CLEVELAND, Ohio - Browns GM John Dorsey addressed a number of issues during and after Freddie Kitchens' 45-minute introductory press conference Monday, including Baker Mayfield's role in the decision, Kitchens reporting directly to Dorsey, and his own input in hiring assistants.

Dorsey led the coaching search, and owner Jimmy Haslam also let him conduct the press conference on his own with Kitchens.

Dorsey noted several times that Kitchens was a unanimous decision on the part of the search committee, despite reports that some in the organization preferred Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski.

"He's a man that has dedicated his entire life to the game of football,'' said Dorsey. "He's been around some exceptional football guys. It's awesome. He's a real unifier of men and people. Freddie did an outstanding job the last eight games of the season.

"He galvanized the offense, he put players in positions to make plays and Freddie has a great vision for this organization moving forward. I am excited to work alongside of Freddie Kitchens - as I like to say, to awaken the sleeping giant.''

Here are some things we learned during the presser:

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Mayfield talk to Kitchens during the Texans game. (John Kuntz, cleveland.com)

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1. Baker Mayfield's input in Kitchens' hiring

Dorsey indicated that Mayfield didn't play a role in Kitchens' hiring.

"Baker is a rookie,'' he said. "He still has a lot to learn in the National Football League. Freddie is going to get him to that plateau along with a lot of other coaches on that staff. At the end of the day, when you make selections like this, overarching and organizationally, let senior management begin the process, continue to process and then give it to ownership. Period."

Mayfield did put in a good word for Kitchens before he left town the day after the season, a source told cleveland.com, and that was it.

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2. Kitchens will report to Dorsey

Kitchens will report to Dorsey instead of Jimmy Haslam, but Dorsey only referred to it as a traditional organizational flow chart.

"Freddie and I are going to work together on a day-in and day-out basis,'' said Dorsey. "There's a belief of a traditional structure model in place and sometimes I think that's best. But at the end of the day, Freddie and I are going to make an unbelievable amount of decisions together in unison, because we are such likeminded in our thinking. We are going to have daily and weekly conversations with ownership.

"That's just a natural thing that you do. But at the end of the day, what's best for the organization is the only thing that matters moving forward. And why not have two guys being able to collaborate and talk and just kind of work through things. It's just healthy discussions to have."

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3. Jimmy Haslam didn't address the media

Unlike in his three previous coaching searches, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam didn't address the media or sit at the podium during the 45-minute interview at FirstEnergy Stadium. Only Kitchens and Dorsey participated in the press conference and in sidebar interviews afterwards.

Jimmy and Dee Haslam attended the press conference, along with their son-in-law JW Johnson, the Executive Vice President of the team, and their daughter Whitney, Johnson's wife. The Haslams let Dorsey conduct the search, and they chose to stay in the background.

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4. Dorsey's role in hiring assistants

Kitchens has worked hand-in-hand with Dorsey on hiring assistants, and has taken him up on some of his suggestions, including Packers former long-time run game coordinator/offensive line coach James Campen, who spent a year with Dorsey on the Packers team in 1989, when Dorsey was on injured with a knee injury that ended his career. Campen, a center for the Packers, is associate head coach/o-line coach here.

"My job is I know a lot individuals in this thing, but I think we do it together and we bounce ideas off each other all the time,'' said Dorsey. "I'll make a suggestion or two and if he likes it, he'll act on it. That's why we always talk. We're always talking together to get the overarching goal, and that is let's attack the task at hand and let's get it right."

Dorsey cited Campen's 15 years' experience with the Packers, their longest-tenured coach when he left.

"Everybody knows we played together,'' said Dorsey. "He's consistent. Again, he's 'We instead of I. ' He's a great developer of young offensive linemen. He has six or seven Pro Bowl players he's developed over the years. He's a good evaluator of talent. I see him and Freddie hitting it off unbelievably. They're likeminded in how they approach the game. All he wants to do, like everybody else here, is win."

Kitchens has added eight assistants, including offensive coordinator Todd Monken and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks.

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5. Dorsey on Mike Priefer

Dorsey had no qualms about hiring former special teams coordinator Mike Priefer, a Cleveland native, who was suspended two games in 2014 for allegedly making homophobic remarks.

"My faith tells me everybody should have second chances,'' said Dorsey. "Mike Priefer is a very qualified individual. I believe he was born in this area. He's a United States Naval Academy graduate. I think his son is a United States Naval Academy graduate. I think he is an exceptional special teams coach. I think he's paid his price. In think he's excited as heck to be here."

Priefer was suspended for three games in 2014 after former Vikings punter Chris Kluwe accused him of making the remarks. Priefer denied it, but still had to serve two of the three games.

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6. On co-finalist Kevin Stefanski, now coordinator of the Vikings.

Stefanski was the only outside candidate to be brought in for a second interview. Kitchens also interviewed a second time.

"As we unfolded in the process, (Stefanski's) initial interview in this process, he was organized, he was detailed, he was collaborative,'' said Dorsey. "He had a really nice broad vision. He was a young guy. We thought his presentation was worthy enough to come back for a second interview."

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7. Dorsey on Mike McCarthy, Josh McDaniels and other candidates that didn't make the list

Dorsey acknowledged that candidates such as Mike McCarthy, Bruce Arians, Josh McDaniels and Adam Game didn't make the Browns' initial list.

"You take an overarching group and then you try to whittle it down to a manageable number to where you don't want to overburden the organization with interviews, so why not just go get those who are the most qualified the way you see it and move forward in that?'' he said.

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8. Dorsey on the experienced assistants

Dorsey has helped assemble a staff that has head coaching experience in Steve Wilks, playcalling experience in Todd Monken and extensive playoff experience in James Campen.

"There's a lot of experience beginning to develop on this coaching staff and with that these men are qualified at certain things that can kind of take the pressures off the head coach doing that in-game management,'' he said. "As Freddie has said, if he doesn't have the answer to something, he's going to find it. And why not surround yourself with guys that are in this together for the we factor?"

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9. Who was on the search committee?

The Browns' search committee, which met regularly for the past nine weeks to hire the Browns' 17th full-time coach, consisted of Dorsey, JW Johnson, Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta, Assistant GM Eliot Wolf, Vice President of Player Personnel Andrew Berry, Vice President of Player Personnel Alonzo Highsmith and Vice President of Football Administration Chris Cooper.

The committee then brought its recommendation to Jimmy and Dee Haslam, and Dorsey stressed "at the end of the process, unanimously, we all felt that Freddie was the right fit for this organization moving forward.''