If the new offense is “easy to understand”, then there’s no excuses this year

The Cleveland Browns offense will be simple and easy to understand, so players should be able to stand out early and often in Kevin Stefanski’s system.

John Greco, a former Cleveland Brown from the lean years (2011-2016) went on the Ken Carmen Show Monday morning and spoke about the new offense being implemented by Kevin Stefanski. For anyone who has a deep understanding of football, his claims weren’t at all far fetched. Greco said the offense that Stefanski is installing is one that’s simple to grasp and easy to understand. Greco noted that it’s not complicated at all and was often surprised how fast he and presumably others picked it up.

This isn’t shocking at all, as the offense relies on one core tenant; run the ball. The rushing attack is the key to everything in this system. While Kareem Hunt has been a headache since he arrived, this means that he and Nick Chubb will have a lot more opportunities in 2020 to run the ball, and a need for two healthy backs. Even if one gets substanially more carries than the other.

This will then allow Baker Mayfield to use the second-best play in the history of the sport; the play-action pass. Like the NBA’s pick and roll or the MLB’s sacrifice bunt, it’s time tested and effective whenever it’s called upon. As long as the defense is biting on the run-game that is.

It’s an offense so easy to understand it’s taught in middle schools across America, yet it’s so effective it’s a play that has helped teams win National Championships and SuperBowl titles. It’s the bread and butter of the NFL. Yet more and more teams are leaving it behind due to trendy one-off systems. Yet, unlike those systems that are solely based on talent being able to execute complicated schemes, a play-action offense is more effective regardless of talent.

If you have a great offensive line, you’re set. The Browns have a good line, but it could be better. So they should be highly effective in this system. The best part of it is that you don’t need a great quarterback to execute it, just one who won’t make mistakes. For the Browns, Mayfield is the guy and he’s a heck of a talent. The system will give him far more opportunities for big plays, and won’t feel the need to rush passes to avoid getting splattered anymore, either. This system is designed for any mildly mobile quarterback to have success.

As for the greatest play ever invented? The triple-option.