Cleveland Brown O.C. Todd Haley chats with Media
Offensive coordinator Todd Haley:
Opening statement:
“Thank you all for coming. I appreciate it very much. I would like to start just by talking about Pittsburgh for a minute. I had six really good years in Pittsburgh. I was brought in to do a job. I feel like I did that job or more and did a lot of really good things. We developed arguably the best receiver in the league; we developed arguably the best back in the league and one of the top quarterbacks in the league. Consistently did a lot of really good things and scored a lot of points. I’m really fond of my time there. It is a place that meant a lot to me from my history. Obviously, my father played there in the ‘60s and worked there for a long time. To be able to go to Pittsburgh and have six really good years was really something that I enjoyed. That being said, I’m looking forward not back. I want to thank Dee and Jimmy Haslam, (Head Coach) Hue (Jackson) and (General Manager) John Dorsey for believing in me and giving me this opportunity to be a part of turning this great organization around. It will be a great challenge and a lot of work, but it is something that I’m really, really excited about. I’m excited about working with the coaches that are here, and we are at it right now. Like I said, it will be a lot of work, but it will pay off a bunch and there is no feeling like it.”
On how his offensive philosophy and Jackson’s match:
“We are working through some of that. I’m a big guy of anytime you say ‘system’ to me, I’m not a ‘system’ guy so to speak. I have a language and terminology I have used for a long time that I think works. The big change really will be that – really just terminology. What I believe in is playing to every player’s strength that you have as best you can. Putting players into position to succeed, playing to their skillset. Wherever I have been, that is what I have really tried to do. Whether I was a position coach, coordinator, head coach, try to put guys in position to succeed. With Hue, Hue is a very strong offensive mind. I have a great amount of respect for him. We competed against each other here in the (AFC) North for six years and we competed against each other when we were head coaches out in the AFC West so I have a great amount of respect for him, his competitive nature and his offensive background. He will be an awesome source to get ideas and to lean on. I always say I don’t care where ideas come from, other coaches or players; I just want the best idea that gives us the best chance to succeed.”
On quickly accepting the job in Cleveland:
“I had some options, but this really appealed to me – the challenge aspect of it, Hue like I said, Mr. and Mrs. Haslam and John. I think there are pieces in place to be successful. I went out to Arizona to be a coordinator, and Arizona had not had much success. A lot of people thought I was crazy for leaving Dallas when I did, but man, when you are a part of turning it around and having success, playing in big games and having success in big games, there is nothing like it. That is what appealed to me – the challenge and the people I was going to be working alongside of.”
On the four QBs most consider to be at the top of this year’s draft class:
“In the process of evaluating both our players and the potential players out there so I really won’t be able to answer.”
On how exciting it is to potentially have a nice QB class for the Browns to pick from this year:
“All of those things are great. When you have a couple of really high picks like we do, it is a great opportunity. As my father always said to me, ‘When you are picking in the top 10, Todd, you better be right most of the time.’ That will be the challenge for everybody involved.”
On traits he looks for when evaluating QBs in the draft:
“You are looking for highly-competitive guys with ability to weather the storms that are going to come up as a young quarterback in the league. You are looking for physical and mental toughness. Obviously, you have to have an NFL-type arm. You have to have great feel and awareness and great leadership. It is a tough position to evaluate. It always has been, and there evidence of that year in and year out throughout the league. Like I said, that is one of the great challenges, and I’m excited about that process.”
On the biggest challenge in turning around the Browns offense:
“It is going to be the same challenge you always face. It is going to be laying a foundation for your players to be able to learn and to be able to have some success developing players. You have to develop players in this league. I brought up (Steelers WR) Antonio Brown. When I got there, Antonio Brown wasn’t the Antonio Brown everybody knows. There was great development there. In this league, if you don’t develop players, you are probably going to fail. I told all of the coaches when we sat down and met for the first time that our job is to take the players we have and put them the best possible chance to succeed and not worry about a lot else. That is really what the focus is and will be.”
On if there will be an adjustment going to a team that is younger with a young QB compared to his previous team:
“When I went to Kansas City as a head coach, they had won one game and two games and had very little success. We didn’t have a marquee quarterback so to speak. We signed Matt Cassel fairly early after I got there. If you have been in the league for as long as I have for 20-plus years, you have been through similar circumstances. I know you all who have been here are looking at it one way, but that’s not the way I’m looking at it. We are here to work like I said, and as soon as we have the players, we will be working our tails off to develop the players we have and do the same with the players who are acquired.”
