Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam was always one of Kevin Stefanski's biggest supporters. He gave him a contract extension just before the 2024 NFL season, and he had his back through the criticism.
However, there was just no way he could justify keeping Stefanski in town after winning a grand total of eight games over the last two seasons. Now, with Stefanski poaching multiple former Browns to join him with the Atlanta Falcons, it seems like Haslam has changed his stance on his former head coach.
Right before introducing Todd Monken as the 19th head coach in franchise history, the controversial owner took a not-so-subtle jab at Browns analyst Terry Pluto.
Notably, Stefanski may have also caught a stray there.
“Do I expect we will win more games? I do. And I think we’ll have a better football team. And I think it’ll be — what does Terry (Pluto) say? They’re ugly to watch. We’re not gonna be ugly to watch,” Haslam said.
Jimmy Haslam expects the Browns to do better under Todd Monken
Truth be told, the bar isn't particularly high. Stefanski's Browns were a tough watch for the past couple of seasons, to say the least. The offense was one of the worst in the game, and a so-called offensive guru could never figure things out.
Granted, he wasn't the only one to blame for the state of the team. If anything, he did what he could with the hand he was given, and some won't hesitate to say that GM Andrew Berry should've probably lost his job as well.
That said, the lack of discipline, accountability, preparation, and improvement ultimately falls on the head coach. Not even Bill Belichick was able to survive when his team wasn't winning, so it was simply time to move on from Stefanski.
For years, NFL media and other teams' fans have argued that Stefanski would probably land another head coaching job right away if the Browns fired him. Time proved them right, but he now has to prove he's as good an offensive coach as his reputation states.
As things stand now, most people will simply assume that the Browns made a mistake and that they're the reason why Stefanski couldn't do much in Cleveland. He's also fueling that narrative by bringing in so many former Browns with him.
Regardless, it seems like Jimmy Haslam is confident that his Browns will be much better with Todd Monken.