OC Todd Monken (12.12.19)
Offensive coordinator Todd Monken:
On Arizona’s offense having more than 500 no-huddle plays:
“You can see some of that when you watch them. We played some other teams where we got to watch the Cardinals offense. Obviously, this week, we are not preparing for that, but we have seen them on tape and you can see some of the same things that (Cardinals Head Coach) Kliff (Kingsbury) has done before. You have seen some of that throughout the NFL, even previously. Concepts are concepts. Four verticals is four verticals. Curl-flat, three-level routes. What they have been running Y-cross has been around forever. It is just matter of are you really going to spread it out and they have decided they are going to spread it out. They are in wide open sets and a lot more four-wide personnel than most people from what I have seen.”
On how does he go into the gameplan knowing the Browns defense can be on the field for a significant time:
“I can’t speak of what they are trying to accomplish really offensively. I just know that we are anticipating that we are going to have to play well, and they have done some really good things on offense. Lately, I think turnovers have kind of cost them a little bit, but they have shown flashes of being able to move the football and score.”
On how challenging it has been to draw up plays for WR Odell Beckham when he is limited in practice due to injury:
“I would rather not get into it for no reason other than only he can speak to how he feels during the week, what he can do and where he is at physically.”
On who RB Nick Chubb reminds him of from his coaching experience:
“Hard to compare him to anybody. I just think he is a really good football player. Gets downhill. Hard to tackle with one defender. He is just a really good football player.”
On WR Jarvis Landry being named the Browns Walter Payton Man of the Year:
“Good. That is a credit to him. He is a tremendous football player and a tremendous person. He is selfless when it comes to doing things off the field for people. He has a great heart. You can see it. He has a passion for football and a passion for people in life.”
On T Kendall Lamm’s performance starting at RT:
“He played well coming back. It took him a while. We have had him back for a few weeks but just getting himself back where he trusted himself. We liked what we had during training camp and then unfortunately during the first game getting hurt, but coming back I think it was a good step forward. I thought the O line played well.”
On if it would mean anything to him as offensive coordinator if Chubb wins the NFL rushing title:
“Not particularity. For him, it is a credit to him and our coaches that design the run game and our guys up front and that is something for down the road. Obviously, the ultimate goal is to win football game.”
On Cardinals OLB Chandler Jones:
“A tremendous football player, long, athletic, rarely comes off the field. He is one of those guys that once he gets around the quarterback, you have to make sure that you have the ball secured because he has a knack of stripping it. He can change the game so you have to know where he is at. You have to be able to run at him. You have to be able to – I would not say wear him down but you have to make him play not only the run as well as the pass, and chip in when you can and our guys are going to have to block him. That is a fact. A tremendous football player. He has had a great career up to this point and has had a really good season.”
On LB Cardinals Jordan Hicks:
“Another really good football player. Volume tackle guy. Gets them lined up, smart. Obviously, very instinctive getting around the ball. A little like (LB) Joe (Schobert) here, if you are going to compare him to somebody. Another really good football player.”
On if the Browns make note of opponents’ and their helmet-to-helmet hits, specifically in reference to Hicks’ penalty:
“No, I do not think he is that kind of player. I do not see that with their players. I see a group that plays really hard from front to back. One of my favorite players to watch on film is (Cardinals FS) Budda Baker. You talk about wanting to watch a guy that plays football with heart and passion and plays it the right way, there is a guy right there. I have seen him all the way back. We played him in the bowl game and the DBs they had a Washington and then now. He has not changed.”
On TE David Njoku in his first game back last week:
“He was fine. Just getting him back healthy. It is hard when you have not practiced in that long. At this point in the year, trying to get some of the physical work that you miss is very difficult and then trying to get him in a flow. You do not move on but you have already started to kind of have packages for other plays. We will continue to do that where we see fit with David and where we think he gives us the best chance to have success on offense.”
On his message to Njoku on the early interception:
“Make sure you have the ball. I think that is with every skill guy you have. I think in his mind, I am sure he thought he was down. In the end, make sure you come down with the football, and when the pile uncovers, you have it. An unfortunate situation for us because we were moving the ball. We were ready to start fast. We have started fast a number of weeks in a row with our first drive and it is unfortunate because we were.”
On the Browns’ success on third down last week and if it is primarily due to success on early downs success or execution:
“All of the above. We had shorter third downs, and when we did not have third downs, we actually executed a third and 19 that led to a touchdown. You do not get that very often. Then we executed a third-and-10 that led to a field goal so the longer ones we had we converted. We also when we needed to convert them, we converted three third downs on the last drive that killed almost six-plus minutes to make it a two score game so a lot better there. Like we say every week, you can’t carry over statistics. It is not something we really talk about. It is an average. It kind of tells you where you are at, but we will look to continue that this week because it is a new week and who we are playing.”
On if the Browns talk about run-pass ratios in their play calling during the game, given last week’s breakdown by half:
“Not particularly. I do not think that that really ever comes up other than if we had discussed something before the game in terms of touches and plays and how we wanted to attack somebody. The opening drive, outside of the unfortunate interception/fumble, we were fine. Are we looking to get Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt the ball? Of course, they are both very good football players so that is an obvious question, but in the end, the object is to score points and to not turn it over, however you have to do that. You just need to make sure you are able to run it when you have to run it. Short yardage, goal line, four-minute and coming out, that is when you have to be able to run. That is when you definitely want to be able to run it, and outside of that, now what is the best way to give yourself a chance to score point. Those guys are that. I do not mean to not say they are not. In the end it is really sometimes in other games it comes up as RPOs and it is really part of the run play.”
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