Tag Archives: Steve Wilks

Browns eyeing Joe Woods for DC job

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The Cleveland Browns are targeting San Francisco 49ers defensive backs coach Joe Woods to be their next defensive coordinator.

Steve Wilks was informed that he would not return as the defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns.

This has led to everyone to believe that Joe Woods will be the one to replace Wilks on Kevin Stefanski’s staff.

Speculation about this move actually came almost a week ago.

And for anyone already doing the 4-3 vs. 3-4 debate, stop. For the love of god stop. Wade Phillips did not run a 3-4 and neither will Woods.

Now that we got all of that out of the way, let’s go a bit further. Woods will run a man coverage scheme, a drastic change from Wilks’ zone scheme. This will benefit a lot of the Browns defensive backs. Denzel Ward’s man coverage skills are top notch. Ward was fantastic in man coverage as a rookie. A return to a man coverage scheme should do wonders for him.

One player to watch is Greedy Williams. Williams is best when deployed in man coverage. Playing in Wilks’ zone heavy scheme last year did him zero favors. The fact that Williams came to play in Cleveland in Wilk’s scheme was considered a bad fit from day one. Playing in man coverage should see him improve upon his rookie campaign.

Joe Woods could be a great hire, but there is a concern.

Good luck covering the tight end? Baltimore has multiple tight ends that they use throughout the game. Lamar Jackson loves throwing to his tight ends, so that could be a problem. Also it appears that a ton of depth is required to run this scheme properly. That means Cleveland will have to evaluate their current roster properly, free agent defensive backs, and those in the draft to properly put together a secondary.

Wade Phillips no longer considered for Browns DC

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The Cleveland Browns have narrowed down thier candidates to be their defensive coordinator, the incumbent Steve Wilks and San Francisco’s Joe Woods.

Cross Wade Phillips off the list. The Browns are down to two candidates for their DC position. 

The initial report of Wade Phillips being under consideration to be the next defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns was exciting. Well, the excitement is gone because Cleveland is down to two candidates. Steve Wilks and Joe Woods. 

Steve Wilks

Everyone is familiar with Steve Wilks. Wilks was the Browns defensive coordinator from last season and before that spent one season in Arizona as their head coach. The Browns defense was awful at times this season, but some of that can be attributed to injuries and suspensions.  The other part is scheme. Wilks runs a zone scheme which does not fit with the roster all that well. Whether or not they bring back Wilks could impact pending free agents and the roster status of players down the road. 

Joe Woods

Joe Woods is San Francisco’s’ defensive backs coach. Woods runs a defense similar to what Wade Phillips runs. (Reminder Phillips runs a 4-3 under scheme, not a 3-4).

Woods served under Phillips in Denver, so that is where the foundation of the scheme could come from. 

There is familiarity between Woods and new head coach Kevin Stefanski. Both were in Minnesota from 2006-13. That familiarity could lead to Woods having an advantage over Wilks when it comes down to their next coaching hire. For what it is worth, Woods was a candidate to replace Robert Saleh in San Francisco had he got the head coaching gig in Cleveland per reports.

It appears that it will come down to familiarity with head coach (Joe Woods) versus familiarity with the current roster (Steve Wilks).

Steve Wilks: Delusional or liar?

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Steve Wilks stated that Freddie Kitchens is the right guy to lead the Cleveland Browns. Is Wilks delusional or just a liar?

Steve Wilks made an interesting statement Thursday. Saying “Without a doubt I think Freddie is the right guy for the job. You can see the progress moving forward” Well that’s bold. Most people believe the complete opposite. Most people believe that Freddie Kitchens will be fired after the season is over. Yet, we have Wilks saying things of this manner. Is Steve Wilks delusional or just a liar?

No one, and I mean no one has been impressed by the job that Freddie Kitchens has done. The Browns have underperformed since the start of the season and their season is about to end in unimpressive fashion for the umpteenth time. In regards to his statement about progress? There has been none. The team still doesn’t know where to line up on offense. The team still is unprepared for each game they play. There is no way that Wilks truly believes that Kitchens is the right guy. If he does believe this it is pure delusion. Nobody believes he is the right guy. In fact, the right guy is literally anyone else. Well, anyone besides Hue Jackson.

This brings up the next possibility. That Steve Wilks is a liar. Wilks knows that if Freddie Kitchens somehow stays in Cleveland he has to make a case to remain employed by the Browns. Wilks’ defensive unit has been underwhelming all season long, even before the indefinite suspension of Myles Garrett. This could be about trying to gain favor with those who ultimately decide his employment status, not necessarily being truthful.

Eventually when Steve Wilks is no longer in Cleveland, (whether he is fired by Kitchens or with Kitchens), the truth will come out. That he truly believes that Freddie Kitchens is the man who should lead the Cleveland Browns or that he was only looking to save his own job in order to avoid moving to a third city in as many seasons.

Keys for the Browns in Week 5

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The Cleveland Browns head to San Francisco to take on the 49ers on Monday Night Football. This will be another tough test for the Browns. San Francisco is still undefeated and has some momentum coming into this matchup. Cleveland will need to excel in a few areas in order to crack the .500 mark for the first time since 2014. 

Pressure Jimmy G

Jimmy Garoppolo has not been terrible this season. Up to this point in San Francisco he has been inconsistent in regards to his play on the field. Garoppolo has only been sacked twice so far this season and has thrown five touchdowns compared to four interceptions. Pressure Garoppolo and he should struggle to find a rhythm and complete passes on a regular basis. 

Attempt to take away George Kittle 

George Kittle is easily San Francisco’s best pass catcher. Kittle is Garoppolo’s go-to target in the passing game. The Browns defense must do their best to attempt to take away Kittle. If they succeed Garoppolo will have to go to find another person to throw to. The extra time it takes to scan the defense and find someone else should allow the Browns pass rush to get home and at least hit Garoppolo. 

Contain the running game 

We all know what the Kyle Shanahan offense is. A zone blocking scheme that will allow pretty much any running back to shine. Right now that running back is Matt Breida. It will be important to not over pursue on outside running plays. These plays frequently cut back inside and can lead to big gains, much like Nick Chubb’s 88-yard touchdown against Baltimore last week. That play was taken straight out of Kyle Shanahan’s playbook. The fact that Cleveland ran that exact play may help the Browns in preparing to face San Francisco. It is also worth mentioning that Browns defensive coordinator Steve Wilks faced Shanahan twice last season while he was the coach of the Arizona Cardinals. This may help just a bit in the containing the running game department.

Continue offensive game plan from last week 

The Browns played up to expectations last week. Quick passes and a productive running game. Gone are the long developing pass plays that required the offensive line to block for more than 2.5 seconds.  Baker Mayfield got the ball out quickly and the Ravens defense was on their heels all game long. Building off of the game plan from last week will certainly help the Browns this week and as the season continues.