Newsletter: Welcoming Scott DiBenedetto to BFB and talking through his time inside Berea

How I got here. From Buffalo to Berea and Beyond.

(Photo - Cleveland Browns)

Hey everyone, Scott here — the new guy. I want to introduce myself to the Browns Film Breakdown audience before I start churning out college player evaluations, free agent breakdowns, and other pieces on how I think the Browns should attack the offseason.

I could also write about my thoughts on the current regime (the same one that let me go), but that might take a while…

The short version is that I worked in the building for the Browns’ Personnel Department for seven years (2016-2023) as a Scouting Assistant and Coaching Analyst. I saw three general managers and four head coaches if you count Gregg Williams (five if you count Mike Preifer in the playoff game), and I loved getting paid to watch and talk football at the highest level.

The longer version starts outside of Buffalo, NY where I grew up. I graduated from Williamsville North High School in 2009 and chose John Carroll University (Go Streaks) for its business school and football team. JCU is about three hours from my house so it was an easy sell for my parents as they could come to see me and be home on the same day.

I graduated in 2013 with a finance degree (which hasn’t been used in my professional career) and four years of college football experience as a defensive tackle. I knew I wanted to pursue professional football but also knew my playing days were behind me, so after graduating I moved home to work Buffalo Bills Training Camp as a Camp Operations Intern.

Although that job only lasted six weeks, it was the coolest thing I had ever done. Behind the scenes, I worked with the full-time operations staff to make camp run smoothly and interacted daily with scouts, coaches, and executives. Current Browns’ Scout Shawn Heinlen was with the Bills in 2013 and spoke with the Operations Interns about life as a college scout. I didn’t fall in love with scouting at that point, but Shawn gave us some great advice.

(Photo - Cleveland Browns)

After camp wrapped, I started coaching offensive and defensive line at my high school. The coaching staff I played for was still there so it was an easy transition. A week later I got an email from someone in the Browns’ Personnel Department asking if I had any interest in the team’s recently launched research project. I honestly never wanted to leave Cleveland after graduating from JCU and applied for a ticket sales position with the Browns (which I never heard back about), so I would have jumped at any chance to get my foot in the door with the team.

For the next three years, I coached and worked from Buffalo as a contractor for the Browns, learning the team’s data charting system. The only position charted my first year was quarterback but over the next two years, the project grew to every position other than running back and specialists. I got more responsibility each year and was hired full-time in June 2016.