Why are the Cleveland Browns 4-2 and successful in HC Todd Monken’s first run as an NFL head coach, despite being called frauds? Is it the defense? Sure, that is part of it. Is it two back-to-back home-run NFL draft classes
by GM Andrew Berry? Definitely a part of it. Does QB Deshaun Watson’s fourth-quarter magic play a role? Yes, indeed. Has the Browns roster shown a grittiness that personifies the City of Cleveland? Very much so.Also, have the Browns taken advantage of some teams playing poorly,
some luck, and injuries to their opponents? Sure, every good team has a bit of all of that.
If you listen to Cleveland radio announcer Andrew Siciliano, the answer to how the Browns are winning is complicated. If you wait until about four minutes into the clip below, you will hear him give Monken a ton of credit, while quoting TE Blake Whiteheart, when he says about Monken, “He’s demanding but not demeaning.”
For anyone in a leadership position of any kind, including as a parent (heck, all of us have also had leaders above us, including parental figures), the balance between having power and using that power in a healthy way is always a fine line. In sports, coaches are often called either “disciplinarians” or “players’ coaches,” with the connotation that the former doesn’t care about the players, just the rules, and that it is flipped for the latter.
While winning always helps, the Browns new (but aged) head coach seems to have found the perfect marriage of the two, where he has earned his players’ respect without compromising his expectations.
What was your takeaway from Siciliano’s comments above? What do you think Monken’s biggest strength has been so far?
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