Q&A with Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine

BEREA, Ohio – Perhaps the most surprising thing about the Cleveland Browns' 4-3 start is that the Browns have been able to match their 2013 win total in October without a dominant defense. That was supposed to be the winning recipe for the Browns under first-year head coach Mike Pettine, a longtime defensive assistant.

Still a defensive coach at heart, how much is it bothering Pettine to see that defense, a group led by star cornerback Joe Haden, veteran safety Donte Whitner and pass rusher Paul Kruger, near the bottom of the league in total yards and rush defense?

Pettine talked with Paste BN Sports about that defense and what he's learned from the first half of his first season as an NFL head coach.

Q: As a defensive coach, how much does it bother you to look at where your defense is ranked right now, 29th in yards, 30th run defense?

Pettine: You don't get too wrapped up in it. You're obviously more concerned with the results, first of all. How did we play in critical situations? But I'm not blind to it. I know it's something the guys will look at, I know the assistant coaches look into it. There's a lot of pride in that room, competitive guys, but it's something that once a game's over, we don't get too wrapped up in it. I know we've been playing better of late, and that's something that has to continue.

Q: What do you see as signs of that improvement that maybe the overall numbers are showing right now?

Pettine: First of all, I think the points, and then we've been pretty good in the red zone. You can look at the numbers and say, wow, we've give up some yards, but down in the red zone, we've been able to get turnovers or, when you look at the red zone, there are four-point plays when you force field goals instead of giving up touchdowns.

Q: What sticks out to you about the run defense, why that seems to be the weak link of this defense? Is that the one piece that you know has to get fixed?

Pettine: It is, but sometimes there are those growing pains with a run defense, because we do some things different from a technique standpoint, how we teach guys to use their hands. It's a little less traditional than what other teams do, so I know it's going to take some time. And we've had some injuries and guys rolling through – so it's been a lot of little things, and it's something we've addressed. We talk about it. I know those guys, it means something to them. But at the same time, we're not going to sacrifice points or something just to say, we're gearing up to stop the run. We don't want that to affect everything else. There have been times in games where we've put our guys in situations, where, like the Saints game, we were willing to concede some rushing yards because we wanted to play coverage. There are certain down and distance situations in games where we're going to be in lighter space, and if we give up a 6 or 7 yard run, so be it, we took away what we wanted. There were calls against Pittsburgh where we decided we were going to double Antonio Brown. If we gave up some rushing yards, we did, but it was a situation where we thought the chance the ball was going to go to him and we wanted to take that away.

Q: When I talked to Joe Thomas, he said he was happy to hear fans complaining about the lack of style with the win against Oakland, because it meant the expectations were increasing. How have you seen that happen here over the last few weeks? What does that mean to you guys now to be in competitive games in November?

Pettine: It probably means more to Joe than it does to me, because I'm just used to it. It was different in Buffalo, it was more of the same, but those years with the Jets, and certainly being with Baltimore, where that's what we were used to. I got asked about already matching last year's win total, and that's just a non-issue. That was another year. But that's what this city is used to. So you get the excitement, and people can say that. It's their right to be that way. I'm never worried about people complaining because they pay our salaries, they're paying for tickets and all of that, but to me it is an exciting time, and if people want to complain about winning ugly, they can complain all day.

Q: What have you learned from the first half that will make you a better coach in the second half of this season?

Pettine: It's a lot of little things. There were a couple game management things. I'm still going to be an aggressive guy on fourth down, so you look at them when they don't work and you sort of question yourself a bit, when it comes up again. I have my beliefs there with it, and I'll still probably stick to it, but I feel good about, and one of the reasons is because I really trust my coaching staff. I get a lot of good feedback from them in-game, whether it's Kyle or Chris Tabor or Jim O'Neil or the guys up in the booth. I think one of the best things I've done, and with the advice I've been given by other coaches is to let your coaches coach. Don't try to micromanage everything, because then you end up so immersed in it that you don't see the forest for the trees. I think I've been able to sit back and be more of a big picture guy. I trust in those guys. I'll check in on the game planning in the week, but I really prefer to stay out of it.

Q: Did you imagine you'd cede this much of the hands-on part of the defense right away?

Pettine: I had a good sense, just seeing what Rex [Ryan] had gone through. I think it's very difficult to be a play caller and to manage a game as a coach. That was something I knew I wanted to turn over to Jimmy very early. I still have input, we set up the call sheet together, that way I feel confident, because we have essentially called the game today [Friday] and tomorrow. On game day, it's really just repeating what he and I went through. I just think it would be very difficult to keep that big-picture mentality and still be involved in the nuts and bolts of calls.

Q: This week will bring another first in your career, with your first Thursday night game as a head coach. Every coach does something a little differently with that, some will change their routines year to year to try to figure it out. How are you already beginning to plan for that? Do you have a grasp on what you think might work?

Pettine: I've dug up some old schedules and looked at some things, I've talked to some people around the league and done some research into who has gone on the road and plays well. It's not very many teams. I think the winning percentage of winning teams on the road on Thursday nights is not very good. I think the craziest stat I found was that, I think since '06, the Colts are 7-0 as a visitor. But it's been different quarterbacks and different stats. But it's nice when you have Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck, too.

Q: Right, we often hear coaches say that it's more about the who, and less the when or the where. Is that what you believe?

Pettine: Oh yeah, Brian Billick and I were talking about all these things, and he told me, you know what Bill Walsh would always say, if you want to win on the road, take a good team with you.