Hey Terry, what can the Cleveland Browns do to improve their culture? – Terry Pluto

Cleveland Browns introduce Andrew Berry as new general manager

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and General Manager Andrew Berry pose for a photo after an introductory press conference. Photo by Joshua Gunter / Cleveland.com cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio – It’s February, a dead month in the NFL once the Super Bowl is over. But Cleveland Browns fans still are thinking a lot about their favorite team.

HEY, TERRY: What can the Browns do in the off-season to improve their “culture?" Can the fans do anything?

– Dave Scott, Copley

HEY, DAVID: Let’s start with the fan part of the question. The fans are in a helpless situation when it comes to issues such as team culture. Over the years, I have heard some Browns executives tell me about the “negative culture” of the media and fan base and how that impacts the team.

That’s a lame excuse. It doesn’t take much for the media and fans to hop on the Browns Hope Train, as was evident a year ago in the off-season. All fans can do is hope ownership hired the right people and gives them time to succeed.

HEY, TERRY: Which is more important for the Browns to start winning regularly . . . talent or culture?

– Bert Winkler, West Palm Beach, Florida

HEY BERT: I put your question after Dave Scott’s because culture is a vague term. Culture has to do with a team having discipline and a sense of togetherness, everything the talented Browns of 2019 lacked. You need talent. New England has great culture. But the Patriots also had a great player/leader in QB Tom Brady.

New GM Andrew Berry and Coach Kevin Stefanski both said, word for word, they want players who are “tough, smart and accountable.” To the culture question, does Odell Beckham Jr. fit those labels? I doubt it, but they may have other ideas.

I’m sick of a team that draws a lot of penalties. I’m sick of a team that dwells on whether Beckham is getting the ball enough. I’m sick of watching a team that took too many risks with players. We’ll see if the new regime changes that.

HEY, TERRY: Does being the smartest guy in the room have anything to do with football?

– Larry Snider

HEY, LARRY: The only time any of us should be convinced we’re the smartest person in the room is when we’re alone. And I’d say, don’t be afraid to pray for wisdom, but that’s my opinion. Being smart helps. Being smart and arrogant is self-destructive. But being the dumbest guy in the huddle who doesn’t work hard or pay attention will mess up the other 10 guys on the field.

I understand you are talking about the Ivy League background of the new Browns regime. One of the best organizations in all of baseball is the Indians with several leaders from elite schools. But they have culture, stability and patient ownership. They also have a helpful dose of humility.

HEY, TERRY: How much do you trust Andrew Berry and (Chief Strategy Officer) Paul DePodesta in free agency? Didn’t they suggest signing Kenny Britt?

– Tony Lett, Silver Spring, Maryland

HEY TONY: Sashi Brown was the final decision maker. But analytics did favor Britt, who was a disaster. But that front office’s biggest free agent money was spent in the right direction: For center JC Tretter and guard Kevin Zeitler before the 2017 season. Too bad the Browns didn’t keep Zeitler instead of trading him for the often-injured Olivier Vernon. That was a John Dorsey move. So was signing free agent OT Chris Hubbard, who has had major problems as a starter.

One of the major criticisms of the Sashi Brown regime was it didn’t re-sign its own free agents, especially offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz. It’s hard to know what the Browns will do in free agency or the draft because Sashi Brown is not there, and Berry has more influence. But signing Zeitler and Tretter were good moves and every front office has its stinkers.

HEY TERRY: What do you think of the Browns hiring Callie Brownson as Stefanski’s Chief of Staff?

– John Estep, Brooklyn, N.Y.

HEY JOHN: I apologize for rewriting and shortening your question, because you hit on the points of how some Browns fans are upset about a woman in that position. It’s like being a corporate administrative assistant. It’s an important job. Every coach should have one of these people, male or female. It’s the person who keeps the boss organized. It’s not the person teaching the zone blocking scheme. It’s also entry level. Stefanski had this job for Coach Brad Childress when he was starting out with the Minnesota Vikings. Maybe it later turns into more coaching, but the key is hiring talented and hard-working people regardless of their gender, etc.

HEY, TERRY: Does the inexperience of the head coach and his two coordinators lead you to believe the Browns will once again be saddled with growing pains?

– Kyle Barberic, Fairview Park

HEY KYLE: I’m tempted to give a one word answer: YES! That’s because GM Andrew Berry also is a rookie. Defensive Coordinator Joe Woods had that job in Denver for two years. Growing pains can be good if you actually learn and grow from them. I like John Dorsey and would have kept him in the GM job, but he’s a veteran executive who made some serious mistakes beyond hiring Freddie Kitchens. These are tough jobs. I’m approaching Berry/Sefanski with an open mind.

HEY TERRY: Why wasn’t Kitchens given an assistant head coach or whatever, like a bench coach in baseball?

– John Avery, Wickliffe

HEY JOHN: Here’s the sad part. . . they did give him one. That was Todd Monken, a former head coach at Southern Mississippi and an offensive coordinator for Tampa Bay. He was ignored, as I wrote on December 22. Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilks also was a former head coach.

HEY TERRY: Any chance the Browns take a big swing at a big name free agent QB (Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers?)

– James Russell, Bloomington, Illinois

HEY JAMES: Nope. They plan to (and should) work on developing Baker Mayfield. Of those players, Rivers is the only one I expect to change teams. I still think Rivers can play, even at age 38.

HEY TERRY: Do you think the Browns will sign a veteran QB to backup backup Mayfield?

– Joe Lapinski, Largo, Florida

HEY JOE: I hope so. Maybe that is what James was thinking about in his QB question above, bringing in someone along with Garrett Gilbert to compete for the job. Two free agents come to mind: Teddy Bridgewater and Case Keenum. Both would be good backups who can start if needed.

Recent columns by Terry Pluto:

How Cheri Harrer went from a 1,000-acre farm near Bucyrus to 600 wins at Baldwin Wallace

Good or bad fit, Cavs smart to find out about Andre Drummond.

What’s up with the Cavs & Andre Drummond trade?

Some advice for new Browns GM Andrew Berry

Francisco Lindor talked, how does that impact his future with Cleveland Indians?

Is there a reason to feel good about the Cleveland Indians without lying?

If John Beilein had to do it over again, would he come to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers?

What to do with Kareem Hunt? Calling plays? Hating analytics? Let’s talk Cleveland Browns

With the Cleveland Browns hiring of Andrew Berry, Jimmy Haslam must change

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