OC Todd Monken (10.4.19)
Offensive coordinator Todd Monken:
On the 49ers defensive front:
“Pretty stout up front. They have committed a lot of equity to their guys up front in terms of not only draft picks but then signing (49ers DL) Dee Ford in the offseason. It will be a real challenge for us, not only their athleticism but their length.”
On if the Browns have to be cognizant about batted balls at the line of scrimmage:
“Sure. Sure. They have been able to get their hands up and get balls on the ground. So that is a part of it, plus they have done a nice job of winning their one-on-one matchups at times. They put (49ers DL) (Arik) Armstead inside, which will be a challenge for our guards.”
On how having RB Nick Chubb impacts the gameplan as an offensive coordinator:
“When we are putting stuff together, it is quite a luxury to have a running back that gives you comfort that you can turn it around and Nick is going to get you positive yards. Obviously, Nick is faster than most people give him credit. To be able to finish runs, he has done it now back-to-back years with not just long runs but ones that you do not see every week. He is a guy that comes to work every week. It seems like now we have been saying it for as long as I have been here for five week and since he has been here, but he is a really, really good player. When we are going right, he is going to touch the ball a lot.”
On the best aspects of the Browns offense against the Ravens:
“We had fewer wasted plays. That is really what it came down to. We had fewer plays where we just did not force the defense to execute. That is half the battle is having to have it what you want it to look like, how you had it planned and then the guys taking it to the field. That was byproduct of that. I thought our guys did a good job on the road. It was not like we started fast. It was not like the first quarter, you looked and said, ‘Boy, this is the way it is going to turn out.’ I thought our guys just kept plugging away. We ended up with a number of explosive plays and that is a part of it. That probably is much as anything. It looked like what we wanted it to look like.”
On his perception of WR Odell Beckham Jr. as a teammate and if his perception has changed since before being on the same team as Beckham:
“It is going to change I guess is the best way to put it because you do not know somebody. I guess you have a perception of somebody more than a reality so you have what you think someone is and then when you get around them. Odell has been great. He works hard, pays attention to the details, wants to be included in the offense and yet wants to be a good teammate. That is hard for skill guys. I have coached skill guys my whole life. The way they get a chance to showcase their ability is to touch the ball so I get it. With that, he has been a tremendous teammate. He has worked awfully hard, and he obviously loves football just like all skill guys do. To me, you would have to ask the other guys in terms of leadership in the locker room. I do not see that. He is a leader in his own way by the way he works and the way he goes about his business.”
On the trickledown effect when a star player does the little things to help the team:
“I think it is tremendously important that your best players lead the way.”
On the positive influence on team chemistry as Beckham impacted the Ravens defense and showed genuine happiness as other Browns players produced:
“It can and it needs to, but that is how I think he is wired. Like I said, I think there is a fine line between – I would not call it selfishness; that is an extreme – I would just say that skill players are paid to do special things with the ball in their hands. They want to help the team win in any way shape or form. Now, he did it in a lot of ways and attracts attention from an opponent, which does help us. He does not get credit for it, but there is a big part of that. In my mind, he has been great that way, but I do understand. Just like if you were to win a game like we did and a quarterback completes two of four passes, there is a certain part of him that is happy and there is a certain part of him that says, ‘Man, I want more.’ A running back that we win but he carries it 10 times, there is going to be a certain amount of more that they want individually. That is OK. That is every sport. That is every business when you have success. Some pieces of it are going to want more and want to be a bigger part of it. That is normal. I have not seen that. I think where the real frustration at times with those guys comes in is when you are losing. I feel like I can contribute more. How can I do that? How can you include me more when I think I can add to that?”
On if the Browns offense has found its identity, given QB Baker Mayfield’s comment yesterday:
“I hope so. I think that hopefully we are headed down the road of consistency of what you see on film is stacking plays together that give us a chance. I am not disagreeing with him. I also know that it is a week-to-week league and you can’t carry over points and you can’t carry over yards. It is this week is now what matters. An average is just that an average, but it does not guarantee anything for this next week. It is a different matchup, a different team. We are on the road again. As I said last week, it really is not any different this week as it is trying to put the best plan you can together to attack the 49ers, install it, go to practice, make sure that we are executing at a high level, we have great energy on the field, the guys are wired in and then go and execute it on Sunday. That really never changes. Sometimes we do not do it as well and sometimes the defense has a lot to do with that. To me, I hope that is where we are headed. I did feel that last week. I did feel like that we had a good plan for them and we had an excellent chance of executing, which we did.”
