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BEREA — Quincy Williams immediately smiled when he heard Todd Monken’s name before the fifth full-squad practice of Browns training camp on Monday, Aug. 3.
“That’s my dawg,” Williams said.
Williams explained he often approaches Monken prior to drills pitting the offense against the defense.
“He’s on the offensive side of the ball [as the play-caller], so I let him know it ain’t nothing personal when we’re barking at him or it ain’t nothing person when we’re beating their ass, man,” Williams said.
Cleveland Browns column: By rejecting a narrative, Jimmy Haslam reveals the real plan | Opinion
Monken can take the trash talk, and he has no reservations about informing his players exactly what’s on his mind.
“Straightforward, straightforward, straightforward” is how Williams describes Monken’s leadership and coaching.
“He’s going to tell you how it is,” Williams said. “He’s going to tell you what he wants. He’s going to tell you what he expects, and if you’re not giving that, he’s going to let you know right then and right there. So, I love that part about it ‘cause it ain’t no question about where you stand with him.”
Monken is a throwback with his direct communication style, yet slapping an old-school label on him is too simplistic. He is a football lifer whose family business is coaching, but he has adapted enough along the way to reach the peak of his profession while the game continues to evolve. He believes people, regardless of age, should never stop learning.
Cleveland Browns news: 4 takeaways from Day 5 of training camp, including Harold Fannin Jr.
The more reporters are exposed to Monken during his first training camp at the helm of an NFL franchise, the more obvious the layers of his personality are to people who don't know him as well as owner Jimmy Haslam does. Haslam recently said Monken "was my favorite from the get-go" in the coaching search the Browns conducted in January.
“The best way to describe him is he is old-school discipline with new-school relationships and football,” general manager Andrew Berry said of Monken, who previously spent one crummy season (2019) with the Browns as their offensive coordinator. “... Todd, to me, is like Billy Bob Thornton’s character, Tommy Norris, in ‘Landman.’
“Here’s a guy who’s highly intelligent, great critical-thinking skills, great street savvy, rare problem solver, but he can also relate to the 21-year-old on the oil rig, the head of the drug cartel or the billionaire financier in the office. That is Todd Monken, and that’s an incredible skill to have as a head coach.”
When a professional sports organization fires a head coach, it typically hires a successor who contrasts in many ways with the ousted counterpart.
One glaring difference between former Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and Monken is age. Stefanski is 44, and he was 37 when the Browns hired him in 2020. Monken is 60 and a first-time head coach in the NFL, though he previously held a college head coaching job (2013-15 at Southern Miss).
Now in charge of the Atlanta Falcons, Stefanski fully embraces analytics and sports science. Monken is way more on board with those tools than many Browns fans would imagine.
Under Monken, the Browns are not tackling to the ground in training camp. He said they won't use every available minute of practice time, but they are in the midst of 10 scheduled sessions in 11 days, including six in six days. Monken’s policy on veteran days off is they won't exist, but there are some semantics involved because if the medical staff prescribes rest, a player will sit out.
“Analytics, whether it’s the medical field from injury status, the reps we get, or the way you attack a defense or vice versa, all of those things have come into play, and I think information is super important," Monken said. "But it is a 20,000-foot view. Every player is different. You can’t just say, ‘Well, this receiver can only go this many yards [in a given practice].' It’s different per player. I can’t judge that. So, we’re going to practice the way we practice, and if [the sports scientists] believe we need to pull back on some of players, then we'll pull back on them. That’s what we’ll do because not every player is built the same.
“It’s the same when you talk about analytics offensively. Some of that pertains to, ‘Hey, you ought to do this. You ought to go for it then.’ Well, who are you comparing that to? Where does the statistic come from? Right? 'Hey, go for it on fourth-and-5. You’re getting it 60% of the time.' Well, who is that? Tom Brady? Peyton Manning? Holy cow, there are variables that go into that. So, again, I love the information, and then you take it and then make it your own and do with it what you will.”
