Cleveland Is Chasing What The 49ers Have Built
Photo Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports
9 years ago Kyle Shanahan used a 32-point presentation to convince his way out of the Cleveland Browns organization. Hired after his dismissal from Washington, Shanahan was exhausted by the Johnny Manziel experience and the front office’s direction and input. He essentially begged head coach Mike Pettine for his release from the remaining three years on his contract.
“It wasn’t a PowerPoint presentation,’’ Shanahan said in 2017, via the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. “It was all on paper. I gave a number of points — 32 of them, which you guys were accurate on. I gave them to the head coach.
”I told him he could do whatever he wanted with those, whether he gave them to the owner or the general manager. I’m sure that he did. I just wanted to be up front about it. I had some specific reasons I didn’t think it was going in the right direction, why it wasn’t the best place for me and my family. Pet was real cool about it. He understood.”
10 days after his release he was hired by the Falcons as offensive coordinator and built a unit that propelled Atlanta to the Super Bowl. Now, widely regarded as one of the best coaches in the league, Shanahan returns to Cleveland and brings with him what appears to be the NFL’s best team.
The irony is he will be facing an organization that is now clearly trying to model their team around the same core principles the young star coach believes in.
When I say that both offenses are “gimmick” offenses, I don’t mean that as a negative. What I do mean is that both the Cleveland Browns’ and San Francisco 49ers’ offenses are built to be plug-and-play. If a quarterback is able to maintain his composure, they should be successful in these offenses.
Shanahan has more than proven this with the explosion of Brock Purdy, who was Mr. Irrelevant (the last pick of the NFL draft) yet quickly overtook Trey Lance, who was the third-overall pick in 2021.
Purdy isn’t the most athletic guy, doesn’t have the strongest arm, and lacks pinpoint accuracy, yet he has managed to be one of the best quarterbacks in the league with the scheme Shanahan has created.
GEORGE KITTLE WITH HIS THIRD TD 😱
(via @NFL)
pic.twitter.com/1yVFzZnPQZ— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 9, 2023
The 49ers will use a variety of sets and motions to confuse the defense and are as good as anyone with their first 10 scripted plays of the game.
But at his core Shanahan is a run game guru. Everything grows off his ground game.
Stefanski wants to be no different. With one of the highest rush rates and most successful ground games in the NFL over the past few seasons, the Browns coach can scheme a rushing attack with the best of them. But to this point, we have not seen the chemistry between him and Watson. Where the Niners excel in taking advantage of the respect given to their rushing game the Browns have struggled.
When you watch the all 22, there are guys open for the Browns, but Watson is either missing them or not having enough time to get out an accurate ball.
Chemistry takes time, and right now the Browns are also fighting frustration from Watson with things not coming as easy as he’d hoped.
Perhaps the former Texans’ strong performance against the Tennessee Titans is a sign of things to come. If it is, the offense could go from looking like they’re failing to replicate the Niners to setting a standard for others to try to replicate.
Today’s NFL analyst will tell you that great teams are built at cornerback and quarterback, but I can assure you that most general managers and head coaches still believe that an elite NFL team is built in the trenches. It’s clearly the core belief in San Francisco.
The 49ers have pushed countless free agency and salary cap resources into their trenches. As result they’ve been protecting their quarterback and running the football with great efficiency while constantly creating pressure on opposing quarterbacks with their front four allowing their All-Pro linebackers run free to plug up the run.
THE BEAR IS GOING TO FEAST 🍖
49ERS NICK BOSA SACKAROONI pic.twitter.com/IvhkRAUmkp
— 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙎𝙁𝙉𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 (@TheSFNiners) October 9, 2023
Cleveland is following that same path and like Shanahan’s bunch the Browns’ o-line is loaded on paper. But while the Niners’ big men are thriving, the Browns’ unit continues to fall short of expectations. Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller, and Jack Conklin all have massive contracts, yet one could argue that all have shown large points of weakness.
It’s hard to criticize Bitonio as he has become almost as big of a fan favorite as Joe Thomas was, but the fact remains, he’s lost a step. He no longer possesses the strength and quickness he once did, and the output isn’t enough to justify the money he is making.
Teller is an elite run blocker, but can’t block a wet paper bag in pass protection, and Conklin continues to struggle with injuries and hasn’t been on the field enough.
The defensive line is fortunately a different story. The six-man rotation that Jim Schwartz has utilized has been extremely effective and is wreaking havoc on opposing teams. It’ll be interesting to see if Myles Garrett and company can create enough pressure to finally throw the 49ers’ offense out of rhythm.
The truth is, it doesn’t matter how good the wide receivers or defensive backs are on your roster. If you don’t have enough time to throw the ball or can’t get pressure on the quarterback fast enough you won’t survive. The modern NFL can be navigated through big man mismatches. Kyle Shanahan knew that 9 years ago when he left Cleveland. Now, nearly a decade later, it’s clear Cleveland knows it as well. Whether they can pull it off as well as the team by the bay remains to be seen.
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