On what allows Chubb to be successful aside from his speed and size, specifically referencing broken tackles on his 14-yard TD on Sunday:
“He has tremendous vision. He has a real good feel for downhill runs so that gives him a chance, but his size and ability to make a cut – he is not a jump cut guy, but his ability to make a subtle cut. A lot of those were arm tackles that they just get a hand on you and he is big enough to break through that. That is a probably a bit part of it. A big number of the credit goes to the guys up front, the coaches that scheme it up and then the guys downfield. That was one of those runs where whether or not they got a lockdown block, no, they got in the way and did some things downfield to make the defender maneuver and try to tackle Nick in space.”
On the importance a RB maintaining balance after an initial hit as Chubb’s does:
“Some to that, there is no doubt. He is very good at shrinking his pad level and staying with it. I think that is a good way of putting it. From a balance standpoint, he never really gets knocked off his feet. You rarely see him where he is off balance and getting knocked around.”
On WR Antonio Callaway returning from suspension and a high ankle sprain:
“Luckily, we have been able to have him around so that has helped. We will see as we go. I thought yesterday was a good start coming back so we will see as we go. We are hopeful that sooner than later, we can get him up to speed.”
On if externally there is a misconception of offensive responsibilities between Head Coach Freddie Kitchens’ and his roles in the offense, given stories that ‘Kitchens took his offense back’ last week:
“I am not going to get into any of that. I do not see how that would be. I do not know where that comment would come from considering that it has been the Cleveland Browns offense every week. I do not know where that perception would come from considering he has been calling it and we have been doing it collectively as an offense. I do not really know how to respond to that because I do not see it any different other than are there things each week that Freddie or all of us are emphasizing more than others? Sure. Are there things that in the end, sure, Freddie is calling it. He has to make those final decisions, sure.”
On if Mayfield made an effort to stay in the pocket longer or if it was a product of better blocking from the Browns OL:
“I think all of the above. I think that we protected better. We ran the ball better so that added to it. I think he did a better job of staying in there. All of the above. Just like last week, we said the same thing. Some it was he could probably do a little bit better of a job, and we could do certainly a much better job around him.”
On the impact if WR Jarvis Landry is not able to play on Monday:
“He is an integral part of what we do so we are hopeful that we will have him.”
On factors of the Browns OL’s improvement against the Ravens, including the return of T Chris Hubbard:
“Some it was probably scheme and getting the ball out a little bit quicker. That helps. There is more to it than just one thing. Chris being back helps, although I think (G) Justin (McCray) played well. Sometimes the matchups work in your favor. It is all of the above – your scheme, getting the ball out quicker and getting Hub back. I thought our guys played awfully well. We got into a little bit of a rhythm and we were able to run the football so they just can’t tee off. That is going to happen. We got into a couple games where we were down so end up throwing it more often and put yourself at risk. Being able to stay balanced and some of the other things I said.”
On 49ers CB Richard Sherman:
“Still a really good football player. You have to be alert to where he is. He has good ball skills, good anticipation. He has played a long time so you have to make sure from a route-running standpoint that you don’t give away what you are doing and from a scheme standpoint that you do not give him something that allows him to see things from a mental standpoint. I think that is with a lot of older players as you get into maybe a little bit of their physical skillset diminishes but the mental part of their game picks up so with their awareness with what you are trying to do from a scheme standpoint and a route standpoint, you have to be careful.”
On TE Ricky Seals-Jones’ production on Sunday with the absence of TE David Njoku:
“You are always looking for guys that you think can I would not say step up but take advantage of an opportunity when afforded to them. I thought he did that. We had seen some of that coming on. We know he is athletic. As we continue, we have not had him here and did not have him in training camp so we are trying to integrate him more into the offense. It was nice to see another player step up and make plays.”
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