Going back to the time he first got his head coaching gig with the Cleveland Browns, Todd Monken has made clear that there are two things he does not very much care for. One is (expletive) football (rhymes with pretty). And the other is Browns hurting Browns. Once again on Sunday, in the 23-22 loss to the 2-5 Saints on the road, the Browns did a good bit of both.
There have been good moments and some clean games along the way. But nine weeks in, Monken still is not happy with the progress the Browns are making so far. Nor should he be: The Browns lead the NFL in penalties by a longshot, with 82 called against them this season. They had six in the first quarter of Sunday’s loss, and had 10 penalties altogether.
And Monken is pointing the finger of blame–at himself.
Browns Piling Up Penalties
Still, Monken’s Browns-hurting-Browns frustration is piling up.
As he said this week: “Between the penalties and our detailed execution, our mental stamina play-to-play is below the line, and it’s been Browns hurting Browns. And we have survived in games by not turning it over and our guys playing their rear ends off and competing at a high, high level and finding a way at the end to make plays. Where we’ve been falling below the line is when it comes to elite detail, communication and Browns hurting Browns. And that’s been, from a penalty standpoint, that’s been from an execution standpoint, and that’s all the above.
“And we’re going to fight like hell to fix it, and it hasn’t been good enough.”
Todd Monken: ‘You Are What Your Tape Says You Are’
Monken has frequently praised the Browns for their ability to work together and their willingness to put in extra time to learn and practice at the team facility. But he pointed out that his team needs to put in extra work just because they are tripping themselves up on the basics.
Said Monken: “You are what your tape says you are. So as much as I preach it, as much as I believe in eliminating, blank football, you are what your tape shows. And we had six penalties in the first quarter. We’re number one in the NFL in penalties, but we’re like 20th in yards. And what does that tell you? Tells you that it’s all – a number of it’s pre-snap. A lot of it is undisciplined, and it starts with me as the head coach.
“And it’s not one phase. It’s offense, it’s defense, it’s special teams. We had three of them on special teams, and a number of it is our top guys. So, it’s not like it’s, ‘oh, this is an outlier’, but collectively as a team it’s not good enough, and it falls directly on me, and we’re going to fight like hell to get it fixed, because it’s not sustainable.”
Browns’ Todd Monken Assigns Blame for ‘Undisciplined’ Mistakes