Boys and Girls -
I know no one has started a thread directly in appreciation of Mr. Dorsey's efforts. I think enough time has passed since John became our GM, and enough positive moves have been made that the time is right. So here goes.
I have never been a big fan of the "big splashy" signings. Previous regimes tried it that way for 18 years and look where it got us. Whether it was the unfortunate injury to LeCharles Bentley or the flat out arrogance to fail to live up to your contract of Dwayne Bowe - those splashy signings have not worked.
Enter John Dorsey on 12/7/17.
Dorsey's M.O. aligned much more with my own values. One thing as sure as death and taxes about the NFL is that your shortcomings as a player will be exposed right quick and in a hurry. If you, as a general manager, have opted for the easy and quick splash signing without doing the proper evaluations and background checks - that will show up on the field on Sunday sooner rather than later. And the fans will hang you by your gonads for it.
But, thank goodness Dorsey operates as a meat and potatoes general manager. I still remember one of his statements in his introductory press conference. He stated "Wouldn't it be cool if we could wake up a sleeping giant - one of the iconic franchises of the NFL?" To me, that statement screamed from the rooftops that he gets it. He knows what the task ahead entails. He was not going to shortcut the process out of respect for the most patient fans in the NFL. He RESPECTS US, and his job. How refreshing is that?
Want to know what the best move that John made immediately upon taking the Browns' job? It was no move at all. John knew that he would respect the players currently on that roster. He would use those final 4 games to properly evaluate them. And he knew he was strong enough to tell some of them, at the conclusion of the season, that they simply were not in the team's future plans.
He then bolstered the Browns front office with colleagues that he felt comfortable with, that he could trust to help him carry out his vision to make the Browns successful. In earnest, they began to shift assets of the team to make it better.
But the single most event that sold me on John Dorsey talent, and handling of men working for him was the process going into the selection of Baker. Dorsey has always said "Trust your eyes, trust what they are telling your brain." And Dorsey did just that. Once he saw Baker in person, he knew he was "the guy" for the Browns.
But in true Dorsey fashion, he told no one about his opinions. He still wanted all his lieutenants to form their own opinions and then argue for their guy. John knew that this was he was getting their honest opinion, what they had been hired to do. I am sure that there was a meeting of the minds and Baker became a Brown.
The hiring of Freddie Kitchens as head coach surprises me none. He is John Dorsey's mini-me in all the right attitude areas. If you don't wear brown and orange, YOU DON'T MATTER. He got his man.
There has been a process to every personnel move that Dorsey has made. Yes, I remember the tinhorns from Kansas City shaming us because Dorsey could not manage the cap while with the Chiefs. In Berea, Dorsey has an excellent right hand man for salary cap management in Paul DePodesta. Plus the fact that he may have learned from his past mistakes. Of course, no self respecting snarky "journalist" would give him the credit that he could learn from his mistakes.
Will every move he makes work? Of course not. But his track record is impressive. Each and every move has set up his next move. And he has kept us out of salary cap jail for the foreseeable future.
Quite frankly I think he is the most accomplished GM in this franchise's history.
For the first time in my life I actually trust the person running the Cleveland Browns. I was excited about John Dorsey the second he was brought into the building. I don't talk about this very much, but my favorite roster in the NFL over the past few years has been the Kansas City Chiefs. We all know how high I was on Pat Mahomes, he was the only quarterback I wanted in that draft class. Dorsey drafted him. You all know how much I loved Kareem Hunt at Toledo, I made posts about him dating back to 2015 on the old Browns site. Dorsey drafted him. Tyreek Hill is one of my favorite and most explosive players in the NFL, Dorsey drafted him. He built the team in Kansas City that I always wanted in Cleveland.
Now he has built that team in Cleveland, but this is different. The Browns have even more talent than the Chiefs, with far more cap space at their disposal. Odell Beckham is better than Hill. Kareem Hunt is now a Brown but he may not even be the best back on the team. Baker Mayfield can be every bit as good as Pat Mahomes. Dorsey built a real defense for the Browns too, while the Chiefs are in a defensive rebuild.
Dorsey turned the Browns into a contender. They were the worst franchise in professional sports prior to Dorsey's arrival and in only 15 months he's completely retooled the roster and built a new culture. That is ALL on John Dorsey. He acquired the talent, he moved on from guys that weren't good enough or were cancers (Gordon, Coleman, Collins). He brought in leaders like Jarvis Landry and Baker Mayfield, guys that change a locker room and demand the best from their teammates.
It's still a work in progress, which is what makes this so exciting. The Browns still have the draft and if Dorsey has proven anything it's that he'll get a stud or two in the middle-late rounds. Thanks, Dorsey, you're the GM this city deserves. No more Savage. No more Lombardi. No more Sashi.
I definitely appreciate John Dorsey and the moves he's made and continues to make since coming to the Browns as our GM. I honestly thought he'd really go the draft route but then found out that he actually likes to scoop up FA's, then I thought it would be decent FA's but just enough to help the younger guys and that's not a bad thing, but then he goes out and makes the biggest splash and grabs two great FA's, including one of hte best WR's in the NFL, and a hell of a DT in Sheldon Richardson, along with a few other solid FA's. He's impressed me, gotta say, IF the Browns don't win the Super Bowl while Dorsey is GM, it won't be for lack of bringing in talent, but I believe we will finally hoist the Lombardi. Thank You, Mr. Dorsey.
These should be placed in EVERY player's locker - as a reminder of what we are trying to accomplish
Nice article detailing John Dorsey's vision, and what went into the strategy to make some of the draft selections we did this past weekend.
https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2019/04/browns-2019-draft-picks-show-how-players-keep-jumping-onto-john-dorseys-radar.html
I figured I would revisit this thread with this little gem from the mind of Brooksie. (Uh oh - Brooksie on the loose again....)
