It is both in our psychological and physical nature to desire.

The same is true when it comes to NFL teams and their hiring processes. Teams who are struggling fall into the cycle of hiring and firing coaches because they take a look around their respective leagues and realize they desire something they don’t have. It’s easy to say “Yeah https://www.brownsfanshop.com/Rashard-Higgins-Jersey , like wins,” but it goes far deeper than that with the Cleveland Browns. Success starts with talent, which the Browns finally have. But leadership and character at the most-important levels are arguably just as important, and the Browns have been looking for that for the past two decades. After hitting rock bottom in 2016-17 with Hue Jackson, who seemed to lack both, there could not be a better candidate to lead this team now than Freddie Kitchens. Typically when teams are searching for a new head coach, they often look for someone who is the opposite of what they had before. And the Browns found that with Kitchens, even though he was already on the staff.That is not often the case. Usually, when a head coach is fired, his entire staff is shown the door, unless the incoming coach has a chance to interview the existing staff and happens to find someone he likes. What the Browns have found in Kitchens is rare. And it just illustrates how unique and unprecedented of a situation the Browns brain-trust found themselves in after firing Jackson along with then-offensive coordinator Todd Haley in late October. Let’s examine why it didn’t work with Jackson – and why it will with Kitchens. Jackson and Kitchens are both offensive-minded coaches, but the similarities in personality and philosophy pretty much stop there. It finally became obvious to everyone except perhaps Jackson and a few of his friends in the media that the environment he created in his two and half seasons as Browns coach was one of distrust and toxicity. Not to mention the historically putrid 1-31 record he posted in his first 32 games. After the end of the 2017 season, the Browns tried to put a Band-Aid over the growing wound by bringing in Haley to run the offense. Jackson was seemingly on board because this would allow him to focus more on the leadership and team-building aspect of being a head coach. Clearly, things could not continue as they had and this was seen as a welcomed relief. However, by the middle of the summer, dysfunction was brewing between the two and it was plain for all to see on the HBO series “Hard Knocks.” One particular scene showed then-little known running backs coach Freddie Kitchens calling an existing policy of Jackson’s into question during a coaches meeting. Before Haley could expound on Kitchens’ concerns (players taking days off when there was so much work to be done to get ready for the season), Jackson put on his actor’s hat for the cameras and delivered a verbal smackdown of his subordinates that might make Cersei Lannister blush. It was an awkward moment and one that foretold that a real life episode of “Game of Thrones” was taking place within the walls of Berea. Two months later, after fumbling to a 2-5-1 record, showing no signs of an offensive identity, and rumors of internal discord getting louder, Jackson and Haley were both excised from the now-festering wound and replaced by long time defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and Kitchens, respectively. True to form, Jackson went on a national sports media blitz in an attempt save face following his firing. In doing so, he drew the ire of just about everyone in Cleveland and within the Browns organization, especially Baker Mayfield, the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Jackson then took a golden parachute down to Cincinnati to help out his old friend Marvin Lewis coach the division rival Cincinnati Bengals. Kitchens Joe Thomas Jersey , who had never been a full-time play-caller before, picked up the pieces with unexpected success, and Mayfield took flight in the back half of his rookie season.Per Pat McManamon of ESPN, Mayfield’s completion percentage went from 58 percent over the first eight games to 68 percent in the second half of the season, and his yards per attempt went from 6.6 to 8.6. The Browns averaged 6.9 yards per play with Kitchens -- the 2000 Rams are the only team since the 1970 merger to average more over a full season.Mayfield talks with Kitchens during the Texans game. (John Kuntz, cleveland.com)That’s not improvement. That’s a quantum leap, in terms of offensive efficiency with a rookie quarterback in Mayfield, a rookie running back in former Georgia star Nick Chubb and a rookie Wide Receiver in the talented, yet inconsistent, Antonio Calloway. Under Jackson and Haley, Mayfield got sacked 20 times, posted a 8:6 TD:INT ratio and had a total QBR of 36. With Kitchens’ emphasis on allowing the young quarterback to make easy reads and plays designed to get the ball out quickly, the number of sacks on Mayfield dropped to five over the last 8 games. Jordan Zirm, producer of the popular ThomaHawkShow Podcast featuring former Browns Joe Thomas and Andrew Hawkins, described another facet of Kitchens’ offense that catered to his young QB... employing a 13 personnel formation that provided maximum protection for Mayfield by having 3 Tight Ends on the field more than any other team in the league.And if that wasn’t enough of a feather in Freddie’s cap, Mayfield’s TD:INT improved to 19:8 and his total QBR jumped to 70 from weeks 9-17. He also broke the NFL record formerly held by Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson for the most touchdowns (27) thrown by a rookie quarterback despite not playing until Week 3.When the Browns hiring committee of owner Jimmy Haslam, Executive Vice President JW Johnson, General Manager John Dorsey, assistant General Manager Eliot Wolf, Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta, and Vice President, Player Personnel Andrew Berry set out to find the person to lead Mayfield and the Browns into