John Kuntz cleveland.com

Freddie Kitchens directing the offense during a November Browns game.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- After a nearly two-week search, the Cleveland Browns have decided to name Freddie Kitchens the 17th head coach in franchise history.

Kitchens has come as a surprise to many as he arrived just prior to the 2018 season as a running backs coach in Todd Haley's offense, but when given his opportunity in Week 9, he was able to transform the Browns offense in a short period of time.

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The Browns averaged 6.86 yards per play with Freddie Kitchens as Offensive Coordinator (Weeks 9-17).



The 2000 Rams (6.98) are the only team since the 1970 merger to average more over a full season. — Paul Hembekides (@PaulHembo) January 9, 2019

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Under Kitchens, the offense came in second to only the Kansas City Chiefs in Pro Football Focus's grading system since the turn of Week 9. The yards per play improved, but the overall performance from each player on the roster improved as well. That cumulative improvement means something.

Most importantly, Kitchens relationship with rookie QB Baker Mayfield has made all the difference for both. Mayfield has made note several times about Kitchens helping the young gunslinger get his "eyes in the right place."

It's impossible not to notice:

With Todd Haley as OC: 130-of-223 (56.5 percent), 1,471 yards, 8 TD, 6 INT.

With Freddie Kitchens as OC: 180-of-263 (68.4 percent), 2,254 yards, 19 TD, 8 INT.

When Mayfield talks about his eyes in the right place, he is talking about being able to see the location and tendencies in a defense to stay one step ahead. Another stunning statistic that speaks to Mayfield's growth has been his ability to stay clean from hits in the second half of the year.

Since Week 9 the Browns only allowed nine quarterback hits -- by far the best in the NFL. In that same time the second best team in that department, the Indianapolis Colts, allowed Andrew Luck to be hit 29 times. The ability to keep Mayfield clean has helped the rookie improve his play, but also helped the offense stay on the field longer and stay productive.

The schemes Kitchens was able to work to manipulate defenses have caught the eye of many across the NFL. Let's take a look at his best work from 2018, and rank the plays that likely helped him solidify himself as the best head coaching candidate for the Browns.

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No. 8 - Chubb 92-yard touchdown

The Browns needed to find a commitment to the big play ability of Nick Chubb, and they found it when Kitchens dialed up the perfect scheme away from the Falcons' front. Atlanta is notorious for slanting defensive lineman to the field and the Browns caught them perfectly here with the outside zone scheme.

It was important for Kitchens to prove he could establish a successful running game as a coordinator and the Browns' 211 rushing yards in Week 10 did just that. Chubb was a difference maker in the style of play Kitchens brought to the table.

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No. 7 - Counter Play-Action

This was only Kitchens' second called play in his debut Week 9 against Kansas City. The reason this play is vital is twofold. The counter play-action scheme used here where the backside offensive guard pulls to sell run action, only to kick out the defensive end was one of Kitchens' go-to schemes.

The scheme is smart because it allows the Browns to ease the burden on their struggling tackles at the time, and allow for some of their best linemen -- their guards -- to make key blocks on the best opposing pass rushers. The Browns had serious protection issues in the final games under Todd Haley and the Browns used this max-protection scheme to help solve them.

You can see how comfortable the scheme looked for this unit and how comfortable Mayfield looks moving behind this protection. The play resulted in an easy 17-yard gain.

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No. 6 - Inverted Wishbone Option

Kitchens really started to push the limit on wrinkle plays in Week 10 when the Falcons came to First Energy Stadium. This formation had many close followers commenting on its creativity -- even though it is a long time football staple -- and then Kitchens unleashed a creative scheme that used his upback to work an outside zone option scheme.

Duke Johnson has the ability to pitch off the unblocked defensive end or get up inside if he plays the pitch. Johnson sells the pitch fake and turns this one up inside for a 9-yard gain. This was foreshadowing for what would come as Johnson would run this scheme again in the game and pitch the ball to Chubb for another nice gain.

