The Cleveland Browns are in the NFL playoffs this season, and Carson Walch, an Elgin-Millville High School graduate, has played a role.
Walch is in his sixth NFL season, and his third with the Browns.
Walch, 45, was elevated to director of player development for the Browns this season. He was the player development coordinator a year ago. Walch interacts with athletes on a regular basis, but he has no say in roster moves.
“It’s every day,” Walch remarked of his interaction with players. “Whether it’s on the grass at the practice field or in my office in the meeting room.”
He works with the majority of the younger offensive skill players, including quarterbacks, receivers, tight ends, and running backs. The purpose is to improve the players’ fundamentals.
“We’re trying to take them from sufficient in techniques to get them to be proficient at a technique and hopefully to master the technique,” Walch went on to say. “And once they do that, we move on to the next skill set.”
Despite being plagued by injuries, the Browns made the AFC playoffs as a wild card club and won double digits.
“I think there are two ways to go in a season like this, with the injuries and adversity,” Walch said. “I’d say our team just came together and played good football on all three sides and the results have been optimal for us.”
This season, the Browns have used four different quarterbacks. Joe Flacco was signed as a free agent during the season and has had remarkable success by the end of the season.
Along the offensive line, the Browns also lost their starting left tackle, right tackle, and a rookie right tackle who replaced the injured starter.
“It’s the people protecting the quarterback as well who had to rebound and do the job,” Walch went on to say.
Flacco, 38, helped the Browns go 4-1 by starting five games before being held out of the season finale. His final full-time season as a starter was in 2017, however he did help Baltimore win the Super Bowl in 2012 and has a 10-5 playoff record.
“I don’t think you can ever dismiss experience and the amount of games someone has played in this league,” Walch went on to say. “It shows you that he’s flexible and our offense is flexible and we’ve rallied around him.”
The Browns are excited and looking forward to the playoffs, according to Walch. Kevin Stefanski, a former Minnesota Vikings assistant, is their coach.
The Baltimore Ravens, the Browns’ division foe, are the No. 1 seed in the AFC, while the Kansas City Chiefs are the defending Super Bowl champions. Walch believes the AFC race is wide open despite the Browns’ No. 5 seed.
“I believe it’s always open,” he remarked. “Isn’t it an oblong football?” Anything is possible. There’s weather, there’s injuries, and I’ve always believed that — at least in the NFL — the teams who are the healthiest and get the hottest this time of year are usually the ones who survive.”
Walch spent two seasons with the Chicago Bears and the Philadelphia Eagles before joining the Browns. He coached in the Canadian Football League before joining the NFL.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72552561/1415642922.0.jpg)
He enjoys traveling in the offseason and plans to return to a warmer climate once this season is over. Walch hopes to spend 10 days in Jamaica after the season, then return to Minnesota before returning to Jamaica with his parents in March.
Travis Walch, Walch’s older brother, is also a long-time football coach. Travis spent 17 years as an assistant coach at St. Thomas University. He took over as head coach at St. Thomas Academy, a private high school in Mendota Heights, for the first time this year. Travis led St. Thomas to a runner-up state finish in Class 5A, falling to Chanhassen in the title game 34-31.
“I was extremely proud of him,” Carson remarked. “I think when it’s your first job as a head coach, you have this mixed feeling of ‘I know I’m prepared, but am I really prepared?'” However, you learn on the go and surround yourself with capable assistants. They had a fantastic run, which was fantastic to witness.”
Leave a Reply