4 impactful storylines heading into Cleveland Browns Week 11 matchup with Buffalo

Storyline No. 3: Do the Browns have a Plan B?

This storyline applies to both sides of the ball. In the NFL, coaching staffs spend all week crafting an intricate game plan for their upcoming opponent. No doubt, it’s an arduous task that an immense amount of time and consideration goes into before presenting it to the team on Wednesday.

But what if the team you’re facing takes what you are trying to accomplish and immediately puts a stop to it? At the end of the day, the coaches and players on the other team are getting paid too. How do the Browns pivot when Plan A is not getting the job done?

A lot is made of the Browns’ lack of in-game adjustments, and rightly so. In-game adjustments are integral, but it is hard to make sweeping changes during a 12-minute halftime period. But what if I told you that you could strategically have a backup plan in place ahead of time that could, at the very least, be used without making wholesale changes? Sounds crazy right?

The truth is, it’s not just Bill Belichick that’s trying to stop what you do best and make you do the ‘other thing’. That should be the goal of every NFL coaching staff, including the Browns. But it certainly feels like they have no plans to pivot when their initial game plan gets thwarted. It doesn’t mean you have to completely bail on your original game plan either.

It could be as simple as changing up your personnel packages for a couple of drives or showing some exotic looks that you haven’t put on tape before. In the end, it all comes down to execution. Sometimes teams can handle your fastball and you need to show them a change-up to get back in the flow.