Yesterday was a busy day in Berea, as plenty of defensive coordinator news came down the pipeline. However, general manager Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski also had a press conference to close the season. The word analytics has been taboo when it comes to the Cleveland Browns and their 2022 season. It is often used as the reason for the struggles and fans have wondered why they use analytics at the level they are. At the end of the season, presser general manager Andrew Berry spoke on the topic of analytics.
Berry spoke about how analytics is just a tool comprised of data and facts used to make decisions. He also spoke about how having more information to make better decisions will never be a bad thing. However, he also touched on if the data isn’t used or applied properly the results won’t be what you want.
Here are some more thoughts that Berry gave surrounding the term analytics.
Save this. This is what analytics are. #Browns GM Andrew Berry breaks it down. pic.twitter.com/PhnpIzRi2A
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) January 9, 2023
On if the analytics department is working as desired, citing the ESPN survey conducted earlier this season:
“I think it is probably because of how analytics or how data are talked about, particularly in this market, it is a tool. It is an area of your operation, and it is something you can help to use to inform decision-making in a number of different areas. It is not the end all, be all. It is not a silver bullet. It is a tool, no different than areas we have in the support staff, scouting, consultant or anything along those lines. I know there is a lot of focus because of the article and things like that, but it is a tool that we will continue to use. It is a tool that obviously many of the top organizations use in the league and really is used across every industry. We obviously feel good about that group. They will continue to be a resource for the team across all areas of football operations.”
On if the Browns have to analyze if the analytics department is being over used or is too influential:
“We don’t have an analytics group for that (laughter). Ultimately, we will use data as appropriate to try to make the best decisions.”
On if analytics and game strategy are being applied effectively given the team is not getting desired results on the field:
“I think it is natural to look at really every area in the operation when you are sitting here not playing playoff football. By the line of questioning, it is no different with us internally where you want to make sure you put your finger on every area where you can have improvement or push to make sure that we ultimately get the results that are desired. That being said, again, this league is so competitive, and the margins are so small. If there was just one simple fix, if it was like, ‘OK, well just do this or don’t do that,’ our jobs would be a lot easier – that I can assure you. Data is something that is helpful, but ultimately, we have to apply it correctly and make the right decisions in a number of different areas. Like I just said, it is not a silver bullet. It is not the only method that we will use to make the major strategic decisions, whether it is in the front office or on the field, but we feel good about having that as a part of our toolkit ultimately to get the team where it needs to be.”