Kevin Stefanski made it to the end of season three as the Cleveland Browns head coach but things have reached a boiling point
On a positive note, Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski made it through season three without being fired (as of this article being written). However, the way things have gone since his first year, there are definitely concerns for Stefanski — and we may have hit the boiling point.
There’s this belief out there that because the Browns have their new quarterback Deshaun Watson under center and back on the field after an 11-game suspension, Stefanski is safe to coach the team next season so as to give everyone a chance to work through a full year together. That may be true, but I’d be very concerned for the coach’s job security this offseason.
He finished worse in 2022 than 2021 as the Browns went 7-10 on the year. He has an overall 26-24 record, thanks in part to an 11-5 first-season record but hit his first bump in the road last year with an 8-9 mark.
You have to know that team owner Jimmy Haslam can’t be happy these days. There have been too many gut-wrenching losses over the last several seasons that we’ve witnessed Haslam visibly upset, like most of the fan base. While Stefanski still has his job, some things have really hurt him again this season that aren’t getting him any glowing endorsements from the top.
No. 3 issue with Kevin Stefanski: He misused Nick Chubb
This is not to try and say that Stefanski should have given Nick Chubb more rushing carries but the situations of when and where those carries were not utilized more by the coach has to be concerning. There’s an opinion of those that support Stefanski’s play calling decisions, especially when talking about carries for Chubb, that the team is behind in the game and losing and that the team has to revert to passing the ball.
However, that’s not always the case. In the game against the Steelers this weekend, Stefanski had Watson throw the ball 17 times in the first half and gave Chubb six carries. The game was close throughout the first half and the Browns had the lead midway through the second quarter.
In most of their games this year, they were close in the first half and yet we often looked at the box scores at halftime to see the discrepancies between the pass and run. At this point, those that are supporting Stefanski’s offensive schemes are pulling their hair out because Chubb had the best season yet statistically in terms of total yards gained with 1,525 and that shows that the Browns and Stefanski invested in the run game.
They may have invested in Chubb but there’s a growing opinion out there that Stefanski and his coaches left a lot of extra yards on the shelf.
No. 2 issue with Kevin Stefanski: Play calling
When you’re the coach of any sport you will be second-guessed by many regardless of wins and losses. That is no different for Kevin Stefanski. Some will say that Stefanski is a genius with his play-calling skills and that most of the problems with the Browns have more to do with the fact that the players aren’t executing. When the play goes well, we praise the player but when things go south, we blame them.
As these seasons have moved along there hasn’t been much improvement in the play-calling perception that Stefanski has helped create. While he might be brilliant in mind and can call plays in his sleep, that isn’t projecting onto the players on the field.
In addition, there still hasn’t been any consistency with the calls he makes. In one game he might go for every fourth down play regardless of distance and in other games, he foregoes the short fourth and short to punt.
In Week 17 against the Washington Commanders, he had his offense go for it on fourth and goal from the three-yard line early in the game instead of taking the three points on the field goal and the play failed. In the end, it didn’t hurt the Browns as they played a good second half and won 24-10.
But it’s the unpredictability of Stefanski’s calls that are difficult to understand. Maybe Stefanski thinks he’s outsmarting the opponent. Some of football is like playing a game of chess and outmaneuvering the opponent, but Stefanski should take some time to reflect on that part of his game because it’s not made his team better.
No. 1 issue with Kevin Stefanski: Not building a winner
Probably the worst thing to happen for Kevin Stefanski was that he got his team to win a lot in 2020. They went 11-5 and made the playoffs and then beat the Steelers in that first postseason appearance.
That moment set Stefanski up to fail from that point forward unless he would have been able to improve on that winning record and gotten back to the playoffs.
Of course, that first season could also be looked at as being the best thing to happen for Stefanski because they won and now it’s bought him some time to try and get things turned around. They have a new quarterback in Watson having played now in his sixth game after being on a very long two-year break. So, giving the coach and quarterback some more time to work out the kinks in the offense seems logical.
Whether you are of the first or second opinion, the fact is that the Browns are losing more than they are winning. They only went 7-10 this year and 8-9 the season before and that’s not sitting very well with anyone.
Many of the players have complained about a variety of issues and that’s not exactly a good thing to see on any team.
The latest bizarre situation happened this past week when defensive end Jadeveon Clowney decided to share his disdain for everything and threw his team under the bus. Stefanski, in turn, sent him packing and likely out of Cleveland for good. While the move by the coach was the right one, it just builds on the image that he and his team aren’t very cohesive.
For Stefanski, this season has concluded but the temperature in the room is very warm right now. That pot of hot simmering water is now on full boil for him and unless he chooses to try and work on some of these big issues, he’ll be gone at some point soon.
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