On if he has formed an opinion on WRs Josh Gordon or Corey Coleman:
“I’m in the process of doing that. I don’t want to speak too early on anything. It is a process so I’m just going to respect that.”
On observations of QB DeShone Kizer as the Steelers faced him twice last season:
“I’m not really watching that side of the ball. When I was in Pittsburgh, we were trying to worry about (defensive coordinator) Gregg Williams and him throwing everything in the kitchen sink at us right out of the gate the first game of the year. Those things create a lot of angst for offensive coaches. Really, like I said, I worked him out – I was at his workout, I should say – and spent a good amount of time with him, and there were a lot of appealing qualities and skills he had. I will reserve anything else until after time being spent and more time watching.”
On Kizer’s experience last season as a young QB and challenges young QBs face early in their careers:
“It is tough. It is really, really tough. I was in Dallas and we had Drew Bledsoe. We had this young who was only running Card O named Tony Romo. He got thrown into the mix after a few games. I think the first game he might have fumbled one for a touchdown. Like I said, that mental toughness and the ability to weather the many storms that come up is very critical to the guy that’s handling the ball every snap of the game.”
On opinions on shorter QBs, specifically in reference to Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield:
“There are always going to be guys that break the rules. Kurt (Warner) in Arizona was barely 6-2. Don’t tell him I said that. There are always going to be guys that break those standards or prototypes so to speak. I think you have to go into all of these, whether it is evaluating your own players or other, with an open mind. Really, you are looking or really good football players, and if they are really good football players, they usually find a way to succeed.”
On reconciling his success with the Steelers and not receiving a new contract and reports on his confrontational style:
“I don’t have a lot to say about it. I do know that how I was mentored and taught early was that a coach’s job is to come in and coach the players and develop the players first and foremost. That has to be No. 1. That is really how I go about business. I have developed a lot of great relationships in Pittsburgh with players, staff and coaches. Like I said, I have nothing but fond memories. After sitting down and talking, it was obvious it was time for me to move on to a new challenge. As I said, this is a big challenge, but I’m really excited about it.”
On if he had discussions with Dorsey prior to interviewing with the Browns:
“My interaction was solely with Hue until I came to visit, but I believe that is a big part of having a chance to be successful in the NFL – that side of the building. I have known John for a long time, and that obviously, as I said, was one of the reasons that this job really appealed to me. Hue, (Dorsey) and after getting to spend some time with the Haslams, those are three big areas for me.”
On if there was a concern about working with Jackson, given Jackson has called plays for an extended period of time:
“No, not at all. He wasn’t hesitant at all with me. We had great conversations right out of the gate. I worked for Ken Whisenhunt in Arizona who had been a play-caller. Those are all just things that you have to deal with in these positions, but I’m excited about it. Like I said, that is another guy that has been around a long time to talk to and to bounce things, ideas and thoughts off of and get information.”
On if a QB can improve his accuracy significantly from one year to the next:
“I think it takes time. In this day and age and with the spread offense being played in college, now most of these guys, that is all they have played whether it is Pop Warner or middle school, high school, it is spread offense across the board. I think the further you move with those being the circumstances, you see that it takes time. If you act or react too quickly making decisions, you could regret it so I think the key is to be patient and continue to develop and work with all guys playing that position because it does take time. Most of them, when I go to the combine and you ask them how to make a huddle call, they have not made a huddle call in grade school, high school or college and never had got in a huddle and had to spit out a call, which the majority of the NFL is doing a good amount of time. There is a lot to learn. It is never going to happen overnight.”
On if the opportunity to add his opinion on QB decisions helped his decision to join Cleveland, given Dorsey’s comments on his ability to evaluate players:
“No, everywhere I have been, I have always had most coaches have had some level of input. I think those guys that turned in the ones that can evaluate and the ones that are better just coaching. That is a big thing to me just because the house I grew up in. My dad was a scout, a personnel director for a long, long time. I went to college All-Star games with him and missed school and go to bowl games and things like that so he has always been a great resource for me but has helped. I started in that area in the scouting side of it. It is something I just even as a coach believe in maybe even more than some other guys that haven’t had that background.”
