A business trip: No home cooking for Kevin Stefanski in return to Minnesota

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski is returning to Minnesota Sunday to face the team that in essence raised him but for him, it’s a business trip

Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski was recently asked if he’d be visiting friends when he goes back to Minnesota this week, a familiar place to Stefanski, as he was an assistant Vikings coach since 2006. His response as reported by Hayden Grove of Cleveland.com was “This is a business trip.”

That got me thinking about whenever you used to book a hotel room back in the day, the hotel operator on the line would ask, “Is your trip for business or pleasure?” I always laughed at this question because I’ve been an educator for the past 30 years and my only trips to a hotel were for relaxation and fun.

Maybe you’re one of those business travels that I’d see on the plane with your laptops open typing away another email. Good job on doing your job well and sticking to the business of the moment.

For Stefanski though, this is all business and if the Browns hope to bring back a victory, then they need to follow their coach’s approach.

With that being said, Stefanski has a lengthy history with the team the Browns are about to do battle with Sunday. His players know that as Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield remarked about the moment as reported by Tom Withers of the Associated Press, “14 years is a long time.”

Stefanski has always been about structure, detailed in his steps and yet always in tune with his players, which has made him a player favorite in the NFL. His former Vikings running back Dalvin Cook said recently about his former coach (reported by Camryn Justice of News channel 5 in Cleveland),

"“He let us be us …. He knows how to deal with his players. Knows how to communicate with his players. Knows how to turn us loose during the game….you see the way he doing that on the Browns turning those guys loose.”"

I expect emotions to be high for both teams Sunday as Stefanski’s has played an important role in both organizations. So having this business trip approach will hopefully be helpful to him and his Browns team by kickoff. Here’s what I imagine Stefanski has going as he prepares for the big game Sunday

Kevin Stefanski Business Trip: Have an itinerary

I’m sure the details are there in the Cleveland Browns itinerary but it’s an important first step to the business trip. It’s unlikely that the players on Stefanski’s team are being given free passes to explore the area on their own time, instead, I see a “lights off at 11”  kind of directive.

This type of trip itinerary also allows the players to anticipate every aspect of the trip. I remember when my daughter, who played basketball in college would travel with her team on the road that the itinerary was always helpful to her and her teammates to give them some of that needed structure for a young team.

Kevin Stefanski Business Trip: Get rest

With any type of business trip it’s important you get rest so that you can be sharp at your job, in this case tackling the opponent at the 50-yard line. The Vikings are in the central time zone, it’s not California but it’s still a shift in time.

So the Browns need to be prepared to go an hour earlier than they are used to. The following week the Browns are in Los Angeles so adjusting now will help some in preparing for that game.