The Cleveland Browns fired their longest-tenured head coach since Sam Rutigliano this offseason and are now in search of their 17th such leader since that era. Kevin Stefanski earned two Coach of the Year awards during his time with the team, so in order to take the next step, the Browns need to hit a home run in their search.
Enter analytics. The Browns are reportedly leaning heavily into data-driven takeaways when it comes to evaluating candidates to be their next head coach. NFL insider Tom Pelissero described the intellectual heavy lifting prospective coaches must do on the Rich Eisen Show on Friday.
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"The Browns' search process and interview process, which they have run a number of times, is unlike any other in the NFL," Pelissero explained. "And it plays to certain types of candidates. They are a data-driven operation in Cleveland, and so they spend an extraordinary amount of time gathering data on their coaching candidates.
"You're talking about taking a personality test. You're talking about writing an essay. You're talking about completing homework assignments going into both the first and the second rounds of interviews. It plays toward the types of candidates that they have in the mix."
The Browns may be taking their head coaching search too seriously
Football fans are already split about how analytics influence the game. Should a team go for it on fourth and four in the third quarter down 10 points on their own 43-yard line with a quarterback that's lactose intolerant? There's data for that.
And the same directives that dictate the analyses determining whether coaches should keep their offenses out on the field in those situations are the same ones that appear to be influencing Cleveland's coaching search. But that just seems excessive.
Personality tests? Written essays? Homework? What is this, blind dating 101?
What ever happened to the simple interview process where the general manager and ownership got to know a candidate and his coaching philosophies through good old conversations?
Cleveland might be so worried to be stuck in competitive purgatory, it might actually be overcompensating in its evaluations and therefore will remain in the deadly loop of mediocrity. At some point, football sense has to drive the decision-making process not arbitrarily connected points of data.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported Wednesday that Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski and Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase are finalists for the Browns job. If their coaching test results are ever released, it'll be fascinating to see what Cleveland was actually evaluating for in the end.