Another year, another impending coaching staff overhaul. It’s a ritual unlike any other in the sporting world. The Browns failure to meet lofty expectations has caused a ripple effect of hostility, defiance, and plain old football depression.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday morning that the team would be retaining current head coach Freddie Kitchens “barring a horrific collapse or circumstance to end the season.” Fast forward a mere 24 hours later and I think it is safe to say that Olympus has fallen, as players are making it painstakingly obvious they do not have confidence in Kitchens. Running back Kareem Hunt even went as far as saying players quit during the game. In total, this year’s resume for the rookie head coach speaks for itself:

Superstar edge Myles Garrett suspended indefinitely for the helmet swing

Safety Jordan Whitehead suspended for threatening statements on social media

Odell Beckham, Jr. and Jarvis Landry forced to change shoes at halftime of a game

Odell Beckham, Jr.’s watch, visor, and shoe incidents

Questionable play-calling week in and week out (draw play on fourth-and-9)

“Pittsburgh Started It”

The disappearance of Rashard Higgins

Benching of David Njoku

Losing to backup and third-string quarterbacks

Penalties and turnovers galore

Undisciplined and unorganized doesn’t even come close to describe the status of this team in 2019. The finger is pointed directly at Kitchens (and rightfully so), but general manager John Dorsey should be held accountable for his actions (and lack thereof in certain cases), as fellow WFNY contributor Joe Gilbert discussed yesterday.

So, the evergreen question when it comes to this team: where do we go from here?

As Henry Ford said, “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” Will the Browns utilize a more intelligent approach in finding the next head coach of this team? Will the final decision-makers finally listen to Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta? More on that later.

Let’s take a dive into a few possible options, should the Browns take the (un)expected route and move on from the much-maligned Freddie Kitchens:

Mike McCarthy

Stay with me here, as I know McCarthy is one of the more polarizing options this offseason. One thing this organization has done habitually wrong since 1999 is the hiring of either 1) An offensive/defensive coordinator without previous head coaching experience or 2) A previous head coach with very little head coaching experience or success. Yes, this is the territory when you are talking about an organization that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2002 and has the lowest winning percentage among all National Football League teams over the past decade. But, these are a different Browns (so to speak) with talent across that board that should still be an attractive job, even with the perpetual drama reminiscent of the Kiriakis family on Days of Our Lives (airing daily on NBC at 3:00 P.M.).

Enter Mike McCarthy, who had a head coaching record of 125-77-2 with the Green Bay Packers from 2006-2018. His tenure included six NFC North divisional crowns, nine playoff appearances in 13 seasons and a Super Bowl victory in 2010.

Yes, the tension among future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been well-documented, but McCarthy has seemingly learned from his prior failures, embracing the analytical and innovative culture at the forefront of professional football. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero met with McCarthy at his home in De Pere Wisconsin, which has become a sort of sublet for The McCarthy Project. The Project has become a full-fledged film and data review operation that is identifying trends and best practices among the NFL’s best teams.

In the past, McCarthy has utilized a version of the West Coast offense devised by NFL legend Bill Walsh from 1968-1975. The overriding philosophy is to establish a rhythm in the passing game via high-percentage short and intermediate routes in order to set up the ground game, i.e. passing to set up the run. The horizontal passing attack stretches the defense allowing for future long-running plays and deep pass attempts. NBC Sports’ Peter King met with McCarthy in order to discuss what his future offense might look like and gathered the following:

When McCarthy showed me some plays to illustrate what he’d import into his offense, the one I liked most came from the third play of the Cowboys 2019 season. “RPO Dover” is what McCarthy called this. On second-and-eight from the Dallas 40, the Cowboys lined up in a power-run formation and design—seven across the offensive line, Ezekiel Elliott motioning from the left flank into a sidecar to Dak Prescott, with two seeming distractions only, Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup, split wide left. The Giants had a cornerback eight yards off Gallup, outside the numbers, and a safety 10 yards off Cooper, who was inside of Gallup. At the snap, Prescott play-actioned to Elliott, flowing to his right. Nine Giants flowed to that side. Prescott pulled the ball out of Elliott’s gut. Both receivers ran quick in-routes, unchallenged by defenders, and Prescott flipped to Cooper, inside, for one of the easiest nine-yard gains of his life. First down. McCarthy was visibly excited by the play. “The beauty of it,” he said excitedly, “is you can still run. It’s a clean run. But the free yards on the pass . . . that is such a smart design.” If McCarthy gets a job, expect to see that play, and lots of different motion concepts, in 2020. He’d also stress the two-minute offense (along with a defense more skilled in defending the two-minute offense) from the first day of mini-camp. “So many advantages to playing fast,” he said.

This system, coupled with elements of the West Coast offense, would theoretically work with the Browns. Why? Through Week 14 of the 2019 season, quarterback Baker Mayfield has a +18.9% completion percentage differential when the average time to throw is under 2.5 seconds. He thrives in an RPO system, even going back to his college days at Oklahoma. Also, the use of pre-snap motion is a key offensive tool that can create communication issues for the defense and also help a young quarterback in identifying defensive coverages. In fact, two of the best offenses in football (Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers) use pre-snap motion on greater than 70% of rushing attempts, which are the most in the league (ESPN Stats and Info). As a result, the teams are in the top two in rushing yards per game, points per game, and currently sport a total win-loss record of 23-5.