On if he expects to go on visits this offseason to help evaluate players:
“Again, I’m in the process of coaching coaches. That is as important as anything and laying this foundation that we need to lay. We will get to that and probably time is moving faster than you want it to.”
On the key to getting ‘out of a rut’ on offense:
“I think it is just fundamentals. Like I said, you have to build a good foundation. The players have to believe in you and that you are putting them in the best position to succeed. Sometimes there are factors outside of your control just from a talent standpoint and things like that. I think if the players you have believe you are getting them better every day, developing their skillset and their ability to play and then putting them in a position to succeed, you will have guys that will start to believe. It does take some time because it is a mentality. I don’t think you sit around and talk about the past. We will be moving forward and trying to figure out ways to win games.”
On his relationship with defensive coordinator Gregg Williams:
“I have known Gregg for a long time, not on a friendly basis but he has always gone out of his way even when I was a young coach to be nice and come up and speak to me after a game and something like that. Obviously, having to compete against him, he is a pain in the butt. I know he is ultra-competitive. As I said, when you had to prepare to play against a Gregg Williams’ coached team, you knew you were going to see a lot of different variables. That creates angst, and you know it is going to be an aggressive group. I am really excited about that because that will make us better.”
On how much of an emphasis he places on the running game:
“I think you have to run the ball. The key is you have to run the ball when the other team knows you are going to run it. As far as an overall philosophy, I will do whatever gives us the best chance to win. I think you saw that over the past six years. There were games we threw it 45 times to win and games we ran it 35 times to win. Whatever gives us the best chance to win, that is what we are doing. If we need to make adjustments, we will make adjustments. We will play to our strengths. Kansas City, we led the league in rushing one year and that was definitely a strength of ours. We were handing it off a bunch. Until I know exactly what we have and who are players are all going to be, that will remain a question mark because I am going to always do what gives us the best chance to win. In this division, you better be able to run the ball at some point in games when they know you are going to run it, whether it is running out the clock when you have a three-point lead or having to run it because the weather is bad and it is snowing sideways or whatever your variables are.”
On what pieces of the Browns offense excite him:
“Again, I’m in that process of evaluation. I don’t want to quick answer any of that out of respect for everybody involved, myself included. I’m just going to reserve some of those until a later date when I feel like I know what I’m talking about a little more.”
On if he was surprised about his Pittsburgh career ending, given his success:
“I hate this phrase, but it is what it is. Like I said, I’m looking forward. This is a really exciting challenge, and I think it will be really great to be part of helping turn this great organization around with a rich, rich history. Having grown up in Pittsburgh, I hated the Browns, but I liked a bunch of players a lot. (Former Browns Head Coach) Sam Rutigliano befriended me years ago, and I get excited every time I get a little note from him because on the front it is him and (former Browns QB) Brian Sipe. Obviously, Jim Brown; I have heard stories from my dad about him trying to tackle him. It is a rich, rich history. I think the fans are tremendous. The times that I have ever been in here, whether it was Kansas City or with the Steelers, it is a great crowd. All I can visualize is what it would be like when we are winning games.”
On if he previously felt empathy for the Browns’ lack of recent success, specifically the past two seasons:
“No (laughter). No, not in this business.”
On if he wants to beat Pittsburgh badly, given the way his tenure ended:
“I always want to beat whoever we are playing. Blood is thicker than water they say. Everybody always asked me, we had Steelers stuff stocked up for six years, and people are amazed that when you go somewhere else, you put it in a box and see who wants it.”
On if he has talked to OL Joe Thomas and Thomas as a player:
“I have run into him in the weight room a few times. Obviously, I have a great deal of respect for him and what he has done throughout his career, but we haven’t had any real specific conversations. I have just let him know what I thought about him. We had a young left tackle that really looked up to him and tried to work on a lot of the similar techniques and things that he used so we just have had some basic conversations like that.”
On if he has lobbied Thomas to return for one more season:
“That will be up to him, but obviously, he has been a very good player for a long time.”
On helping develop a winning culture after the Browns have sustained multiple losing seasons:
“I guess I have been there. I have been in that situation multiple times. Really, you just have to rely on your beliefs and the way that you have been taught through the years, but it is come out, work hard and make sure the players understand you are giving them a chance to succeed. If you do that, there is generally a pretty good response. Teach them how to play smart football because obviously there were a lot of close games last year here. If you can turn those in your direction, you will start to create the kind of culture you are looking for.”
Source: Cleveland Browns
