One thing that has become abundantly clear even before Week 1 about new Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken is that he is a culture shifter. He is blunt, honest, straightforward, and a clear communicator, which are all things this team needs after winning just eight games over the past two years.
With training camp now underway, the fans are finally getting a front row seat to the action and have been learning more about their new head coach every day. He is exactly as advertised and leaves very little up to interpretation so everyone on the roster knows what is expected of them.
During a recent interview on Cleveland Browns Daily, Monken spoke about the importance of doing everything with purpose and stressed his intention to always be confirming, correcting, or connecting during practice. His expectations are that the product on the field in practice should emulate how things look in games and it’s clear he isn’t going to take it easy on this roster.
“To me, what really pisses me off in practice is when it looks like shi**y a** coaching. Excuse my language, but that’s the first thing first. Guys are moving from drill to drill. How are we operating? Does it seem like there’s a sense of connection? We talk to our coaches all the time about every drill. We’re either confirming, we’re correcting, or we’re connecting. We’re doing one of those three things. We’re not going to be silent,” Monken said.
The fact that just about everyone covering the Browns has said similar things about Monken is a testament to how honest and consistent he is every day. He brings a level of accountability that this organization sorely needed because the performance of this team in recent years, and honestly for the past few decades, has been unacceptable.
You don’t often see a coach get their first shot at being a head coach at 60 years old, but Monken has paid his dues and has more experience than a lot of head coaches in the league. It’s obvious that he is treating this opportunity like it is a long time coming and as if he won’t get another one. He is all in and isn’t going to accept anybody giving less than 100 percent every day to get better.
He has also spoken previously about the importance of leaving this organization in good hands when he eventually leaves one day. He is realistic about the current status of the roster and the team and is committed to building a sustainable and consistent winner that will remain in place years after he is gone.
He may not have been many fans’ first choice, but so far, Monken is doing and saying all the right things.
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