The wait is finally over. In a somewhat shocking turn of events, the candidate who most people thought didn't actually stand a chance wound up prevailing. Todd Monken is officially the 19th non-interim head coach in Cleveland Browns history.
Whether he was the right guy for the job is something that only time will tell. For now, the fans have met the news with mixed reviews; although, most seem to agree that Nate Scheelhaase would've been the better choice.
That's why many of them might not love what Monken had to say about his new team back when he was their offensive coordinator during the 2019 season.
As Zac Jackson of The Athletic pointed out, Monken used to tell opposing coaches that the Browns organization was "a total mess," as shared by ESPN analyst Ben Solak on X.
“Monken would spend time on the field before games telling opposing coaches how bad things were with the Browns, calling the team a ‘total mess,'” Jackson wrote,
Old Told Monken quote will come back to bite him
To be fair, this is a new brass of Browns decision-makers. Incumbent general manager Andrew Berry was appointed in January 2020, right after Monken and Freddie Kitchens were let go. That being said, that's still exactly how plenty of people — including the fans — feel about this organization.
The Browns' head coach hiring process was reportedly way too complicated. It also saw multiple potential candidates withdraw themselves from consideration, even if it meant staying in their current positions or taking lesser jobs somewhere else.
That speaks volumes about this team's reputation, and it also might help explain why it struggles way more than the average football team to find a head coach. In the end, the Browns may have always wanted Monken to be the guy, but that certainly wasn't the message that was conveyed throughout the three-plus week process.
Monken has extensive experience as an offensive guru, and he's been successful in this league. Even in that 6-10 season with the Browns, Nick Chubb fell just shy of 1,500 rushing yards, and both Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. topped the 1,000-yard plateau. He did so with Baker Mayfield under center, leaning a new system in just his second year as a pro.
The fans may not have gotten their ideal candidate, but it certainly could've been a whole lot worse.
Now, they can only hope that Monken doesn't feel the same way about the organization as he did seven years ago. Even so, he should be eager to finally change the culture in the building.