The wrinkles started there, but they only intensified in creativity and success.

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No. 5 - Scheme Mirroring

In that same game we got our first taste in Kitchens using deceptive scheme mirroring to throw defenses off. Just a few plays prior to this one the Browns ran the orbit motion fake (high motion behind the quarterback and running back) paired with a split zone run to gain 10 yards.

Now Kitchens uses the exact same motion and run action from Chubb and tight end David Njoku selling the block, only to turn back and throw the screen. Kitchens had the Falcons defense running all over the field to cover all the moving parts.

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No. 4 - Landry Belly Counter

This is where Kitchens really started to show that next level creativity. The Browns used this scheme to run a fly sweep toss for a first down the week prior in Cincinnati, and used it in Week 2 for a Carlos Hyde touchdown run in New Orleans.

However, they take the scheme and add a handback, what's called belly-counter in Wing-T offenses, to deceive the Panthers defense and pull the guard to lead block for Landry working to the backside.

What made this scheme loved across the NFL is how well the ball is hidden and how many moving parts in opposite directions the Browns provide. The scheme was not only able to fool the Panthers once for a touchdown, but Kitchens had the guts to call it again in a key third-down situation for a 50-yard run from Landry.

It appeared all across the NFL the following week. That is the ultimate compliment for a creative play in the copy-cat NFL.

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No. 3 - Landry to Perriman reverse pass

Kitchens then used the same looking scheme to come back and run a reverse pass. If you watch the scheme unfold it looks very similar to the belly-counter in the backfield and then he has Landry make the choice on throwing it.

Trusting Landry to make this throw speaks to the time spent prepping the play, and trust he has in his roster to make the big play and the right decision.

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No. 2 - Perriman 28-yard quads touchdown

This is where it became clear that Kitchens can do plenty more than just draw up gadget plays. He has the ability to notice weaknesses within a defense from previous weeks and then to attack it.

Kitchens noticed the Ravens' issue covering the vertical route from the No. 2 receiver (second from the sideline) in quads (four receivers to one side) just a week before against the Chargers. On that play, Rivers is forced to leave the pocket and misses the open seam route.

The Browns run an identical scheme and Mayfield is easily able to find Breshad Perriman dealing with the inside "Mills Concept" dilemma. This sort of week to week preparation is key to long-term success and a great sign for Kitchens' future.

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No. 1 - Mayfield audible for 2-yard touchdown

However far Kitchens is able to carry this Browns franchise as head coach will ultimately come down to how comfortable his young quarterback can be with his system, but also his personality. This display of total control from Mayfield pre-snap to post snap painted a very clear picture in the progress of the rookie from Haley to Kitchens.

The play had several complex decisions, and it was sign of significant growth for Mayfield. Under Haley, Mayfield never quite seemed comfortable pre-snap and it carried over to post-snap. The way he works through the situation at hand, makes the correct check to the play, and manipulates the safety for the touchdown throw told us plenty about how comfortable Mayfield is with Kitchens.

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Final Thoughts

The decision to hire Kitchens boils down to the future of the franchise. Kitchens offers the offensively-focused mind that many teams were searching for this off-season, but he is also young enough to be here for the long-term.

As well as Gregg Williams performed in the interim role, his age only allowed him to be here so long. If the Browns kept Kitchens as an offensive coordinator, the threat of him leaving becomes too high a risk. The Browns were able to step back and see the big picture.

Kitchens' coordinator stint was short, just eight games in total, but he was able to show the forward thinking and build the types of relationships that made the promotion not only logical, but smart.

Nobody can say for sure how well Kitchens will fare in his tenure. You just never truly know. But suffice to say the Browns were able to give the job to the man who had the best stint as an offensive coordinator in the 2018 season. The young core continues in a comfortable and functional system and the expectations will rightfully be high.

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Jake Burns played quarterback at the collegiate level and also coached at both the high school and college levels. You can read more X&O analysis from Burns at the OBR and VikingUpdate.com.