7 'Moneyball' moments that perfectly describe Paul DePodesta's new gig with the Browns
Bo Jackson famously "chose" baseball over football when he signed a professional contract to join the Royals franchise in 1986. The inverse of that event is that Paul DePodesta is now leaving America's pastime for a job in football.
DePodesta -- made famous by Jonah Hill's portrayal in the 2011 film "Moneyball" -- had been serving as the vice president of player development and scouting for the Mets, but recently announced that he'd be leaving his post to become the chief strategy officer for the NFL's Cleveland Browns.
While a rare example of baseball-to-football executive crossover, DePodesta's transition to a life of pigskin shouldn't come as a complete shock as he played football at Harvard and previously worked for the short-lived Baltimore Stallions of the Canadian Football League.
As he prepares to make the jump to the NFL, we couldn't help but think that DePodesta's experience -- particularly the fictionalized account of his role with the 21st century Athletics -- might be able to predict and/or explain his new role with the Browns. Thus, here are seven "Moneyball" quotes that apply to DePodesta's new gig.
7. "I hate losing even more than I wanna win."
Over the past 10 seasons, the Browns have gone a disappointing 51-109 with just one winning season over that span. You might be able to imagine that Browns fans are a little tired of losing.
Luckily for the citizens of Cleveland, DePodesta is answering that call and just might be the guy to turn things around.
6. "He passes the eye candy test. He's got the looks. He's great at playing the part. He just needs to get some playing time."
Some would argue that the above quote applies to the Browns' handling of maligned quarterback Johnny Manziel, who -- in two NFL seasons -- has made just eight starts. In those starts, Manziel and the Browns went 2-6, but all six losses came to playoff-bound teams.
5. "All I heard was seven in a row."
At one point in "Moneyball" -- specifically in the early stages of the A's epic winning streak -- Hill overhears radio broadcasters crediting the team's turnaround to manager Art Howe. Pitt replies that all he heard was "seven in a row. "
This applies to DePodesta's Browns because, sadly, they dropped seven straight games from Week 6 to Week 13.
4. "We are the last dog at the bowl."
Really, it should say, "We're the last dawg at the bowl," seeing as how the Browns' passionate fanbase is called the Dawg Pound. But the analogy also applies in the sense that the Browns are the newest franchise in their division (they resumed operation in 1999, four years after owner Art Modell moved their original iteration to Baltimore to become the Ravens). Also, the Steelers, Ravens and Bengals have all made the postseason more recently, all appeared in a Super Bowl more recently, and all appear to carry bigger profiles with free agents and out-of-town fans.
3. "His defect is that he throws funny."
Deep "Ace Ventura"-style inhale ... Doug Pederson, Tim Couch, Spergon Wynn, Kelly Holcomb, Jeff Garcia, Luke McCown, Trent Dilfer, Charlie Frye, Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn, Ken Dorsey, Bruce Gradkowski, Colt McCoy, Seneca Wallace, Brandon Weeden, Thad Lewis, Jason Campbell, Brian Hoyer, Johnny Manziel, Connor Shaw, Josh McCown and Austin Davis.
That is a list of the Browns starting quarterbacks since 2000. You could argue that their defect is that they throw funny, the same indictment traditional scouts used to label reliever Chad Bradford because of his submarine delivery.
2. "When your enemy's making mistakes ... don't interrupt him."
This is exactly what DePodesta and Co. should be doing after they use their second overall pick in the forthcoming NFL Draft to pick a meat-and-potatoes lineman and watch teams trip over themselves to draft Jeremy Goff later in the first round.
Below you'll find a list of every quarterback to be drafted in the top 10 picks of an NFL Draft since 1990 who went on to win the Super Bowl for the team that drafted them:
- Peyton Manning
- Eli Manning
That's it and that's all. So, here's to hoping that DePodesta takes a page from "Moneyball" and sits back and waits for another
1. "How can you not be romantic about baseball?"
As we wish DePodesta luck in his next professional chapter, we can't help but warn that he'll likely grow nostalgic for the crunch of dirt beneath his shoes and the buzz of an MLB ballpark on that first warm day of spring. The crack of the bat, the seventh-inning stretch, that one rain delay in late August when all the players go sliding on the tarp ... We get that football's exciting and all, but it's hard not to be romantic about baseball.
