Being a football coach in the NFL requires a certain level of motivation.
And new Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has an increased level of motivation to succeed in his new position after his tenures with the Washington Redskins and Houston Texans, according to Mike Jones of The Washington Post, who appeared on Cleveland Browns Daily, Driven by Liberty Ford.
"He's going to bring a bright, offensive mind, a guy who has a lot of ideas and a lot of ways to get receivers open despite limited talented," Jones said. "The Redskins, outside of Pierre Garcon, really haven't had much to work with the last four years, but guys always seem to be getting open with the route trees and the concepts he has. His offense, even when Rex Grossman was in there at quarterback, moved the ball. They had some issues in the red zone, but he knows how to get a lot out of an offense and set those guys up for success.
"Kyle is probably going to embrace this opportunity to prove that he can succeed on his own, outside of 'Uncle Gary' (former Texans coach and Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak) and his dad (former Redskins and Broncos coach Mike Shanahan). I think he wants to be able to go in there and prove that he can work with somebody, be a good teammate on the coaching staff and complement a defensive coordinator-style head coach and serve him well."
According to Jones, Shanahan makes the most of his wide receivers and tight ends, as evidenced by the fact that seven Washington players caught touchdown passes in 2013. Five different players, Jordan Reed, Santana Moss, Leonard Hankerson, Logan Paulsen and Aldrick Robinson, had multiple touchdown catches last season despite having injuries to quarterback Robert Griffin III.
In Cleveland, Shanahan will inherit an offense featuring wide receiver Josh Gordon, who led the NFL with 1,646 yards receiving, as well as Pro Bowl tight end Jordan Cameron.
A Pro Bowler this season, Gordon averaged a league-best 117.6 yards per game, corralled the longest reception (95-yard touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars), caught the longest touchdown reception, and had the most catches of 20 (30) and 40 or more yards (nine).
Gordon is the first Browns player ever to lead the NFL in receiving yards, and also, the first NFL player since St. Louis' Torry Holt to lead the league in yards and yards-per-game average. He finished the year with the sixth-best yards-per-game average and 10th most single-season receiving yards in NFL history.
He holds the NFL records for the most yards in a two-game (498), three-game (623) and four-game stretch (774). His back-to-back 200-yard receiving games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jaguars were a first in NFL history.
"I think this is a good situation for him," Jones said. "He can go in there and repair his image, work his way back into the discussion of being one of those bright offensive coordinators. He took some grief from being here with his dad in D.C., and things not working out with his relationship with Griffin either, but this seems like a situation that will benefit him.
"You've got to get the quarterback situation solved, but you have to like his chances just because you've seen some of the stuff he's done elsewhere."
Cameron finished second on the team with 80 receptions, which he turned into 917 yards and seven touchdowns, the second-most receiving scores in a single season ever by a Browns tight end.
"Whether it was Logan Paulsen, Jordan Reed, Fred Davis, and now, it's (Niles) Paul, he knows how to use those (tight ends) in a variety of ways," Jones said. "Whether they're lined up as a tight end, moving in the backfield like a fullback or split out as a wide receiver, he's very creative with those guys and his favorite pass routes feature the tight end."
