Browns General Manager Andrew Berry's Introductory Press Conference

New Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry had his introductory press conference on Wednesday and was asked questions about his present and future as well as questions dating back to his past with the Browns under Executive Vice President Sashi Brown.

After thanking a long list of people for the opportunity to be the new general manager of the Cleveland Browns, Andrew Berry said he and head coach Kevin Stefanski formed a genuine friendship after meeting each other in the coaching search last year. 

Berry wants to push for diversity of experience and diversity of thought. Seemingly a nod toward his economics degree and the discipline of looking at problems from different angles, Berry wants to assemble people that can do that in an affable manner to come up with the best solutions to get this team to win. He does feel ready for the job, but doesn't expect to be perfect.

He mentioned his belief in the team due to their shared vision and belief in servant leadership. When he was asked to define vision, Berry noted it includes how they are going to build the team and play the game, then used Stefanski's intent to marry the pass and the run together, being quarterback friendly and emphasizing positions across the roster on offense as further examples. 

Berry touched on the culture of collaboration and their desire to have that throughout the football operation to achieve their goal of excellence on the field. Berry finished by talking about aiming for a courteous working environment that respects people at all levels and makes sure everyone works hard.

The opportunity to work with the Philadelphia Eagles was not a race to the top in his mind, but rather an opportunity to work with Howie Roseman, who he felt was the best general manager in the league. One of the things he took from the Eagles was really getting to know players on a personal level. Given how the Eagles seem to have one of the most tight knit organizations in the league within their locker room, that seems to be effective. An effort to eliminate some of the walls between the two sides and make it feel less like an 'us against them' dynamic and more of a 'we' effort likely plays into that.

Berry won't necessarily fill out the front office before the draft. He hinted that he likes some of the people already in the building, which could mean they promote from within, but Berry didn't seem interested in coming up with an artificial timeline that boxes him into a decision.

When it came to the current roster, Berry said he had his opinion of where things stand and will incorporate others in with it. He did say they have a young, strong foundation but that they still have work to do and they will look to add competition at every position.

Berry and Stefanski have met with Kareem Hunt, communicated their expectations for him going forward. It made it sound like he wants Hunt back, but he then pushed back slightly noting that players in general have to fit into their culture. He said they are excited to have Odell Beckham here and think their talks have been productive.

Regarding character and character risk in general, Berry said, "There's no perfect person. There's no perfect player," but the Browns want smart, tough, accountable players.

In terms of talent acquisition, Berry expects his approach to be defined as aggressive. He wouldn't get specific in terms of what that means, whether it's spending money in free agency, but just noted that they plan to look into every avenue to add talent to their team. Berry wouldn't get into specifics on pending free agents like Joe Schobert and Rashard Higgins, but wants great players and hopes to avoid dealing in a 'my guy' mentality.

Berry was asked a few times to address the 1-31 stretch and how things will be different. After expressing that the front office at that time was disappointed in the results and while they were trying to accumulate assets, they didn't expect to perform that badly. He stressed that winning is at the forefront at everyone's minds going forward. Specifically addressing the notion of tanking, again, Berry emphasized acquiring assets, but that winning was still an important part of the equation and they were disappointed on that front.

He was also asked specifically about drafting Corey Coleman and passing on Deshaun Watson. Berry refused to place blame on anyone or get into specific decisions, saying it was a collaborative decision making process. He doesn't hide from any of the blame that results from poor decisions, but hopes to establish his own record. This led into Baker Mayfield, who he was enthusiastic about and is excited to see what Stefanski is able to do with him in the coming months.