Every new beginning brings excitement. That's where the Cleveland Browns are right now with new head coach Todd Monken. This is the 60-year-old's first NFL head coaching assignment after many years as an assistant in the league.
Monken also served as Southern Miss' head coach for three seasons, so he didn't arrive in Cleveland without premium coaching experience. With that as the backdrop to Monken's current position with the Browns, it shouldn't come as a surprise that fans and analysts are more excited about the upcoming season than years past.
There's a new positive buzz in the air around Browns training camp these days, and much of that has to do with the new coach's approach to working with his team. Monken has been more vocal and frank with almost everyone compared to the previous coach, Kevin Stefanski. Monken answers questions openly and makes you believe he's being genuine.
It's a refreshing approach, and something fans and reporters in Cleveland are noting daily. Monken was recently interviewed by Browns Daily, a radio program of the Browns, and Monken had this to say about the message he is delivering to his coaching staff to try and get the most out of his players.
"To me, what really p— me off in practice is when it looks like s— coaching. Excuse my language, but that's the first thing first. Guys are moving from drill to drill. How are we operating? Does it seem like there's a sense of connection? We talk to our coaches all the time about every drill. We're either confirming, we're correcting, or we're connecting. We're doing one of those three things. We're not going to be silent. We are going to coach every play, every minute that we're given with our guys."
Confirming, correcting, and connecting. That's a powerful three-word approach to coaching, as it brings the objective of the job down to a simple but effective conclusion. Monken is asking his coaches to take accountability and reminding them that there are always ways to work with their players to make the team the best it can be.
Three simple words explain everything about Todd Monken's coaching philosophy
Monken, in the same interview, praised his coaches and players for already working hard and understanding the goal of winning games. The team just completed their first week of training camp and the feeling coming out of camp so far is that the Browns are more prepared for the upcoming season.
They are running more plays and running those plays more efficiently. There aren't players taking days off, and the accountability that Monken is trying to instill in his team seems to be working in these early stages of the season.
Week 1 of the season isn't for another month, and a lot can happen before then, but if you are a fan of the Browns, you are probably a bit more upbeat about the team's chances this season than in previous seasons, and much of that has to do with Monken's arrival as coach.
The team has drafted well over the past two years and has slowly built a younger and more skilled team. It's a unique situation in that Monken is an older coach and one might question how the younger team would take to the new coach. But so far the wise and experienced messaging he is delivering seems to be working.
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