Further, the system would take advantage of the premier yards after the catch (“YAC”) ability of both wide receivers Odell Beckham, Jr. and Jarvis Landry, who are both in the top-6 of YAC at the position group since 2014.

In my opinion, he could be the right man for the job. He has been at the highest level of his profession, has a familiarity with Dorsey, and wants to once again step onto those blades of grass more than anything in the world. This team is in win-now mode and The McCarthy Project could hit the ground running in 2020 with past failures growing smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror.

Ron Rivera

One of the most important qualities in hiring a head coach is that he must be a leader of men. Watch this clip (NSFW language) and tell me you aren’t convinced that Rivera is that guy. In this passionate speech, Rivera speaks of accountability and heart- something this team has been lacking all season (one could even argue the 0-16 team had more heart). He has the personality and leadership skills coveted by general managers and owners across the league. After all, what good is a coaching change without a corresponding culture change?

The Browns have had a system losing culture since Y2K and I’m not just talking about wins and losses. I’m talking about the woe is me attitude. I’m talking about the general irreverence for the team. I’m talking about the me is greater than we frame of mind that is currently plaguing this team. Rivera could bring that change, along with a head coaching record of 76-63-1, four playoff appearances, a Super Bowl appearance, and being named Coach of the Year by The Associated Press in 2013 and 2015 with the Carolina Panthers.

Outside of a proven track record of success, another telling sign of a coach’s viability is the way his players speak of him. After River’s dismissal earlier this season, many former players spoke highly of his character, relationships, and his upstanding reputation. Some examples:

Defensive end Efe OBada: “He’s definitely one of the pillars of my success…It’s deeper than football. He’s a great coach, but he’s a better man – that’s what really separates him from other coaches.”

Tight end Greg Olsen: “Ron means a lot to a lot of guys in here for a lot of things outside of football and I think the biggest thing you hear from guys today – current players, former players – guys who played for him in different organizations, I think the biggest consistent narrative is how much he meant to guys aside from just the fact that he was their football coach.”

Cornerback James Bradberry: “I think the most important thing he taught me was just how to approach life. Fall down, you’ve got to control your APE – your attitude, your preparation and effort, no matter what. You’ve got to move onto the future, you can’t linger about the past, you’ve got to move on.”

Remember Browns players supporting past head coaches like this post-firing? No? Me either.

Kevin Stefanski

Here is where DePodeta comes into the mix. The current Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator was reportedly a finalist in the post-2018 head coaching search before Kitchens was ultimately hired. DePodesta recommended him for the position (and previously Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott over Hue Jackson), but was outnumbered when the final decision was made. It might be time for him to be in the room.

Stefanski has spent the entirety of his 13-year coaching career on the offensive side of the ball for the Vikings, mentoring quarterbacks, running backs, and tight ends before being named interim offensive coordinator late in the 2018 season after John DeFilippo was relieved of the position. The team proceeded to score 26.0 points per game over the final three contests, with a corresponding 107.8 passer rating for quarterback Kirk Cousins and 127.7 rushing yards per game. Stefanski was subsequently named full-time offensive coordinator on January 9, 2019.

The offense has flourished under his tutelage, posting the following statistics and ranks (Pro Football Focus):

135.9 rushing yards per game (4th)

27.0 points per game (6th)

372.6 yards per game (10th)

236.8 passing yards per game (12th)

Further, Cousins is fourth in the league in both passer rating (109.7) and passing grade (87.4) to go along with a 5.2/1 touchdown to interception ratio. Lastly, running back Dalvin Cook is top-seven at the position group in rushing grade (83.5), rushing touchdowns (13), and rushing yards (1,135).

Stefanski seemingly has a knack for putting players in the best position to succeed with advantageous playcalling. For evidence, look no further than his usage of variable/beneficial personnel groupings. The Vikings use “12”, and “21”, and “22” personnel groupings the second-most in the league at 37%, 23%, and 12% of total plays, respectively (Sharp Football). Having running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt on the field at the same time is a winning formula and something Stefanski would take advantage of.

Yes, he has no prior head coaching experience, which is fault number two outlined above. However, the juice may be worth the squeeze in this case if the right supporting cast is put in place.

Would Stefanski entertain the idea of another interview with the squad? There are only 32 jobs of it’s type in the world, but I don’t think anyone likes being second fiddle.

Other Names of Note

Lincoln Riley (Oklahoma), Matt Rhule (Baylor), Matt Eberflus (Colts defensive coordinator), Eric Bieniemy (Chiefs offensive coordinator), John DeFilippo (Jaguars offensive coordinator)

Your Turn

What say you? Who do you believe is the right man to lead this team to the Promised Land? Does Freddie Kitchens deserve another season?