Todd Monken ignites hope for the Cleveland Browns, promising an adaptable offense that can score at will
The Cleveland Browns understood the assignment when it came to finding their next head coach.
Rife with holes on the offensive side of the football, the Browns needed somebody to provide a clear sense of direction for that unit. Enter Todd Monken, whose reputation as one of the more innovative offensive minds in football precedes him.
And while Monken has plenty of work to do as he attempts to overhaul some key areas of the roster, his vision of what he expects the offense to become should leave Browns fans extremely intrigued.
"That’s a question I get asked all the time, like what system do you run? What is that?," Monken said during his introductory press conference this week. "And the way I’ll try to phrase it is to score any way possible. I don’t care what it takes to score, it’s about scoring points."
This past season, the Browns averaged a meager 16.4 points per game, a figure that ranked 31st overall. Meanwhile, in Baltimore, where Monken spent the last three years as offensive coordinator, the Ravens never averaged less than 24 points per game, including finishing top five in scoring twice.
If he can replicate that success in Cleveland, there's no reason to think the Browns can't get turned around sooner rather than later. Monken also takes a very refreshing approach to coaching in general.
He's not arriving to town with some regimented system that needs certain players to be successful. His goal is to build an offense that caters to the strengths of his players. The points are expected to follow.
"I would hate to put any type of connotation as to what system that we are, other than playing to our players’ strengths," he said. "I think one of the things that our staff, including myself, have been able to do is take advantage of what a player can do and not what they can’t do."
Monken mentioned how excited he is to have an opportunity to build the Browns offense from the ground up. It's a project that will likely take multiple years to complete. Understanding what talent he has in the meantime, and how to maximize it will be pivotal in trying to win, while building.
"Every player in the NFL is elite, and they all have a trait, at least one trait that allows them to ... allows them to function, play at a high level," said Monken. "You just got to find what that is and not try to put a square peg in a round hole, taking advantage of what they do. And I think that’s what we’ve been able to do consistently.”
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