the future, it became obvious that the right man for the job was already in the building. As other teams began to search far and wide for the next hot-shot, up and coming offensive mind, the Browns didn’t have to look further than the office down the hall. Freddie Kitchens, for all of his inexperience and relative obscurity in the coaching ranks Chris Hubbard Color Rush Jersey , is exactly what professional sports organizations like the Browns seek when they embark on their quest to find the person who can finally end the losing and remove the dysfunction that has plagued their organization for years. He is the anti-Jackson in seemingly every way, aside from cutting his teeth on the offensive side of the ball. And the differences go far beyond the stat sheet. Where Jackson was egotistical and self-serving in his time in Cleveland, Kitchens is humble and self-aware, repeating time after time how he would not campaign for any job other than the one he currently had. Even his willingness to stick up for Mayfield, who called Jackson “fake” after the win against the Bengals, is real, and he expressed that in a down-home southern accent Browns’ fans have grown to love. Instead of commanding respect and doing things for show when the cameras are rolling, Kitchens, like Mayfield, earns respect and commands a room by what he does when no one is watching. Coaching and leading a group of men is far more than just calling plays or outsmarting the opponent on game days. It’s about leadership and character. And with Mayfield and Kitchens together for the long haul, the Cleveland Browns should finally be on their way to fulfilling fans’ desires for years to come. BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Baker Mayfield isn't campaigning for Lincoln Riley.The rookie quarterback isn't dismissing the possibility his former coach joins him in Cleveland either.Mayfield said Wednesday that he believes Riley is prepared to move from Oklahoma into the NFL, but he would also understand if the 35-year-old wants to remain at one of college football's most successful programs. "Lincoln's been ready, it's just who he is and how he coaches and the respect level he's had from all of his players, how detailed he is," Mayfield said. "Yeah, he's ready but that's his decision and you know what, he's got something special there, so I don't think anybody is going to blame him if he stays there for the next 20 years."Riley has been linked as a possible candidate to be Cleveland's next coach because of his obvious connection with Mayfield, who won the Heisman Trophy last season in Riley's first year at the Big 12 power.Mayfield was asked directly if he wants Riley to come to Cleveland."I have a relationship with Lincoln," Mayfield. "He's been great and we had success, but whatever decision is made here I'm going to make the most of it. Obviously, there's been a level of comfort with him in the past that I've had. But whatever happens, happens. And you know what, you can't control that so I'm not going to worry about it."Mayfield also doesn't know if Riley is itching to go pro."I think down the road probably," he said. "Right now I'm not going to speak for him https://www.brownsfanshop.com/Seth-Devalve-Jersey , but he's ready whenever that time comes."The Browns fired Hue Jackson in October, and general manager John Dorsey is in the early stages of a coaching search that will accelerate once the season ends. Interim coach Gregg Williams will interview for the job, and it's likely that Dorsey will meet with former Packers coach Mike McCarthy, who was dismissed after Sunday's loss to Arizona.Dorsey and McCarthy worked together in Green Bay.Riley's appeal to the Browns could stretch beyond his strong ties to Mayfield. He's regarded as one of the game's best offensive minds, and Mayfield has little doubt Riley has the right attributes to lead professional players."After being here, it's about respect," Mayfield said. "You get a locker room full of guys that are making a lot of money, obviously the egos are going to be there. You have to have the respect in guys. You have to be able to get the best out of them even when they're going to get paid regardless. So you've got to be able to get the most out of them and demand it, just by respect and so when it comes down to it, that's why I would say he's a great coach."Mayfield said his admiration for Riley extends way outside his ability to diagram a play or devise a game plan."Some of those coaches that are so successful, they have the standard and they live by — that standard every day," Mayfield said. "He does it with football, family and he's just a great human being. He wants the best for everybody and he's always encouraging. He will wrap his arm around somebody, talk to them and help them out no matter what it is."Riley, who is 24-3 in two seasons with the Sooners, has downplayed any interest in leaving Oklahoma, which signed him to a five-year, $25 million contract last summer. After Jackson was fired, Riley anticipated questions about going to Cleveland."The truth for me is, I love Oklahoma," he said. "I love coaching here. I love college football. I certainly don't have that itch right now. I don't know if I ever will."That won't stop the speculation about Riley, which has been fueled by Dorsey's appearance at Oklahoma's past two games.Mayfield said Dorsey is close with Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione, and joked that he's not putting any more into the visits."I've definitely known about it," Mayfield said. "He's given me a hard time, but he's gone and there's been two wins. That's all I know. Who knows what he's doing down there."NOTES: Browns practice squad DL Daniel Ekuale was suspended without pay for four games for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancers. His suspension begins immediately. … Mayfield said his Heisman Trophy sits on his parent's dining room table at home and his dad "uses it as a paper holder and he tips his coffee to it every morning."