CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns went a little unconventional with the hiring of new assistant offensive line coach Scott Peters.
Although Peters played in the National Football League for seven years, most of his post-playing experience has come in the combat sports world of mixed martial arts and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, where he is a multi-time world champion, as well as training and skill development for football players and coaches.
“You can’t just say, ‘Hey, this is going to work,’” Peters said in the release announcing his hire. “You have to show them and let them feel it so they understand why. That’s one of the things that I think I do best.
“I think teaching is more than just standing there with a clipboard and a whistle. Demonstrations are huge. With my abilities as a former player and understanding situations, it’s invaluable. To try to articulate details, I don’t think I always had that when I was playing.
“I know the guys here have had a lot of coaches come through, and I think that building a really good brand identity for the O-line is such a big thing. It starts with the details and it starts with the foundation.”
Peters was a fourth-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles out of Arizona State University in 2002.
After one year with the Eagles, Peters played for the New York Giants (2003), San Francisco 49ers (2004) and Carolina Panthers (2006).
From 2007-2009, Peters was an offensive lineman for the Arizona Cardinals, where he helped the team win the 2008 NFC Championship Game and competed in Super Bowl XLIII.
Following his retirement from the game, Peters launched “Tip of the Spear,” a proprietary instructional system for coaches and players with the hope of teaching better technique to assist players in avoiding concussions and other serious football injuries while improving performance.
Peters has worked with hundreds of youth and high school programs and consulted with more than 50 NCAA and NFL teams.
“It's great to have a former player in that position because it's instant credibility with the players,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “I think his unique experience as a technician and how he comes at it from a different angle, from a Jiu Jitsu angle, really is a unique way to coach the players in terms of hand placement and hip movement.”
Peters will work alongside longtime NFL coach Bill Callahan, who was hired as the offensive line coach earlier this offseason. Callahan’s presence on the Browns’ coaching staff was a big selling point for Peters to join the organization, as it will allow him to get on-the-job training as he develops as an NFL coach.
“There’s not a better line coach in the game,” Peters said. “He gets his guys ready and I’m excited about the challenge here. I’m excited to be a part of it and get my hands on and be able to learn from Coach Callahan, and also, apply a lot of the things that I know that hopefully, could bring a lot of value to the team.
“I was blown away with his level of detail. We hit it off pretty well and kept in touch and had the opportunity to come here. There’s no better guy than Coach Callahan, and I’m excited to be a part of that.”
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