Deshaun Watson Contrasts Offenses with Texans, Browns in Interview
In his first interview since becoming a member of the Cleveland Browns, Deshaun Watson was a guest on "The Q with Quincy Avery" hosted by his private quarterback coach. Topics discussed included Watson's input on the team's still vacant quarterback coaching position, former teammate DeAndre Hopkins, but the most interesting discussion was the contrast between the offense under Bill O'Brien with the Houston Texans compared to Kevin Stefanski in Cleveland.
As Avery points out, this is offense has the most West Coast influences of any offense Watson has ever played, so he just asked Watson to explain the difference between this offense and the one he ran with the Texans.
"I think the biggest difference is I think in this offense like the quarterback takes control of it but coaches have a lot of responsibility on it too. So in the previous offense, the quarterback did everything. I called the MIKE points, I called the run points, I called the protections. I'm flipping the protection sliding here, I'm calling hots, everything.
In this system, it's basically built in, so when you come up the line of scrimmage, you're not really doing that. You can see it, but pretty much the center is directing everything, you just gotta make sure you see the right coverage and it's kind of- it's more simple in a sense, but simple is not always the best way to go sometimes, because you might get sidetracked, whatever you were supposed to be looking at in that certain play."
Avery immediately notes that he believes Stefanski's offense will allow Watson to be himself and be creative. Watson notes multiple times that he trusts Stefanski as well as Alex Van Pelt, the team's offensive coordinator.
However, it's understandable that Watson would prefer to call everything. Not only has he done it, but he's done it at a high level, including the 2020 season where he put up his best statistical season as a pro. It also forces him to be engaged at every level of the call and focus on details. He can set the protection to best suit how he thinks he can either extend a play or attack the defense with his legs. Watson always had a multitude of options to find ways to beat a defense himself.
It's a big ask to now give up some of that control and trust the center to call the protections as well as the coach to put him in the best position consistently. It doesn't sound like Watson is averse to this setup, but he is simply noting the difference. Watson is going to want to bet on himself, so when he says simple is not always the best way to go, it's because he believes there are times when total control would give him an edge.
Whether the Browns re-sign Ethan Pocic or go with Nick Harris or someone else, that center and Watson will have to put in the work to make sure they are on the same page in the passing game. In that sense, Watson can basically coach his center on he wants the protections to go. In 2022, that wasn't realistic, especially since Watson didn't even have the same center for all six of his starts.
Given how often Watson professes his trust in the Browns coaching staff, it will be a feeling out process. It also sounds like Watson likes the challenge of having to make all of those calls, because it makes him more thorough in diagnosing the defense. The Browns may change up his pre-snap routine to focus more on specific elements of the defense, picking up on nuances and getting more insight to coverages and how the defense is specifically playing him.
For example, if he doesn't have to concern himself with defensive line movement, he can focus more attention on an unblocked pass rush threat he has to account for or indications of a disguised coverage. That can be an advantage.
The division of labor has one notable advantage. Speed. If Watson isn't forced to make every decision himself, the Browns can get plays off faster.
It stands to reason there will be some push and pull. Like Watson, Stefanski believes being part of the process is going to provide an advantage for his team. He knows the offense better than anyone. However, if he gets the sense that Watson has mastered the offense and he feels like the two of them see the game the same way, he may loosen the reins a bit and let Watson take more control.
For now, it's a matter of mastering the offense and developing the chemistry to be successful in 2023.
