[h=1]Terry Pluto's Talkin' ... about Colt McCoy and the West Coast Offense, the newest Cavalier and some Tribe spring-training tidbits[/h] [h=5]Published: Sunday, February 12, 2012, 4:25 AM Updated: Sunday, February 12, 2012, 4:28 AM[/h]
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Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer
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Joshua Gunter, The Plain DealerOften given less than optimal amount of time in the pocket, Colt McCoy wasn't always able to go through the required progressions to run the West Coast Offense.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Sure, we're getting a taste of winter, but there's plenty of sports talk to keep you warm.
About the West Coast Offense ...
1. The Browns believe Colt McCoy will be a more productive QB next season. They still are keeping their options open, but if they decide not to sign a free agent such as Matt Flynn or use the No. 4 pick for a quarterback, they are convinced McCoy will be better. It's because McCoy has been in three different offenses in three years -- at Texas, Browns under Brian Daboll, Browns under Pat Shurmur.
2. The West Coast offense is different. When a play is called, the quarterback has a structured progression: 1-2-3 options. He has a little less freedom than some offenses to find an open receiver, but WCO coaches believe the priority list of receivers on each play helps the quarterback make a quicker throw and operate with less confusion.
3. I was critical of the throws to Greg Little standing in the middle of the field, about five yards from the line of scrimmage. He usually caught the ball, and was blasted by the defense. The Browns say Little was often not the main receiver, he was there to occupy a safety as other receivers made cuts behind him. Think of a triangle, with Little in the middle.
4. What the Browns don't like to talk about is that those cutting receivers either -- A.) Didn't get open fast enough, B.) McCoy became impatient and threw to Little as a safety valve, or C.) The timing was off.
Obviously, there were different breakdowns. When Little was targeted 13 times in a loss to the Bengals -- a game where he had four drops -- it was not by design. McCoy went to Little so often because he believed Little was the only one open, not because he was No. 1 in the progression.
5. The Browns believe Little should be given credit for making some very tough catches, rather than dwelling on his 12 drops (No. 2 in the NFL). He led the team with 61 catches. He was in a new offense after having missed his final year at North Carolina because he took money from an agent. They are very upbeat about his future. In Mel Kiper's 2011 rookie rankings, the ESPN analyst ranked Little at No. 20, a real jump for being picked No. 59. Kiper wrote: "Little needs to become more consistent, but, after missing a year of football, he showed hints of future stardom -- he had seven more catches than [the Falcons'] Julio Jones." Among rookies, only the Bengals' A.J. Green (65) had more catches.
6. The Browns believe Little is their top receiver ... right now. They were impressed by how Joshua Cribbs improved. He caught a career-high 41 passes and led the team in catches of at least 20 yards. There were some rumors about Cribbs not returning in 2012, and that's ridiculous. The coaches love how he played well against teams such as Pittsburgh, along with his willingness to play special teams.
7. Jordan Norwood earned some respect for his play as a slot receiver, and he has chance to make the team next season. The Browns are hoping Carlton Mitchell can show something in the mini camps. Mitchell has the speed and physique (6-3, 220), but he's battled injuries and inexperience, having only three catches in two years.
8. Hard to know what to make of Mohamed Massaquoi, who had a foot injury and the second concussion of his pro career. Massaquoi has averaged 34 receptions over his first three seasons, and has been handed the starter's job each year.
9. While the Browns see value in Little and Cribbs, they know they must find a receiver with speed who is a real threat, not "just a track guy," as speed players with bad hands are known. Kiper has the Browns looking hard at Kendall Wright of Baylor. Dan Shonka of Ourlads.com, an NFL scouting service, also likes Wright for the Browns, comparing him to the Panthers' Steve Smith.
10. The Browns led the NFL last season with 43 dropped passes, and were 29th in pass plays of at least 25 yards. So it's not as if the dropped passes were a product of a big-play offense. Quarterback is an issue, but so are the receivers who must quickly get open and hang on to the ball.
About the Browns and football families ...
1. While some fans were bothered that the Browns hired Brad Childress as offensive coordinator because he's so close to Shurmur, Mike Holmgren, etc. ... well, that's how it works in the NFL. Josh McDaniels is back with Bill Belichick in New England, where he started his pro coaching career. McDaniels left to be head coach in Denver, then offensive coordinator in St. Louis. After being fired from both jobs, he returned to Belichick.
2. Brian Daboll is the new offensive coordinator in Kansas City. He is the former Browns offensive coordinator under Eric Mangini. Mangini and Daboll are part of the Belichick football family, although Mangini and Belichick clashed after "spygate" a few years ago.
3. So what does that have to do with Daboll in Kansas City? The Chiefs' general manager is Scott Pioli, who broke into football with Belichick. The head coach is Romeo Crennel. Before he was the Browns' head coach, Crennel was Belichick's defensive coordinator in New England. So Pioli and Crennel turned to Daboll, who did a nice job in Miami once Matt Moore took over as quarterback.
4. Crennel's associate head coach is Maurice Carthon, who worked with Crennel in Cleveland ... and that relationship eventually goes back to Belichick.
5. I can write a book about all the Belichick connections in the NFL, but Akron native Michael Holley already did, it's called "The War Room," and it's an excellent read. The Browns have switched football families. Phil Savage, Crennel and Mangini were in charge of the team from 2005-10, and they were from the Belichick tree, which really begins with Bill Parcells.
6. The other big NFL family is Holmgren (back to Bill Walsh) and the West Coast offense. In last week's notes, I laid the connection from Holmgren to Eagles coach Andy Reid to Shurmur and Childress. So we will see if the Browns can do better with this family.
