What are choice routes and how are the Browns using them?

The NFL is changing it's kickoff rule in 2024 and the Browns and the rest of the league are all trying to figure out how to handle what could be a seismic change. Lance Reisland joined Dan Labbe on Wednesday's Orange and Brown Talk podcast to discuss the new rule and what it could look like. They start by simply explaining the rule and what fans can expect to see when they get their first look at it. Then they get into some of the strategies teams might employ and the types of players they will look to utilize in both returns and coverage as they operate in closer quarters. They also discuss injuries and how teams might try to protect their kickers in a world where they might have to make more tackles. They discuss why they believe this will lead to more injuries. If you want to learn more about the rule, check out this explainer from the NFL. We were Voted best podcast by Cleveland Magazine readers! Want to become a Football Insider subscriber? Get more info here. Music credits: Ice Flow by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3898-ice-flow License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tuesday continues our look at football concepts and ideas as we dive into Football 101 with Lance Reisland. Lance joins Dan Labbe and they focus today on the offensive side of the ball and choice routes, one of the phrases of the offseason as the Browns install a new offense under Ken Dorsey. What is a choice route and how does it change things for the Browns? First, Dan and Lance talk offensive personnel groupings and what it means when someone says a team is in 11 personnel or 12 personnel and how to figure it out. Then it's on to those pesky choice routes and how it's going to look in the Browns offense. Why will Browns receivers work in this type of offense? Where else have we seen this style of route running be effective? We were Voted best podcast by Cleveland Magazine readers! Want to become a Football Insider subscriber? Get more info here. Music credits: Ice Flow by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3898-ice-flow License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What coverage are the Browns in most under Jim Schwartz? How can someone tell what type of coverage they're in from play-to-play? What about defensive alignments? What is a 3-technique anyway? Football is complicated and it's easy to get lost in the jargon and the terminology that gets thrown around with ease but not much explanation. Cleveland.com's film expert, Lance Reisland, is here to try to simplify and explain what you're watching on Sundays. In the first of a series of Orange and Brown Talk podcasts, Lance walks us through a few things on the defensive side of the ball. First, he and host Dan Labbe talk coverages. How would he describe what the Browns do on the back end and what can fans watch to get an idea of what they're doing? Why are they able to run it? What is a quarterback looking for? Then they turn their attention to the defensive line. How are the alignments of defensive linemen numbered and why? We were Voted best podcast by Cleveland Magazine readers! Want to become a Football Insider subscriber? Get more info here. Music credits: Ice Flow by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3898-ice-flow License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski hasn’t announced whether he or new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey will call plays in 2024. It’s one of the remaining questions as the Browns get set to open training camp next month. Mary Kay Cabot and Dan Labbe answer five Browns questions on Friday’s Orange and Brown Talk podcast, including who they think should call plays when the season kicks off in September. They also discuss which new coaching hire will have the biggest impact, if a player besides Myles Garrett could win Defensive Player of the Year for the Browns, if the Amari Cooper situation will be resolved by the time camp opens and if they believe the Browns will finally make a first-round pick again in 2025. We were Voted best podcast by Cleveland Magazine readers! Want to become a Football Insider subscriber? Get more info here. Music credits: Ice Flow by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3898-ice-flow License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Browns running back Nick Chubb is working his way back from a serious knee injury that ended his 2023 season and required two surgeries to repair. Chubb has become the face of the Browns and is a favorite of fans and teammates. Mary Kay Cabot, Ashley Bastock and Dan Labbe continued their look at keys to winning a Super Bowl for the Browns on Thursday's Orange and Brown Talk podcast. The focus today is Chubb and the Browns running back room. They talk about when Chubb could make his return and the importance of not rushing him back. They also get into what to expect from his on-field performance coming off a serious injury. They discuss the running back room as a whole and the roles some of the team's young backs could fill and even ask if the Browns should have considered bringing back Kareem Hunt. We were Voted best podcast by Cleveland Magazine readers! Want to become a Football Insider subscriber? Get more info here. Music credits: Ice Flow by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3898-ice-flow License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Browns defense was one of the top units in the NFL in 2023, buoyed by defensive player of the year Myles Garrett and a handful of other high-priced veterans like Denzel