The NFL is "so driven by the way it’s been done" in the past, and the Browns deserve "credit for trying to break that" in bringing on longtime MLB player personnel exec Paul DePodesta as their new Chief Strategy Officer, according to ESPN's Joe Banner. Hiring DePodesta is the latest example of the Browns' going all-in with a more analytical system, and Banner noted analytics "needs to move up" the priority list for many NFL teams. However, putting too much emphasis on that can lead to teams getting "away from the things that are going to most lead to success -- not assist success, but lead success -- and you could be in trouble.” Banner, who was Browns CEO from '12-14, said, "We’ve created a system now where, at least in the current mindset, we’ve put the coach in a kind of difficult position, and we have to wonder who we’re going to be able to get. And we have a GM now who’s under Sashi Brown and will be impacted significantly by the analytics. I don't know if that’s the structure that leads to getting the best people in the most important positions" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 1/5). More Banner: "I really believe conceptually there is a huge opportunity in the getting away from doing things the way they’ve already been done and always been done in the NFL. There is a lot of institutional wisdom that nobody ever deviates from. There is a huge opportunity in studying that and figuring out the right spots.” The “challenge” for the Browns is to “attract a really good talent evaluator and really good head coach." Banner: "If they can, and they use analytics the right way, this will be a huge advantage. If they put too much weight on the analytics, this could set them back again” ("NFL Insiders," ESPN, 1/5).
BEWARE OF POTENTIAL PITFALLS: Banner did acknowledge the dependence on analytics could create some discord among personnel. He said, "The analytics guy is going to walk into the draft room ... and he’s going to say, ‘The analytics say never, ever trade up for a player. Always trade back and accumulate as many draft picks as you possibly can.’ The personnel guy’s sitting there watching the film, in love with this player that he wants to go get. So if you hire the wrong guy, who is not willing to kind of trust the math of that, then you are going to have more conflict than you have ever had. On the other hand, if you get the right guy who trusts that and believes in it, I actually believe you’ll have an advantage over the other teams" ("NFL Insiders," ESPN, 1/5).
