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3 Rumors that won’t go away for the Cleveland Browns in 2020

By Greg Newland

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 02: Under laser lights, Jadeveon Clowney #90 of the Seattle Seahawks is introduced before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at CenturyLink Field on December 02, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. The Seattle Seahawks won, 37-30. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 02: Under laser lights, Jadeveon Clowney #90 of the Seattle Seahawks is introduced before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at CenturyLink Field on December 02, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. The Seattle Seahawks won, 37-30. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /
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Cleveland Browns
TAMPA, FL – CIRCA 2011: In this handout image provided by the NFL, Alex Van Pelt of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers poses for his NFL headshot circa 2011 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by NFL via Getty Images) /

1. Kevin Stefanski will call plays

Perhaps the biggest mistake of Freddie Kitchens in his short tenure as head coach of the Browns was trying to call plays. At times he looked rattled and appeared to be overwhelmed by too many duties. First-year head coach Kevin Stefanski will face the same difficult decision this year. Should he call plays or hand the duties to offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt.

Van Pelt has had success with Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals as well as Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. There’s no doubt he can call plays; he just needs to have the trust of Stefanski. After seeing the dysfunction in 2019 many fans would prefer the play-calling to be delegated to Van Pelt.

Maybe Stefanski could handle both, but after hand-picking Van Pelt to be his offensive coordinator, it would be a sign of good faith to allow him to call plays. Stefanski will still have his staple on the offense but can focus all his attention on game management, which has a history of being mishandled in Cleveland.

Stefanski has made it clear he will decide before the first regular-season game, but a shortened offseason may hurt Van Pelt’s chances with limited time to prove he is the guy. Stefanski likely already knows which way he will go but will enjoy letting the media wonder.

With a talented roster, there will be pressure from the ownership and fans to win now.  While some first-year head coaches may have a longer leash, Stefanski knows the time to win is now.

Next. 3 contract extensions that need to be done in Cleveland. dark

This additional pressure could be enough to keep Stefanski from giving it up. Winning will solve all these concerns, but don’t look for this to go away until Stefanski announces a decision.

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