Lake Park High School in Illinois plays its home games at Bob Monken Field, named in honor of Todd Monken’s late father who was a legendary coach there.
Monken also has several uncles and cousins who are football coaches. His coaching career began in 1989 as a graduate assistant at Grand Valley State. It started in the NFL in 2007 with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Monken’s dad and uncles surely would not recognize some modern-day elements of the job.
“The staffs have gotten so much bigger,” Monken said. “Hell, we’ve got 28 coaches for God’s sakes. I’ll just talk college. Back then, when I first started, you only had these coaches, you didn’t even have the support staff. You’d be coaching running backs, and you’d have travel [responsibilities]. You’d be planning Shoney’s breakfast and then the Holiday Inn Express, where you're staying. You had one guy handle academics. Hell, you’d see one coach taping [ankles] and s***, lining the fields. That’s what my dad did when I was little. That’s what you did. Now you’ve got so much support staff, and you have a big coaching staff. It allows you to really focus on certain aspects of the job.
“Where it’s changed the most, I would say, is, first of all, what is hard [for players nowadays]? Everything’s always hard. It’s just a matter of what you compare it to. The old three-a-days and two-a-days [are gone]. … Training camp has changed in terms of getting [the players in team headquarters] for 11 hours, and then they’re out of here, which I think makes it a lot more manageable. I like the time with the players, but that has certainly changed in terms of the amount of time you get with the guys also in the offseason.”
Read Monken’s quotes and listen to his interviews. He is willing to break down in detail his philosophies and methods and thereby teach fans and media about them. It is a refreshing change from Stefanski, who was intentionally overly discreet during his six Browns seasons.
Then again, Monken is still experiencing his honeymoon phase in Cleveland. There will be much more to learn about him when the games begin.
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at [email protected]. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns' Todd Monken doesn't fit every old-school stereotype | Opinion
Continue reading...
“That’s my dawg,” Williams said.
Williams explained he often approaches Monken prior to drills pitting the offense against the defense.
“He’s on the offensive side of the ball [as the play-caller], so I let him know it ain’t nothing personal when we’re barking at him or it ain’t nothing person when we’re beating their ass, man,” Williams said.
Cleveland Browns column: By rejecting a narrative, Jimmy Haslam reveals the real plan | Opinion
Monken can take the trash talk, and he has no reservations about informing his players exactly what’s on his mind.
“Straightforward, straightforward, straightforward” is how Williams describes Monken’s leadership and coaching.
“He’s going to tell you how it is,” Williams said. “He’s going to tell you what he wants. He’s going to tell you what he expects, and if you’re not giving that, he’s going to let you know right then and right there. So, I love that part about it ‘cause it ain’t no question about where you stand with him.”
Monken is a throwback with his direct communication style, yet slapping an old-school label on him is too simplistic. He is a football lifer whose family business is coaching, but he has adapted enough along the way to reach the peak of his profession while the game continues to evolve. He believes people, regardless of age, should never stop learning.
Cleveland Browns news: 4 takeaways from Day 5 of training camp, including Harold Fannin Jr.
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Todd Monken is different than his Browns predecessor, Kevin Stefanski
The more reporters are exposed to Monken during his first training camp at the helm of an NFL franchise, the more obvious the layers of his personality are to people who don't know him as well as owner Jimmy Haslam does. Haslam recently said Monken "was my favorite from the get-go" in the coaching search the Browns conducted in January.
“The best way to describe him is he is old-school discipline with new-school relationships and football,” general manager Andrew Berry said of Monken, who previously spent one crummy season (2019) with the Browns as their offensive coordinator. “... Todd, to me, is like Billy Bob Thornton’s character, Tommy Norris, in ‘Landman.’
