BEREA, Ohio -- New Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Ray Horton said Tuesday that he doesn't envision a massive overhaul in personnel to switch to his new 3-4, multi-front, attack-minded scheme.

That's because he already has the two key ingredients he needs to power his aggressive, Pittsburgh-like defense.

"I've got the perfect mix here of big guys that can run and little guys that will hit," Horton said in his introductory news conference.

He repeated the "big guys that can run, little guys that can hit" credo so many times that it became a refrain during the press conference, and one that will be the hallmark of the Horton era. But that's exactly what he saw when he flipped on the film to study the Browns for what initially was a head-coaching interview.

He saw guys like rookie defensive Billy Winn picking off a pass against the Steelers and making plays downfield. He saw tackle Ahtyba Rubin hustling to the ball and making plays all over the field. He saw guys like safety T.J. Ward thumping receivers and separating running backs from the ball.

"I love this team," said Horton, who spent the past two seasons as Arizona's defensive coordinator. "I love the way it's constituted right now, because they give effort from the first game against Philadelphia all the way through to the last game against Pittsburgh.

"When you watch our defensive line, they get after the quarterback, and then they turn and run and make multiple plays downfield. And then you see our little guys, who you know can run, but the thing that impressed you is they can hit. If you can give me that for 16 weeks like they did, you don't need anything else."

Horton spent seven seasons as a defensive backs coach in Pittsburgh (2004-10) absorbing the defensive genius of coordinator Dick LeBeau. But Horton refused to get hung up on labeling his defense even though he stressed last week in an interview on 910 radio in Arizona that he will run a 3-4 front, and coach Rob Chudzinski described it as a 3-4, multi-front scheme.

"I don't really care what we are on defense," Horton said. "I want to know what are we going to look like. We're going to look like an aggressive, forward-attacking defense . . . and I've seen that on tape.

"That's the most important thing to me – what do we look like, not what we line up in. We may be a 3-4 on one snap. We may be a 4-3 on another snap. I guarantee you we'll be a 5-2 sometimes, and we'll be a 4-4 sometimes. We are a multi-front, attacking defense, and that's the most important thing."

Likewise, Horton stressed that the current players on the roster, who spent two years in the 4-3 under previous coordinator Dick Jauron, shouldn't get concerned that they might not fit into the new scheme.

"Our guys can play a multitude of things (and) we're going to be a defense that gives offenses problems," said Horton. "I don't like to get pigeonholed into, 'Well, he is this.' We're going to be a team that looks at the offense and tries to take away what they do best.

"That may mean one snap being 5-2, the next snap it may be 4-4. It will be predicated by what the offense does. We have athletes that can stand up, that can put their hand in the ground, that can run, so that's why I go back to the multi-front defense.

"I can't tell you what we're going to be right now. It depends on who we line up game one against and what do we need to take away."

Chudzinski, who has already talked to many of his new players including linebacker D'Qwell Jackson, also urged his defenders not to worry that they'll be the odd man out.

"If you're a good football player, you're a good football player," said Chudzinski. "I don't think that the scheme is so different that good football players don't fit and won't be able to play in this scheme."

At the end of the season, several players, such as defensive end Jabaal Sheard, expressed concern over a switch to the 3-4, which could mean a move to outside linebacker for Sheard, at least in some fronts.

"I've been playing the 4-3 the last eight years, basically all of my career," said Sheard. "Obviously, I like the 4-3 and I think it's a great defense . . . I think we should just stick to the 4-3 and keep it going."

Can Sheard make the transition to outside linebacker if necessary?

"I would hope my answer would be, 'Let's not put limits on what players can and cannot do,' " said Horton.

"Jabaal is a guy that I have seen on film that can rush the quarterback and is athletic. What we are going to do as a coaching staff is put each one of our guys in the best position. I'm looking at the offense we are playing and what they do best and what can I do to take it away. (Sheard) may be a strong safety some time, he can be a linebacker, he can be a D end. I want him to tell me what he can do best and not put a label on what he is."

Horton also noticed that players such as Winn have the versatility to play inside or out.

"I've seen Billy quite a bit during the season, and he came up with a fantastic interception where he was rushing, the ball was tipped and he came back and made a great diving catch, and that goes back to my point of what these big men can do," said Horton. "They can all run and they're athletic, and so it just gives us the ability to move guys around. Maybe Billy's inside, maybe Billy's outside, maybe he's dropping because he's so athletic. And that's what we're talking about (with) this defense."

In regards to players such as Jackson, who excelled in the 4-3, Horton says he'll be open-minded to their input. He said Jackson contacted him right away and "was anxious."

"That's one of the things I do well is I let the players tell me what to do, because they will by how they play, how they react, what they do on the field, what they do in the meeting room," said Horton.

"I like to be malleable where I'm not so rigid that 'This is it. This is the only way to do it.' You've got to be flexible and let your players tell you what they do best. All I'm asking my players to do is trust us as a coaching staff that we will put them in great positions."

Horton, who played 10 seasons as a defensive back for the Bengals and Cowboys and spent most of his career as a secondary coach, is excited to inherit 2010 first-rounder Haden and second-rounder Ward, who are hitting their prime. Last season, his Cardinals finished second in the NFL with 22 interceptions, including seven by former first-rounder Patrick Peterson, who also led the league with five fumble recoveries.

"What I see in TJ is a player who is dynamic in the run game, a player that's going to get better because he's a smart player that will hit," said Horton. "He's a smaller guy, he's not a big man, but he will hit you.

"I'm excited for a chance to coach him and grow with him and understand what he does best. He will tell me what he does best by how he practices, how he plays and again it's limitless what we can do with players who can run and hit."

As for Haden, he said, "good hands, good feet, takes good keys, can play the ball and he'll tackle. A lot of (success is) predicated on how the guys next to him and in front of him play. If you're on a good team it's easy to be good. As the defense comes along, everybody will get sucked up in that jet stream of, 'Wow, this is a good defense because I can make a play.' "

Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Ray Horton introduced 12 Gallery: Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Ray Horton introduced

One thing is for sure: Horton's defenses will blitz, much like LeBeau's in Pittsburgh. Last season, the Cardinals pressured more than any other team in the league except for the Houston Texans.

In his radio interview last week, Horton promised the Browns' defense will "look exactly the same" as the Steelers and mirror them.

"I bring a lot," said Horton. "I bring little guys, corners, they blitz, I bring big guys, I drop big guys into coverage. I think when you put pressure on the quarterback, everybody gets better. You get more sacks. You get more turnovers. So that to me is the key, pressure on the quarterback."

Chudzinski stressed that Horton's ability to show multiple looks and be aggressive makes him the perfect fit.

"His pressure packages are outstanding," said Chudzinski. "He brings 'em from all over the place, different guys, but he's still sound in his schemes. It's a tribute to Ray and the job he does. He's very competitive, a fiery guy as a coach. He relates very well to the players and is an outstanding teacher, and those are all three qualities that bode well for us here and help us be the best we can be."

Jauron to Rams? St. Louis is expected to reach out to former Browns defensive coordinator Dick Jauron to fill that same role with the Rams, the St. Louis Post Dispatch reported on Tuesday. The Rams had agreed to terms with Rob Ryan to be their defensive coordinator, but his desire to run a 3-4 defense did not mesh with coach Jeff Fisher's plans, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Jauron, who was officially fired Monday by the Browns, ran a 4-3 scheme in Cleveland the past two years.

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