Freddie Kitchens had already led a pretty interesting football life before he became the Browns’ interim offensive coordinator on October 29, following the dual firing of head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley. Kitchens was a plus-size quarterback at Alabama from 1995 through 1997, and after his collegiate playing career came to an end, he started his coaching path as an offensive assistant at Glenville State in 1999. He worked as a tight ends coach, quarterbacks coach, and running backs coach for the Cowboys and Cardinals from 2006 through 2017, and was installed as Cleveland’s running backs coach before the 2018 season.

When Kitchens was promoted following the Browns’ Black Monday–when head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley were fired on October 29–it was imagined as yet another uninspiring move from a franchise that has had plenty of them since re-entering the NFL in 1999. But what Kitchens has done to invigorate Cleveland’s offense has few modern precedents. For a coordinator to come in mid-season, install his schemes, and see a massive uptick in efficiency and productivity?

That doesn’t generally happen. But it certainly has in Cleveland.

Per CBS Sports, the difference in rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield’s play under Kitchens has been jaw-dropping. Under Jackson and Haley, Mayfield threw eight touchdown passes to six interceptions. Under Kitchens, he’s thrown nine touchdown passes to just one pick. Moreover, as former NFL offensive lineman and SB Nation contributor Geoff Schwartz points out, the Browns have had 10 red zone opportunities in their last three games, and they’ve converted them all… with touchdowns. And per Football Outsiders’ opponent-adjusted efficiency metrics, only Drew Brees has been more valuable on a play-to-play basis than Mayfield since Kitchens took over.

Again, this just doesn’t happen. But it’s happening with the Browns, and Kitchens is the primary reason.

“He’s been fun,” left guard Joel Bitonio recently told Cleveland.com about his new play-caller. “Kind of a no-nonsense guy, he’s going to tell you how he feels and he has a good time with it. It’s been really cool to see, actually.”

That collaborative effort seems in stark contrast to the Jackson/Haley duo, who weren’t communicating with each other, never mind with their players. But none of that happy stuff matters if your team isn’t bringing it on the field. And that’s where Kitchens’ presence is truly remarkable—when you watch what the Browns’ offense has become in the last three games, you see a truly multiple offense in which concepts from many different masters are used in a highly effective fashion. And when you see how some NFL offenses feature the same staid concepts over and over, it makes what Kitchens has done all the more refreshing.