“Here’s a guy who’s highly intelligent, great critical-thinking skills, great street savvy, rare problem solver, but he can also relate to the 21-year-old on the oil rig, the head of the drug cartel or the billionaire financier in the office. That is Todd Monken, and that’s an incredible skill to have as a head coach.”
When a professional sports organization fires a head coach, it typically hires a successor who contrasts in many ways with the ousted counterpart.
One glaring difference between former Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and Monken is age. Stefanski is 44, and he was 37 when the Browns hired him in 2020. Monken is 60 and a first-time head coach in the NFL, though he previously held a college head coaching job (2013-15 at Southern Miss).
You must be registered for see images attach
How is coach Todd Monken running Cleveland Browns training camp?
Now in charge of the Atlanta Falcons, Stefanski fully embraces analytics and sports science. Monken is way more on board with those tools than many Browns fans would imagine.
Under Monken, the Browns are not tackling to the ground in training camp. He said they won't use every available minute of practice time, but they are in the midst of 10 scheduled sessions in 11 days, including six in six days. Monken’s policy on veteran days off is they won't exist, but there are some semantics involved because if the medical staff prescribes rest, a player will sit out.
“Analytics, whether it’s the medical field from injury status, the reps we get, or the way you attack a defense or vice versa, all of those things have come into play, and I think information is super important," Monken said. "But it is a 20,000-foot view. Every player is different. You can’t just say, ‘Well, this receiver can only go this many yards [in a given practice].' It’s different per player. I can’t judge that. So, we’re going to practice the way we practice, and if [the sports scientists] believe we need to pull back on some of players, then we'll pull back on them. That’s what we’ll do because not every player is built the same.
“It’s the same when you talk about analytics offensively. Some of that pertains to, ‘Hey, you ought to do this. You ought to go for it then.’ Well, who are you comparing that to? Where does the statistic come from? Right? 'Hey, go for it on fourth-and-5. You’re getting it 60% of the time.' Well, who is that? Tom Brady? Peyton Manning? Holy cow, there are variables that go into that. So, again, I love the information, and then you take it and then make it your own and do with it what you will.”
Lake Park High School in Illinois plays its home games at Bob Monken Field, named in honor of Todd Monken’s late father who was a legendary coach there.
Monken also has several uncles and cousins who are football coaches. His coaching career began in 1989 as a graduate assistant at Grand Valley State. It started in the NFL in 2007 with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Todd Monken outlines how coaching has changed during his career
Monken’s dad and uncles surely would not recognize some modern-day elements of the job.
“The staffs have gotten so much bigger,” Monken said. “Hell, we’ve got 28 coaches for God’s sakes. I’ll just talk college. Back then, when I first started, you only had these coaches, you didn’t even have the support staff. You’d be coaching running backs, and you’d have travel [responsibilities]. You’d be planning Shoney’s breakfast and then the Holiday Inn Express, where you're staying. You had one guy handle academics. Hell, you’d see one coach taping [ankles] and s***, lining the fields. That’s what my dad did when I was little. That’s what you did. Now you’ve got so much support staff, and you have a big coaching staff. It allows you to really focus on certain aspects of the job.
“Where it’s changed the most, I would say, is, first of all, what is hard [for players nowadays]? Everything’s always hard. It’s just a matter of what you compare it to. The old three-a-days and two-a-days [are gone]. … Training camp has changed in terms of getting [the players in team headquarters] for 11 hours, and then they’re out of here, which I think makes it a lot more manageable. I like the time with the players, but that has certainly changed in terms of the amount of time you get with the guys also in the offseason.”
Read Monken’s quotes and listen to his interviews. He is willing to break down in detail his philosophies and methods and thereby teach fans and media about them. It is a refreshing change from Stefanski, who was intentionally overly discreet during his six Browns seasons.
Then again, Monken is still experiencing his honeymoon phase in Cleveland. There will be much more to learn about him when the games begin.
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at [email protected]. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns' Todd Monken doesn't fit every old-school stereotype | Opinion
Continue reading...
