Brian Daboll

[TheClevelandSound]

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/...a_re-energ.html

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Being named offensive coordinator of the Browns last season at the age of 34 was a career dream of Brian Daboll's. It turned into a nightmare as the team struggled through one of its worst seasons in history.

 

A pair of psyched-out quarterbacks, a leaky offensive line, rookie receivers, and a feature running back who quit combined to make the offense harder to watch than in the franchise's expansion season of 1999. It was the first Browns team to lose 11 of its first 12 games.

 

The job was consuming Daboll, the second-youngest assistant coach on Eric Mangini's staff. He'd pore over film until 2 or 3 in the morning with Whoppers and soft drinks. He slept little and exercised less. Daboll, who is about 5-10, ballooned to nearly 250 pounds.

 

But the team turned around late and won its last four games. Daboll's personal turnaround continued in the off-season. He lost 65 pounds by eating better and exercising more.

 

Embarking on his second season, with new quarterbacks and running backs and a more confident receiver group, Daboll is hoping the offense, like himself, will be a shadow of its former self.

 

Daboll recently sat down for an in-depth look back and ahead. Excerpts of the interview follow.

 

• Until they won their last four games, the Browns' lone win was a 6-3 decision in Buffalo in which Derek Anderson completed two of 17 passes. Horrendous numbers on offense and plenty of losses made it Daboll's toughest season in 10 NFL years.

 

Daboll: "It was terrible. There's been very few places that I've been where I've lost. I'm used to winning. But you're taking over a whole new culture. You're giving it all you've got and you're not getting it done. Things aren't going great. That was one of the most difficult things -- to come in each week and you have to have something else ready for the guys.

 

"When you're 1-11, nothing's rosy. Everything [stinks]. You feel terrible yourself, you feel terrible for the players, you feel terrible for the community. But the thing I was so proud of these guys for -- first half of the season, was just [really bad] -- we got to the bye week and we did a good job sitting down [and changing]. I wish you could throw away the first half, but we would be in the top 10 in a couple categories, points included, after the bye. We went from 9.8 ppg to 21 ppg or something. When guys start seeing improvement, they start grabbing on a little bit more.

 

"The one thing that was not different and won't be different -- three things I won't change -- my preparation, my passion for this game, and my work ethic."

 

• Anderson and Brady Quinn combined for one of the worst years of quarterbacking in Browns history. They completed 49.5 percent of their throws, for 11 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Their combined passer rating of 56.7 was almost 25 points below the league average.

 

Daboll: "A lot of things go into games, go into the season. Turnovers, that's first. I know we went from three turnovers a game the first half of the season to less than one turnover a game. The last eight, we didn't throw it as much, we ran the [heck] out of it, ballcarriers did a great job of protecting the football and the decisions the quarterbacks had to make were a little bit less.

 

"I don't know what they [the quarterbacks] did before. There were things they did well and there were things that weren't so good. I don't want to get too much into those guys. I hope you can respect that. I think there's a lot of factors -- 1. new system, 2. they're in with a lot of young guys, receivers, 3. pass protection early wasn't great, 4. we didn't run the ball really well."

 

• After Mike Holmgren arrived as president in December, he said no team can win consistently the way the Browns did over their last four games.

 

Daboll: "No question. We did what we needed to do to win those games. I said, 'Look, I don't know how it's going to go, but I'm going to run the [heck] out of the ball.' As we went on, there became an identity. 'We're the tough guys.' Forget about the record. We had some good schemes for them, but that's no secret you've got to be able to throw the ball."

 

• Holmgren also said the quarterback is the most important person in the franchise, that the franchise doesn't get to the Super Bowl without having "the guy."

 

Daboll: "I agree. Wholeheartedly. My first meeting with those guys, I said, 'The most important person in this franchise, men, are you.' Bill [belichick] always used to say in order to be really good in this league, you've got to run it when they know you're going to run it, you have to throw it when they know you're going to throw it. Third down and 8. They know it's coming, you know it's coming. You've got to be able to get open, throw it and catch it, in order to win. In a four-minute drive to close out a game, you've got to run it. They know you're going to run it. You've got to run it. Being able to do both those things when they know you've got to do it."

 

• As Holmgren deliberated the fate of Mangini, his coaching staff fretted about losing their jobs. It was a nerve-racking few days.

 

Daboll: "Yeah, it was. I'll be honest. You didn't know. The one thing I'm confident about, though, is despite the record, I know the things I've learned from the guys I've worked for have been really good.

