{"id":176232,"date":"2025-07-02T18:28:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T18:28:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/176232\/"},"modified":"2025-07-02T18:28:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T18:28:11","slug":"the-secret-to-clevelands-success-isnt-finding-a-patrick-mahomes-its-building-around-what-they-have","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/176232\/","title":{"rendered":"The secret to Cleveland\u2019s success Isn\u2019t finding a Patrick Mahomes, it\u2019s building around what they have"},"content":{"rendered":"

CLEVELAND, Ohio \u2014 There\u2019s a crucial distinction that could define the Browns<\/a>\u2019 2025 season, and it has nothing to do with flashy statistics or highlight-reel plays.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way I term (it) is a quarterback you win with, not a quarterback you win because of,\u201d explained Browns film analyst Lance Reisland on the Orange and Brown Talk podcast<\/a>, cutting straight to the heart of Cleveland\u2019s quarterback philosophy.<\/p>\n

This seemingly subtle difference carries massive implications for how the Browns will approach the upcoming season \u2014 and might explain why Joe Flacco remains in the driver\u2019s seat despite the team drafting two quarterbacks this spring.<\/p>\n

In a league obsessed with finding the next Patrick Mahomes, the Browns appear to be embracing a different path: building a team that can win with capable quarterback play rather than because of extraordinary quarterback play.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s very few Mahomes…the guys that you just, it doesn\u2019t matter what you do, they\u2019re gonna make plays,\u201d Reisland noted. \u201cThe way that you make a quarterback into a quarterback you can win with is surround him with a scheme and talent that can allow for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

This approach hinges on three critical elements: defensive excellence, turnover differential, and efficiency on early downs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe No. 1 thing in football, in my opinion, obviously they have to do is they have to turn the ball over on defense. They have to create more turnovers,\u201d Reisland emphasized. \u201cThey have to create short fields for that offense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Complementing this defensive focus is an offensive approach that prioritizes ball security and field position over splash plays.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen offensively, they\u2019ve got to end every drive in a kick. They can\u2019t turn the ball over,\u201d Reisland said. \u201cWhat does that mean? It means you\u2019re boring.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being \u201cboring\u201d might not sell jerseys, but it wins football games. The formula involves winning on first down to create manageable situations and limit defensive creativity.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you win on first down, now you\u2019re second-and-5, second-and-6, now the defense has to play base,\u201d Reisland explained. \u201cThe more it\u2019s based, the less exotic they can get it because they have to stop the run. If you lose first down and you\u2019re second-and-10, second-, third-and-10, now they get exotic because they know you have to throw the football.\u201d<\/p>\n

This approach directly ties to the quarterback position. While many fans clamor for explosive passing games, Reisland advocates for a more measured approach that protects the defense \u2014 arguably the team\u2019s greatest strength.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Corey) Bojorquez was killing the ball at camp. Punt the ball, play defense,\u201d Reisland said. \u201cWhat if you punt the ball inside the five and then you create a turnover and all of a sudden the ball is on the 20 going in. Now the offense is a lot more successful.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it comes to the quarterback who best fits this philosophy right now, Reisland pointed to the veteran presence of Joe Flacco.<\/p>\n

\u201cFlacco, in my opinion, allows the guys around them to play fast from day one,\u201d he said. \u201cThey don\u2019t have to go over it on the board as much. They don\u2019t have to walk through it as much. They can get the live action with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t to say Cleveland\u2019s rookie quarterbacks don\u2019t factor into the plans. But in a system predicated on complementary football, protecting the ball, and maximizing defensive advantages, experience provides a significant edge.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I do think they have a quarterback. I think they have multiple quarterbacks they can win with if they know he\u2019s a quarterback you win with, not because of. And they play to their defense,\u201d Reisland concluded.<\/p>\n

As the Browns prepare for 2025, their success may not depend on finding a quarterback savior, but rather on building a team that can maximize the talents of the quarterbacks they already have.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the podcast for this week:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Listen and subscribe to the Orange and Brown Talk podcast on Apple Podcasts<\/a> and Spotify<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Football Insider newsletter free trial: Take a minute and sign up for a free trial<\/a> of our Football Insider newsletter, featuring exclusive content from cleveland.com’s Browns reporters.<\/p>\n

Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from the Cleveland Orange and Brown Talk Podcast by cleveland.com. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions.<\/p>\n

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CLEVELAND, Ohio \u2014 There\u2019s a crucial distinction that could define the Browns\u2019 2025 season, and it has nothing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":176233,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2054],"tags":[86,85,54,29284,2337,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-176232","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cleveland-browns","8":"tag-browns","9":"tag-cleveland","10":"tag-cleveland-browns","11":"tag-cleveland-browns-veterans-minicamp-2025","12":"tag-clevelandbrowns","13":"tag-football","14":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114785059499053972","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176232","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176232"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176232\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/176233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}