{"id":756093,"date":"2026-02-16T14:12:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T14:12:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/756093\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T14:12:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T14:12:23","slug":"its-decision-time-like-it-or-not","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/756093\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s Decision Time, Like It or Not"},"content":{"rendered":"

CLEVELAND, Ohio (TheOBR.com<\/a>) Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!<\/p>\n

THE DAILY BLOVIATION<\/p>\n

As the imperious leader of the Orange and Brown Report, I play a critical and central role in the daily operations of this media juggernaut. Every day, I make key decisions that shape the site\u2019s future and the fate of my writers.<\/p>\n

To do this, I employ a technique which I famously call \u201cdithering\u201d. This means putting off and being indecisive about anything and everything, from whether to refocus the site on daily mock drafts to making a full evaluation of whatever is in the refrigerator for lunch. For some decisions, I have effectively dithered for years, setting high-water marks for my profession and leading the OBR into a situation where it is forced to succeed in spite of me.<\/p>\n

My unmatched dithering skills have led my business to where it is today.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately for the Cleveland Browns, they do not have such luxuries and cannot afford to dither. First off, they need to work with Joel Bitonio to make a decision on his future today, as Jack Duffin pointed out a few days ago<\/a> and as every other Browns news outlet has in the last 24 hours, generally without thanking Jack for bringing this to their attention. Bitonio could retire, the Browns could extend his contract, or they could employ one of my favorite dithering strategies by pushing the date back a few weeks.<\/p>\n

In another decision where the Browns have run out of dithering space, the team has (per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN<\/a>) narrowed its search for a defensive coordinator to a handful of candidates. The remaining three, per Fowler, are Texas passing game coordinator Cory Undlin, Falcons passing game coordinator Mike Rutenberg, and Cleveland linebackers coach Jason Tarver. By this point, all of the candidates should have finished in-person interviews and it\u2019s time to make the call. <\/p>\n

Undlin is considered by many to be the frontrunner for the job, and worked in Cleveland under Romeo Crennel, where he progressed from defensive quality control coach to defensive backs coach. Undlin has some DC experience, although he might not want to talk about it, as he led the Lions to a league-worst points-per-game defense in 2020. He is, however, a Jim Schwartz disciple and worked with him in Philadelphia, which might give him up a leg up on his competition. Undlin has a particularly strong reputation for developing defensive backs.<\/p>\n

Rutenberg\u2019s claim to fame was his stint as linebackers coach for the New York Jets under Robert Saleh, when the Jets had one of the league\u2019s better defenses. He was so highly regarded by Saleh that he was runner-up for the Titans\u2019 defensive coordinator job that ultimately went to Gus Bradley. Rutenberg is 44, younger than the other two candidates, but doesn\u2019t have any notable defensive coordinator experience on his resume.<\/p>\n

Browns fans are familiar with Tarver, of course, who has been with the team for the past five years, and has done an exceptional job working with the team\u2019s linebackers, helping Carson Schwesinger to a dominant 2025 season, where he was named Rookie Defensive Player of the Year. His work with Devin Bush should also be noted, as he helped revive the career of the one-time high Steelers draft pick. Tarver would represent some continuity for the Browns, as he brings familiarity with the team\u2019s front office and players.<\/p>\n

Todd Monken\u2019s decision about whom to hire will tell us a bit about his decision-making process and what is important to him. With Monken having his hands full reviving the Browns pathetic offense from 2025, he\u2019s going to look for someone who can take the proverbial ball and run with it on defense as he deals with play-calling duties and a situation where the team\u2019s offensive line needs to be rebuilt.<\/p>\n

With the combine and free agency right around the corner, there\u2019s no time to dither. It\u2019s time to make the call.<\/p>\n

Have a good one! GO BROWNS!<\/p>\n

Newswire Bloviation Archive<\/a><\/p>\n

OBR GOODIES<\/p>\n

OBR ARTICLES<\/p>\n

Cleveland Browns Free Agency Preview – Offensive Tackle<\/a> – Jack<\/p>\n

Cleveland Browns Have Three Choices For Their Post June 1st Cuts<\/a> – Jack<\/p>\n

Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 2\/15\/26: February is a Hot Month for RumorMongering<\/a> – Barry<\/p>\n

FROM THE FORUMS<\/p>\n

ASK THE INSIDERS<\/a> (VIP<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Will Beck or Allar rebound?<\/a><\/p>\n

Any clue to which of the three finalists has the edge for DC?<\/a><\/p>\n

Opinion of Raheim Sanders?<\/a><\/p>\n

Michael Pittman<\/a><\/p>\n

Daniel Stern (Merged)<\/a><\/p>\n

Any new info on dc<\/a><\/p>\n

Barry is that your dog?<\/a><\/p>\n

THE WATERCOOLER<\/a><\/p>\n

I met Bernie in 2022<\/a><\/p>\n

Raiders Name DC – NOT Schwartz<\/a><\/p>\n

O.T Giants owner mentioned 440 times in Epstein Files<\/a><\/p>\n

Post a pic of your dog here!<\/a><\/p>\n

LiveWire Thread for 215 – Twitter, Video, Articles<\/a><\/p>\n

Report – Browns with In-Person DC Interviews<\/a><\/p>\n

I would like to revisit the 2025 draft and free agency<\/a><\/p>\n

THE LIFT<\/p>\n

Positive news from the world of sports and beyond…<\/p>\n

From 10% to 47%: Cardiac Survival Rates Surge in Texas City That\u2019s Empowering Citizens to Save Lives<\/a> – (goodnewsnetwork.org)<\/p>\n

Whoa. I wish my hometown would do this\u2026 McKinney, Texas, has completely changed the way their city responds to cardiac arrest incidents. By distributing automated external defibrillators throughout the city, they\u2019ve seen their survival rate from cardiac event soar to 47% from 10%. This seems to be a great way to save lives. As someone both old and fat, I celebrate this approach. Then again, we just got fiber optic internet around here, so my expectations are not high.<\/p>\n

WRAPPING UP<\/p>\n

When not dithering, Barry McBride is the Publisher and Founder of the OBR and bloviates this nonsense every morning. You can follow him on Twitter @barrymcbride<\/a> or write him at barry@theobr.com<\/a> if you are so compelled. <\/p>\n

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