 

"I've tried to take bits and pieces from all these guys to become who I am. I'm a good football coach. I teach well. And I do a good job in terms of dealing with these players. So I gave it everything I could give. When they brought us back, it was like having another kid. It was awesome. You know you give everything you can give and you hope it's enough. He said, 'I'm really impressed with what you guys did at the end of the year. You guys coached them up great, kept them together. They fought their [butts] off. And we're gonna keep you.'"

 

• Holmgren casts a huge shadow over the franchise. Everyone calls him coach. Daboll is running the offense under the auspices of not only Holmgren, but also Gil Haskell, Holmgren's longtime friend and offensive coordinator with the Packers and Seahawks.

 

Daboll: "Honestly, I don't feel any pressure. I'm very confident. And what's good is, he's here as a great resource. It's like learning from the best. How can you not be excited about that? It's awesome. He's a great man, great personality, very approachable. And he wants to win. It's great to go up to him and ask him anything I want to ask him. I feel very optimistic, encouraged, energized.

 

"I think he's going to come in on Mondays and say 'Great job, good win.' Really, working for the guys I've worked for in the past, you get that on Monday regardless of where you're at. The guy that's the main guy in charge, it's his responsibility to do that. Hopefully he'll come in and say, 'good job, nice play right there.'"

 

• The perception is that Holmgren, through Haskell's tutelage, is introducing elements of the West Coast offense.

 

Daboll: "[The interaction with Haskell] has been good, the same type of thing. I know he's Mike's good friend and trusted adviser, but it's just another resource in the building. It's going to be the Cleveland Browns offense. Are there certain plays that we have implemented that we didn't run last year? Yes. Have I run those plays before? Yes. But it's not going to be something dramatic because there's a lot of plays that he's run that we've also run."

 

• Much time in off-season practices has been devoted to developing the passing game and also incorporating special WildDawg packages designed with quarterback Seneca Wallace and utility player Josh Cribbs on the field together.

 

Daboll: "I think we have two good players that can do a lot of different things. The WildDawg is just a package of plays that you have in your offense. The one good thing about Seneca -- those two guys have a pretty good thing going -- you can run normal things, too. It'll be definitely an element. Now, one week it may be more and other weeks it might not be as good an idea. We've tinkered with a lot of things out there.

 

"If you've got the right people, I think you use it. I don't think you're going to morph into I-A football where you're spreading people out."

 

• A unique challenge for Mangini and Daboll will be to acclimate three new quarterbacks -- Jake Delhomme, Wallace and rookie Colt McCoy -- and get the starter prepared to open the regular season.

 

Daboll: "For Jake, what's great is a lot of the terminology he's had is almost identical. Seneca, I just make up a chart for him and transfer the information and he's done a great job. Colt's smart as [heck]. I think it depends on the guys you have. I think Eric will have an outstanding plan for that when we get to it."

 

• In organized team activities, the receiving corps -- second-year players Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie; Chansi Stuckey, who arrived in the middle of last year; and Cribbs, who's more attuned than ever to the position -- has been a source of optimism. Delhomme has consistently has been putting the ball on the mark. Despite external skepticism, the club has no immediate plans to add a veteran receiver.

 

Daboll: "I feel very comfortable with the guys that we have because I've seen them for the last four months. I've seen how they've grown. I've dealt with two young guys with New England, David Givens and Deion Branch, and I watched their growth [their second years]."

 

"Brian has made some really good plays. He's a professional kid. He's doing little things [on routes] he didn't do last year. Little nuances are showing up every day. And I can move those two young guys around, Brian and Mohamed. It's easy now to say, go play a spot and they can just do it.

 

"Mohamed ... little things like leaning on the [defensive back], coming back to the football ... a year of playing ... things are coming naturally to him now that were [in the] thinking process last year. Then you have a guy like Chansi. He's a slot guy. He had a few dropped balls last year but he came in in the middle and he's a really smart guy and has good hands. He has a real good sense inside. And he's had a year, too, which was different from coming in from New York. He's made some real good plays in this camp.

 

"Those three guys and you have Josh. He's really bought into receiver now.

 

"These guys have come together. They've played for one another. If we want to get another guy, we'll get another guy. But I'm very pleased with the guys that have been here -- the two young guys, Stuck and Cribbsy."

 

• The Browns have run nine practices and have seven more to go before they break for a month leading up to training camp. Delhomme's pinpoint passing, the development of the receivers, the addition of tight end Benjamin Watson and the impressive maturation of rookie running back Montario Hardesty have Daboll enthused.