With proper reason we all have lauded John Dorsey for the talent that he has brought in. And early reports are that he may have gotten the steal of the 2018 draft in 5th round selection ILB Mack Wilson.
But what has not been brought up enough is the credit that John and his colleagues deserve for sending under performing players away. The biggest one to fit into that category was former Browns pick DeShone Kizer.
Damarious Randall has become a key field general for this defense. Highsmith and Wolf knew this - he was just miscast as a corner in Green Bay. Simply put, the Packers did not realize what they had in Damarious. H & W remembered scouting him as a Packer draft choice - so when the opportunity presented itself - they pounced.
But the other half of that deal is where our guys deserve massive amounts of credit. They simply did not see a NFL quality quarterback. They banked on his youth, inexperience, and potential to flourish under other coaches as the carrot dangling to make the Packers jump.
That cleared the path for the kid from Lake Travis - and the rest is history. Not only did the Browns win that trade - they routed the green and gold.
https://www.rotoworld.com/football/nfl/player/7788/deshone-kizer
Nate Ulrich of ohio.com has an excellent piece about John Dorsey's career journey to the big chair in Cleveland. Certainly worth the time for the read.
https://www.ohio.com/news/20190907/midas-touch-general-manager-john-dorseys-moves-have-turned-to-gold-for-browns?template=ampart&__twitter_impression=true
cleveland.com
‘1-goal. Trust. 6:15 AM. Don’t be scared.’ And more words John Dorsey lives by as he rebuilds the Browns — Terry Pluto
Today 5:03 AM 11-13 minutes
BEREA, Ohio — It didn’t take long for John Dorsey to figure out what the Browns needed — beyond a major talent infusion.
As we talked in his office four days before the season opened, the Browns general manager stood up and wrote one word on the big white board:
TRUST.
“That’s what has to permeate through the building,” he said. “It’s incredibly important.”
Dorsey doesn’t want to discuss the situation he inherited when he took over for Sashi Brown as head of the team’s football operations in December of 2017. But he did explain:
“My first four weeks, I was able to study everything from the people in the building – the support staff, the coaches, players and to some degree, ownership. You do mental gymnastics about what needs to be fixed. Then you go about it in a non-threatening way.”
It’s more than replacing people and players.
“You need to make moves where you can can create the harmony you want,” he said.
Coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley were fired in the middle of the 2018 season. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam mentioned “internal discord.” That has been the Browns’ problem for decades.
A REASON TO TRUST
When Dee and Jimmy Haslam hired Dorsey, they brought in a man who played in the NFL with the Packers. He worked his way up from a lowly scout in Green Bay to being general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs. In Kansas City, he combined with coach Andy Reid to take a 2-14 team to the playoffs in their first season together (2013). They made the playoffs all four years.
Some say he lost a power struggle to Reid. Others say Dorsey was fired because of problems handling the salary cap. Regardless of the reason, he was dumped following the 2017 draft. His final big decision for that organization was to trade up and draft a quarterback named Patrick Mahomes.
So, Dorsey arrived in town with more credentials than many men who have sat in the general manager’s office.
The Haslams also were mentally exhausted by all the losing and turmoil within the organization. They were ready for a strong leader. So were most fans, who soon embraced Dorsey as they watched his front office work when it came time to draft and trade for players.
FINDING THE RIGHT COACH
Heading into the 2018 training camp, Freddie Kitchens was the new backfield coach. He was hired by then-offensive coordinator Todd Haley. Dorsey did not know Kitchens well. Who would’ve guessed a year later Kitchens would be the head coach of the team?
“Football is a very interesting game,” said Dorsey.
Kitchens never has been a head coach at any level of football.
“He is a leader of men,” Dorsey now says. How does he know?
He said it began in the final preseason game of 2018. That was when Kitchens was given permission to call the plays for Baker Mayfield.
“I walked away from that game and thought, ‘He’s got IT,’ ” said Dorsey.
He has what?
“IT,” repeated Dorsey. “IT is part of play calling. Everyone thinks play calling is a science. I see it more as an art. Preparation is a big part, but it’s still a feel of the game … an art.”
ONE DECISION AT A TIME
Other than drafting Mayfield, Dorsey’s most important decision since taking over the Browns has been the hiring of Kitchens.
It goes back to building trust. Dorsey wanted to move away from all the factions, second-guessing and finger-pointing that have torpedoed the team for years. That begins when owners trust the general manager. The Haslams have expressed strong faith in Dorsey and his front office people.
Then the front office and coach have to be together. Dorsey fixed the front office by hiring Eliot Wolf and Alonzo Highsmith as his assistant general managers. The three worked together for years in Green Bay. They shared a common team-building vision, as was expressed on his white board written in red:
1-PURPOSE
1-MIND
1-GAME
1-0.
For that to happen, there has to be one more thing…
FINDING THE RIGHT COACH
When it came to hiring Kitchens, Dorsey looked beyond the play calling with these questions:
1. “Does he fit the cultural values you are trying to build?”
2. “Can the job be too big for him?”
3. “Can he establish the trust of the players by being the same guy, day in and day out?”
Dorsey saw how Kitchens brought the offense together in the final eight games of 2018. On the field, the Browns went from a bottom-10 offense in the first eight games to a top-10 offense in most categories in the final eight.
“He coaches the way a team should be coached,” said Dorsey. “You could see the offense come together, beyond the play calling. He established a trust factor with players by being the same guy every day ... Consistency.”
"In John we trust".......1.1. Book of Stabber