Stefanski has Cleveland Browns playing the right way heading into Pittsburgh
By Josh Brown
At 4-1, the Cleveland Browns are finally progressing
The Cleveland Browns are coming off their biggest win of the season after beating the Indianapolis Colts. They are now 4-1 under new head coach Kevin Stefanski and playing football the right way. The Steelers are 4-0 and coming off a 38-29 win over the Eagles. They continue to win games as they have done, with one of the best defenses in the NFL.
Do we finally have a rivalry again? Do the Browns have a chance to head into Heinz field and win? In short, yes!
Head Coach Kevin Stefanski
Cleveland has defied expectations since that opening loss in Baltimore and look like a genuinely prepared team every week. This team now has the leader in head coach Kevin Stefanski to beat anyone on any given Sunday. All the questions Cleveland fans had when Paul DePodesta hired Stefanski, and it was many, seem to have been answered so far.
Stefanski has shown he can handle the strong personalities and mold this team into a winner. He has built strategic game plans to attack the weaknesses of the teams the Browns have faced while still sticking to what his offense does best. Stefanski also has his team laser-focused on what makes them a winner.
The coaching handbook is, win the turnover battle, run the football, and stop the run. Stefanski has preached this message from day one to his players. Are the Browns false gold? Where do they stand in the ‘three pillars of winning football?’
Penalties
While not one of the three things coaches call out how to win, this was a major issue in 2019. Per The Football Database, the Browns have been penalized 29 times through five games and rank nineteenth in the NFL. Last year they opened the season with 18 penalties and had 48 through five games.
That’s a drastic improvement from last season, especially since eight of them came in the opening game against Baltimore. There haven’t been any dumb undisciplined penalties that were a staple of last year’s team. Stefanski and his coaches have instilled a strong level of discipline before, during, and after plays.