Ward, Dalvin Tomlinson and Juan Thornhill. The thing that really completed the defense, however, were the youths, recent Andrew Berry draft picks who are playing on rookie deals and playing well. Mary Kay Cabot, Ashley Bastock and Dan Labbe picked out two in particular as they discuss a few topics from their 15 keys to winning the Super Bowl series -- linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. They spend Wednesday's Orange and Brown Talk podcast discussing the impact each player makes and how they've managed to fit in and thrive in defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz's scheme. We were Voted best podcast by Cleveland Magazine readers! Want to become a Football Insider subscriber? Get more info here. Music credits: Ice Flow by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3898-ice-flow License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Browns tight end David Njoku had a breakout season in 2023, especially in the season's second half, and expectations are high for him in the Browns' new offense. How high could his ceiling be this season? Mary Kay Cabot, Ashley Bastock and Dan Labbe continue looking at keys to the Browns winning the Super Bowl on Tuesday's Orange and Brown Talk podcast with a look at Njoku and what the Browns should expect from their start tight end. How can he build on a productive second half of the season? How has he compared to expectations during his career? Are we too hard on Njoku and why? They dig into what could be a big season for him under new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and his role in the Browns' talented pass catching corps. We were Voted best podcast by Cleveland Magazine readers! Want to become a Football Insider subscriber? Get more info here. Music credits: Ice Flow by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3898-ice-flow License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Browns and wide receiver Amari Cooper are at a contract impasse after Cooper skipped the team's mandatory minicamp two weeks ago. He wants a new deal and the Browns have a decision to make as far as how to approach their star wideout. Mary Kay Cabot, Ashley Bastock and Dan Labbe begin a look at their 15 keys to winning the Super Bowl series -- with stories running throughout July -- by looking at Cooper and why he's so important to the Browns on Monday's Orange and Brown Talk podcast. They start with how the Browns will or should approach Cooper's contract and how a deal could get done before they get into why Cooper is so important to this team reaching its goal this season. They also discuss the possibility of a swap for 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk and delve into what the receiving corps would look like without Cooper. We were Voted best podcast by Cleveland Magazine readers! Want to become a Football Insider subscriber? Get more info here. Music credits: Ice Flow by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3898-ice-flow License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After Amari Cooper's minicamp holdout, he continues to be the main topic on the minds of Browns fans. Mary Kay Cabot and Ashley Bastock start Thursday’s Hey, Mary Kay! edition of the Orange and Brown Talk podcast by answering a question about what GM Andrew Berry had to say about Cooper in a recent interview. They also discuss why trading Cooper, even for a younger player like Brandon Aiyuk, would be out of character for this regime. The two also answer questions about QB Deshaun Watson and his shoulder rehab, starting with the significance of Berry saying the quarterback is "ahead of schedule." Then, they dive into choice routes: Will they make the offense more complicated? Why haven't the Browns and Kevin Stefanski implemented them into the offense earlier? Finally, the two throw out some names on both sides of the ball when discussing who could be "sleeper contributors," in the vein of Dawand Jones in 2023. We were Voted best podcast by Cleveland Magazine readers! Want to become a Football Insider subscriber? Get more info here. Music credits: Ice Flow by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3898-ice-flow License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Talking about "Hard Knocks" can be "contagious" for Browns fans. On Monday, news came out that the Browns will be featured on “Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North," and on this episode of the Orange and Brown Talk podcast, Mary Kay Cabot and Ashley Bastock are offering a preview and their thoughts on what to expect. The two discuss how this is the first time "Hard Knocks" has focused on an entire division, as well as all the storylines that make the AFC North compelling -- particularly with each team's quarterbacks. They also go through the Browns' schedule and try to piece together some of the key games the cameras will chronicle, as well as go through the difficult logistics of filming during the season. Finally, it's a trip down memory lane with a look back at the last time the Browns were featured on "Hard Knocks," which was during training camp in 2018. Ashley and Mary Kay go through the drama that came to light at the time, the different highlights -- including Jarvis Landry's "contagious" speech -- and how the organization is in a very different place six years later. We were Voted best podcast by Cleveland Magazine readers! Want to become a Football Insider subscriber? Get more info here. Music credits: Ice Flow by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3898-ice-flow License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices