cleveland Browns: ‘It shouldn’t be that hard’

Former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky spoke to 92.3’s Bull and Fox about the Cleveland Browns and said it shouldn’t be as hard as they’re making it on themselves

It would be hard to find anyone who thinks the issues the Cleveland Browns are facing this season are not self-inflicted. After going 5-2 down the stretch in 2018, they went out and added even more talent as they brought in players such as Odell Beckham, Jr., Olivier Vernon, and Sheldon Richardson.

This is in addition to players such as Jarvis Landry, Denzel Ward, Baker Mayfield, Myles Garrett, and Nick Chubb that were already on the roster. Simply put, there’s a lot of talent on this team.

Sure, there are some spots that need work. The offensive line has struggled and the secondary has taken a step back — especially with injuries forcing many of their starters to miss time.

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Even with that being said, this roster is far better on paper than their 2-6 record indicates. And according to Dan Orlovsky, a former NFL quarterback who is now one of the best analysts on ESPN, a lot of that has to do with their head coach, Freddie Kitchens, not having an understanding of what their players are good at.

Orlovsky was a guest on 92.3’s ‘Bull and Fox‘ and was incredibly candid about the Browns struggles. He started off with a blunt answer when asked if you can do a worse job than Kitchens as he simply said “no you can not.”

From there, he explained some of the areas Kitchens — who he was a big fan of coming into the season — is struggling. One was the failure to get his team in the right formations to help them from self-destructing. His suggestion is for the team to use more two and three tight end sets which will allow them to run the ball more.

By setting up in the 11-personnel, Orlovsky believes the Browns are exposing their own flaws — mainly the offensive line. He also feels that the exposed weaknesses are causing Mayfield to lose confidence in himself as well as the play calls — which is a huge issue.

Orlovsky went on to say “it shouldn’t be that hard” to find what your players are good at. He compared the Browns to the Baltimore Ravens, where Greg Roman is helping Lamar Jackson have an amazing season.

According to the ESPN analyst, this has to do with Roman putting Jackson in plays that he’s comfortable with while avoiding the ones he won’t succeed in. Jackson isn’t an elite pocket passer, but he can destroy teams when he’s on the move.

Rather than try and change him, Roman is working with the strengths of his young quarterback — the way Kitchens did with Mayfield in 2018. By doing so, Baltimore is finding success and they currently sit atop the AFC North.

For the browns, this means they should return to what they did to keep defenses off balance last year. Establish the run with Chubb and then allow Mayfield to pick apart the opponents with the play-action pass.

Another formula to follow is to get the ball in the hands of Nick Chubb 25 times and roughly 12 for both OBJ and Landry. That may sound overly simplified, but maybe that’s exactly what this offense needs right now. Don’t overthink it, just give it to the play makers and let them do what they’re paid to do.

The entire segment is worth a listen and Orlovsky even gets a decent joke in there asking if Kareem Hunt will be on the sidelines for any third or fourth-and-short plays. He has a wealth of knowledge and seems to understand how this Browns squad can improve upon their frustrating first half of the season.