2016 Cleveland Browns move toward Moneyball

Jan 6, 2016.

And I like the idea. It's intriguing. But I might be a bit bias because my degree is in mathematics, and I like using stats to provide context.

Since a lot of Cleveland media and national media are confused and upset about the recent moves by the Browns over the past three days, it makes me think that the Browns are on the right path. Since when do sports media people know anything about the field of statistics and running a sports team?

Many or all NFL teams use "analytics" to some degree. But on the surface, it appears that the Browns will use Moneyball techniques at a much higher level or involvement.

The idea may bomb, but how will we know unless it's tried? And if it works for a lowly franchise for the Browns, then that will shake up the NFL.

As a math and computer guy, I'm fascinated by this. It will be interesting to see how this applies to football.

Last night, my wife and I watched the Moneyball movie again. It has been a long time since I last saw it. The objections and criticisms to what the A's were attempting back in 2002 sound similar to what has been said this week about the Browns' changes.

The problem is, nobody will have patience. When the Browns lose a preseason game this August, the analytics critics will say, "See, I told you that it wouldn't work."

The Browns v2.0 completed their 17th season since returning in 1999. Cleveland made the playoffs in 2002. Cleveland's last non-losing season was 2007 when the Browns finished 10-6.

Cleveland Browns - An Unstable Sports Franchise - Oct 2015 Update

Over the past four drafts, Cleveland had seven first round draft picks. Seven! And yet, Cleveland finished the 2015 season with a 3-13 record.

The Browns have many problems in many areas. It will take more than one offseason to rebuild this team. But the opponents of analytics will exude no patience. And I'm sure the Browns management is aware of this, and they will ignore the critics. Math lacks emotion.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/01/05/browns-hire-former-mlb-gm-paul-depodesta/

Two days after hiring a non-football person to run their football operation, the Browns have hired another executive who’s never worked in the NFL.

Paul DePodesta — he was the model for the Johah Hill character in the movie Moneyball — has been hired as chief strategy officer. Per Joel Sherman of the New York Post, DePodesta will fit in the organizational structure behind only team owner Jimmy Haslam and team president Alec Scheiner.

After firing head coach Mike Pettine and general manager Ray Farmer on Sunday, Haslam announced that Sashi Brown, the team’s general counsel, had been promoted to executive director of football operations and given full control of the roster.

The hirings of Brown and DePodesta indicate the Browns will rely heavily on analytics as they remake the roster. The team is expected to begin interviewing coaching candidates this week.

DePodesta was the Los Angeles Dodgers’ general manager in 2004-05. He comes to the Browns from the New York Mets, where he’s been the vice president of player development and scouting since 2010.

http://espn.go.com/blog/cleveland-browns/post/_/id/17513/paul-depodesta-takes-browns-from-draft-day-to-moneyball

by Pat McManamon who covers the Browns for ESPN, and he appears at times on the Really Big Show on AM 850 WKNR.

From "Draft Day" to "Moneyball."

The Cleveland Browns are either trying to revolutionize the NFL, or they are just so sick of losing they are willing to branch out and try as many different ideas and methods as they can.

Perhaps it's a combination of both.

The hiring of Paul DePodesta as the team's chief strategy officer brings the model for the Jonah Hill character in "Moneyball" to Berea. DePodesta was the guy who convinced Billy Beane that analytics and numbers and run production were more important than traditional scouting methods.( That approach has caught on in baseball, where numbers are more clearly defined and easier to assess.

It may have caught on in baseball but not without a lot of trepidation. When it was a proven success at Oakland, then other teams became a bit more open-minded. The same thing will need to occur in Cleveland.