Andrew Berry wants to remove the stigma of 1-31 from his resume now that he's the primary Browns decision-maker. (TLOD.com)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Andrew Berry, the new Browns general manager, is eager to erase the stigma of 1-31.
Berry wasn’t the Browns’ lead decision-maker in 2016-17, but he carries that record into his new job in the eyes of a fan base numbed by constant regime blow-ups and losing seasons.
“I am looking forward to certainly establishing my own track record as the primary decision-maker moving forward,” Berry said at his introductory press conference.
Berry’s return to the Browns is historic.
At 32, he is the youngest GM in NFL history, owner Jimmy Haslam affirmed. He is also one of only two African-Americans holding the position at a time of widespread criticism of the NFL’s commitment to diversity. A lot of people with no affiliation to the Browns are rooting for him.
And he’s filling a key role in one of professional sports’ more progressive experiments – the effort of Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta to MLB-ize the Browns through heavy use of analytics to guide every football decision.
To Haslam and DePodesta, Berry represents the best of all worlds.
He’s a Harvard-educated deep thinker, polite and unassuming, with the low-ego personality to share the vision of those around him, but also has the football acumen of a former player and scout. A past association with new coach Kevin Stefanski completes the perfect “alignment” that Haslam has sought during five organizational blow-ups over eight years.
Following are excerpts of Berry’s answers to the most pertinent issues.
The 1-31 thing
“The reality of it is, that stretch is a very painful period for our fans, for the city and for everybody internally in the organization. I can assure you that all of us that were there during that time period were equally disappointed with the results during that time. Now, the one thing I can say is that the team and the organization is at a much different state than it was heading into that 2016 season, whether it was the foundation of the roster or the overall strategy. There is no secret that the strategy at the time was to accumulate assets, whether it was cap space, picks and players, that would lead to a foundation of long-term success, but I can assure you that winning is at the forefront of everyone’s minds in the organization. We are looking forward to pursuing that over the next several months.”
Diversity in the Browns organization
“I believe success in the NFL comes from good people, and good people come from all walks of life. It is for that reason that we are going to be very deliberate in pushing diversity across football operations because it leads to success, and I know that I have been the benefactor of people looking beyond my age and my race throughout every phase of my career. The thing is diversity in the NFL transcends race, age and gender. Diversity of experience and diversity of thought are just as important.”
Balancing traditional scouting v. analytics
“I want to make this very clear because I know a lot has been rumored and said about this topic. We will be a scouting-centered front office because I have always believed and I continue to believe scouting to be the lifeblood of roster-building in the NFL. We also are going to incorporate information, research and insights into our decision-making. I was thinking about it as we were watching the Super Bowl this past weekend. The best team in the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers … the best team in our own division, the Baltimore Ravens … and the best team in the NFC East and the organization that I came from, the Philadelphia Eagles … are all industry leaders in this [analytics] space. We would be silly not to push on every area that can give us a competitive advantage as we make decisions.”
His vision of the organization
“Vision encompasses a couple of different areas. One, how we are actually going to build the team and play the game. Kevin for instance … has talked about his belief in the marriage of the run game and the passing game, how we are going to be quarterback friendly and how we are going to emphasize positions across the roster that really impact the passing game. From a cultural standpoint, you have all heard this idea of collaboration and making sure that we get the best ideas and the best perspectives as we make any major decision, whether it is on the roster, on the field or across football operations so that we can ensure that we are driving the organization towards excellence. Then the other piece is how we actually behave and how we treat one another -- not just at the senior levels but the staffs below us and making sure that we are working cooperatively, we are working progressively and most importantly, we are working hard on a daily basis.”
His role in the 2016-17 Browns drafts
“It was a collaborative environment with the aim of getting the best information on the table. Being among the senior leaders in that group, just as you may share some credit with some of the successes, you also have to share some culpability with things that do not go as well, and that is not something that I am going to hide from or run from. But I am looking forward to certainly establishing my own track record as the primary decision maker moving forward.”
Learning from the Philadelphia Eagles
“I learned a lot. I will just talk about three main lessons from my perspective. No. 1 is pushing on any avenue – whether it is any avenue of player acquisition or any avenue across football operations – to give ourselves a competitive advantage. We are not going to be defined by one approach or one area. Anywhere that we can gain an advantage on our competitors, we are going to really put the pedal to the floor. Secondly, the importance of being deliberate in building the team and having the right 53 and the right mix of not only people but skillsets on the roster as opposed to just purely collecting talent. The third piece is the focus on making sure that as a front office we do a really great job of getting to know our players in our locker room at a personal level. I think that is something that is done very, very well in Philadelphia, and it is one of those things that really creates a tight-knit family culture that helps you navigate through those stretches of adversity.”
His philosophy on free agency
“We are not going to limit ourselves to one method of player acquisition. If we can be targeted and strategic on the free agent market, we are going to be aggressive there. If there is anything that I want to be defined by, it is aggression. We want to aggressively acquire talent because that is the name of the game from an NFL front office perspective, and we are going to explore every avenue that enables us to do that.”
His philosophy on character risks
“There is no perfect person and there is not perfect player, but I have mentioned this a couple times and you will probably get sick of me saying it, you will probably get sick of Kevin saying it. But smart, tough, and accountable, and that accountability is on the field, in the building and off the field. That is really our profile.”
Who’s in charge of the draft and player trades
“Every big decision is going to be collaborative. Everywhere that I have been that has been successful has incorporated perspectives across football operations and certainly with your coaching staff and making sure the payers that we bring in have the skillsets and have the fits needed to execute the offensive and defensive systems that we are going to run. Final authority is less important. All of those are really collaborative decisions, and I intend for them to be that way here.”