 

Daboll: "I can't tell you what it's going to be [for the season]. I can say this, I'm very very optimistic, I'm excited. You get beat down. You had some light at the end of the tunnel last year. The chemistry has been really good. I think it starts with No. 17 [Delhomme]. I'm very optimistic."

[SJ_Browns]

i'm very optimistic to.

[NewEraDawg]

I'm thinking there will be progress shown by Dabol and Mangini this season given the changes made on staff , both player side , as well as on the front office staff . A year of experiance on Dabol's part and the new players , and with Big Show and Gil Haskel helping on the offensive side it is my hope that everone gels and gets it going early .

 

Success breeds success .

 

 

[ballpeen]

Bottom line is I think people tend to overestimate OC's in that they can't work miricales.

 

 

I can't think of one OC who was considered good who had crappy players.

 

 

 

 

Offense from one team to team isn't all that different. They run the same stock plays that have been run for 50 years.

 

 

 

Some plays are plays you expect 3-4 yards....good teams get 3-4 yards....poor teams don't.

 

 

When you are a OC on team where you are expected to pull plays out of the book that have to get you 8 yards, you are going to be viewed as a crummy OC.

 

 

 

This guy has studied and worked under good coaches. He knows what he is doing.

 

Give him players who can execute and gain 4 yards on 1st down and he will look great. Keep him strapped with players who can't, he won't.

[daddybull1]

I pretty much agree peen but the one thing that has bugged me about the "new" Browns is that we have had inexperienced coordinators for the most part....

 

With the exception of Fazio and Ariens our coordinators have been learning on the job....

 

IMO, the good CO's adapt to what is happening on the field on game day....

 

Dabol still has to prove he belongs, the talent is getting better and he also has to get better...

 

Peace

 

T.Dawg

[Browns57]

Daboll's wife might get pissed that he compared the way the team rallied at the end to having another kid! lol

 

Does anyone think the new nickname of Cribbsy is going to stick outside of the team environment.

 

And Daboll is going to kill himself with that Whoppers and Coke diet with little sleep if we have another bad season. I guess we better win more!

 

Good article. It's nice to read all the positive that keep coming out about the team.

 

 

[ClevelandRocks]

Bottom line is I think people tend to overestimate OC's in that they can't work miricales.

 

 

I can't think of one OC who was considered good who had crappy players.

 

 

 

 

Offense from one team to team isn't all that different. They run the same stock plays that have been run for 50 years.

 

 

 

Some plays are plays you expect 3-4 yards....good teams get 3-4 yards....poor teams don't.

 

 

When you are a OC on team where you are expected to pull plays out of the book that have to get you 8 yards, you are going to be viewed as a crummy OC.

 

 

 

This guy has studied and worked under good coaches. He knows what he is doing.

 

Give him players who can execute and gain 4 yards on 1st down and he will look great. Keep him strapped with players who can't, he won't.

 

Couldn't disagree more. Playcalling is everything and Daboll sucks at it. Of course if nobody can catch the ball your screwed no matter what but assuming you can do the basics then it's all about making the right calls at the right time. Haskel and Holmgren will help alot imo.

 

 

[ballpeen]

Couldn't disagree more. Playcalling is everything and Daboll sucks at it. Of course if nobody can catch the ball your screwed no matter what but assuming you can do the basics then it's all about making the right calls at the right time. Haskel and Holmgren will help alot imo.

 

 

 

 

It still boils down to players.

 

Sure playcalling is important, but it isn't everything as you state..and why does Dabol suck at it??(he doesn't)

 

A poor play call with perfect execution can work. The perfect play with poor execution doesn't.....so explain to me why playcalling is everything.

 

[Gips]

Being an OC in the nfl means being the guy who often with help from his assistants and input from the HC designs the offensive playbook and then when the HC approves of said playbook ultimately the OC calls the offenses plays that will be used against a particular club on sunday, however an OC and his assistant are also largely responsible for offensive play/plan adjustment on the fly or in more simple terms "matching wits" with the opposing DC for onfield domination the HC and assists upstairs (if any) can and often help here...

 

What fundamental and essential gifts i look for in a potentially successful OC are in order as follows:

 

(1)Creative play design that caters to your available players strengths..

 

(2)Strong player evaluation skills and an open ear...(see above)

 

(3)Creativity...needed with every aspect of the job

 

(4)Gameplan adjustment (decision making both pre-game and on the fly)

 

(5)Cunning and clever mind to out think and respond quickly to defensive adjustments to gain an advantage...

 

(6)Trust in your gameplan and have faith in the playmakers to get it done..

