Cleveland Browns: Tempo?

Was Hue Jackson’s point to first round pick Corey Coleman that he was out of shape an idle criticism or did Jackson hint at something the Cleveland Browns will do on offense this year? Namely, tempo.

At rookie minicamp, Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson pointed out that Corey Coleman was out of shape. It didn’t seem all that important at the time for a couple reasons discussed shortly, but thinking about it now, with everything else it appears this offense is going to do this season, utilizing the spread and space, going up-tempo would make sense.

Jackson said the following of Coleman as reported by Cleveland.com:

"“He’s got to get in shape. He’s explosive and he can catch the ball. He’s extremely talented and gifted. (But) he’s one of the guys that has to get in shape. He saw himself, ‘whoa, this is different.’ And it is. But we’ll get him to where he needs to be.”"

Then later:

"“It’s different in the National Football League,” Jackson said. “Receivers have to be able to run all day long. The guy made it through practice and he made some plays and catches and all that stuff. But at the same time, there’s a level of what it should it look like for me.“So maybe this is a little pleasing of me that he needs to get better from a conditioning standpoint to be able to do it for as long as I know that a receiver has to do it and the way our receivers do it now.”"

When it initially came out, this didn’t register much for two reasons.

First, Coleman spent the early part of his offseason recovering from sports hernia surgery and then put all of his time into getting ready for his Pro Day and testing numbers. That doesn’t get a player in football shape. Coleman might well be equipped to nail his 40 time, put up a great 3 cone and jumps but it’s not how a player gets ready to run a few hundred routes routes in a practice.

Second, Coleman being out of shape, even if it was just from coming off the banquet circuit from the draft, isn’t a huge deal. Hardly ideal, but not a problem at this point. If Coleman shows up out of shape for training camp when it’s really time to work and get better from a mental standpoint and he’s still dealing with the physical side, then it becomes a major concern.

Perhaps Jackson just wanted to set the tone for Coleman, and by extension, the rest of the rookie class what is expected for training camp,but it may be more than that. If Coleman is just playing the X receiver, he needs to be fresh and able to be full go for over 100 offensive snaps during games. Obviously, if the Browns want to increase their tempo, even just as an option to put pressure on the defense, they need everyone in tremendous shape, especially their skill players.

It seems unlikely that the Browns would do something along the lines of the Philadelphia Eagles under Chip Kelly where the offense is always playing fast, but it’s a great option to be able to utilize at different points in games. It could be in a situation where the defense is in a personnel group they like or opening up the second half of a game by trying to catch the opponent sleep walking out of the break and generate a quick score.

Kelly’s approach is extremely effective but the one hurdle it struggles with is the 53 man roster. That number shrinks to 46 on game day, so having the offense constantly trying to go at a high pace is risky from an injury standpoint for both sides of the ball.

This tripped up Kelly a few times in the NFL, especially along the offensive line. In addition to having talent superiority at a school like Oregon over many opponents they faced, he also had nearly double numbers available on game days, mitigating the risk on two fronts.

Going at a quick tempo can be great and can provide an offensive advantage, but it’s more practical to do it at strategic points of the game rather than as a base offensive strategy. The Browns have utilized no huddle offenses both under John DeFilippo and Kyle Shanahan, but Hue Jackson may want to also add in that up tempo approach to amp up the pressure on the opponent.

For a team with as many young skill players as this offense may feature, tempo could be a way to even the odds against more savvy, veteran opponents. The Browns may not have a ton of polish at their receiver positions but they aren’t short on explosive options. A quick screen to Coleman or Ricardo Louis could produce chunk plays against an opponent that isn’t prepared to respond to the increased tempo. Simple play calls that can get quick, cheap yardage.

More nfl spin zone: Cleveland Browns: Utilizing these Tight Ends

Everything about the way the Browns’ offense is structured suggests they are looking to use spread concepts and generate space to utilize their athletic advantages and create opportunities in the run as well as the pass. Adding tempo to the mix at strategic points in the game may enable them to keep defenses on their heels and force them to adjust to the Browns rather than dictate how the Browns can attack them. If it’s not part Hue Jackson’s plan already, it probably should be.

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