 

Many of these things somewhat overlap due to the nature of the job and not every OC has the exact same responsibilities, with that said these are the things that an OC needs to possess from the get go or figure out within his first year in my opinion to make a strong candidate for OC..

 

And in my mind daboll lacked them all..and obviously MH didnt feel so good about his natural abilities either and wisely or unwisely opted to bring gil haskell in to try and teach the dimwit instead of hurting mangini's feelings by asking mangini to send daboll packing in favor of a skilled OC...

 

And in the process i think mangini has tied his own future to daboll by pulling for him as it should be...

 

Lets just hope that underneath the short, stupid looking and impatient temperamental disposition lies an offensive genuis but i wouldnt bank on it...

 

And while players and their skillsets are very important its equally important for an OC to plan and design around the talent he has and build on it from there, daboll failed to connect the dots and the opposing defenses had no problem with stacking the box realizing that almost all our play were going to be the same 5 or so vanilla "safe" short plays...

 

While our talent was bad our OCing was far worse with no decisive or even timely on the fly adjustments or even any creativity in our flash package...by being over conservative due to a lack of good creative playcalling and a lack of confidence in player talent this coaching regime as a whole chose to play to lose as opposed to just letting it rip and taking chances and playing to win..oh thats right, you have to have a risk package that matches player strengths in your playbook to do that! Silly me...

[NewEraDawg]

Well I guess that was some interesting evaluating , but I feel some anti Mangini ingredients has tainted the synopsis for me .

 

He had very little to work with on the personel side , with a lot of player resentment on the other . I will give him another year with some fresh talent to go along with the help he is recieving , before I will be convinced that he is a bust . But thanks for your opinion .

[Thaak]

Being an OC in the nfl means being the guy who often with help from his assistants and input from the HC designs the offensive playbook and then when the HC approves of said playbook ultimately the OC calls the offenses plays that will be used against a particular club on sunday, however an OC and his assistant are also largely responsible for offensive play/plan adjustment on the fly or in more simple terms "matching wits" with the opposing DC for onfield domination the HC and assists upstairs (if any) can and often help here...

 

What fundamental and essential gifts i look for in a potentially successful OC are in order as follows:

 

(1)Creative play design that caters to your available players strengths..

 

(2)Strong player evaluation skills and an open ear...(see above)

 

(3)Creativity...needed with every aspect of the job

 

(4)Gameplan adjustment (decision making both pre-game and on the fly)

 

(5)Cunning and clever mind to out think and respond quickly to defensive adjustments to gain an advantage...

 

(6)Trust in your gameplan and have faith in the playmakers to get it done..

 

Many of these things somewhat overlap due to the nature of the job and not every OC has the exact same responsibilities, with that said these are the things that an OC needs to possess from the get go or figure out within his first year in my opinion to make a strong candidate for OC..

 

And in my mind daboll lacked them all..and obviously MH didnt feel so good about his natural abilities either and wisely or unwisely opted to bring gil haskell in to try and teach the dimwit instead of hurting mangini's feelings by asking mangini to send daboll packing in favor of a skilled OC...

 

And in the process i think mangini has tied his own future to daboll by pulling for him as it should be...

 

Lets just hope that underneath the short, stupid looking and impatient temperamental disposition lies an offensive genuis but i wouldnt bank on it...

 

And while players and their skillsets are very important its equally important for an OC to plan and design around the talent he has and build on it from there, daboll failed to connect the dots and the opposing defenses had no problem with stacking the box realizing that almost all our play were going to be the same 5 or so vanilla "safe" short plays...

 

While our talent was bad our OCing was far worse with no decisive or even timely on the fly adjustments or even any creativity in our flash package...by being over conservative due to a lack of good creative playcalling and a lack of confidence in player talent this coaching regime as a whole chose to play to lose as opposed to just letting it rip and taking chances and playing to win..oh thats right, you have to have a risk package that matches player strengths in your playbook to do that! Silly me...

 

I'd agree with you accept that Daboll didn't have a QB that could do anything but 5 short vanilla plays. Besides, the last 4 games, we basically lined up to run, the teams were stacking 9 in the box, and we still blew them up. I don't care if the other teams were typically terrible against the run. We shouldn't have been able to run THAT well given everything.

 

While I agree that Daboll had a tough learning curve his first season, its not like he's an idiot. He's a skilled coach. Give him talent that works well together and has a strong leader, and he will shine. Give him what he had last year, and you see the result. I don't care if he had freakin Tom Moore or Bill Walsh, it wouldn't have been pretty.