An ironic solution to Kevin Stefanski's issues on offense

The 2020 NFL Season was Cleveland Browns Kevin Stefanski's first year as a head coach. After two seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, the Browns were impressed enough with his system and scheme to give him the keys to the Baker Mayfield show.

That first year, the Browns finished fifth in rushing touchdowns, 18th in reception TDs, and 21st in total TDs. They also made the playoffs and defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 48-37. This marked the first playoff appearance for the browns since 2002, and the first playoff victory since 1994, almost three decades prior. It was refreshing to see the Browns run up the score on their divisional rival. Stefanski would win his first of two NFL Coach of the Year awards.

The problem is; that Stefanski didn't call the plays; Alex Van Pelt did. If you remember, Stefanski tested positive for COVID-19, and while he was certainly a part of the game plan, he was not present for the game itself. Mayfield completed 21 of 34 passes for 263 yards, 3 TDs, and 0 INTs.

Nick Chubb rushed 18 times for 76 yards and was complimented by Kareem Hunt, eight for 48 yards. It was a defensive domination, where the offense could capitalize on every opportunity; almost exactly the opposite of the current Browns team. That's why it's fair to ask if he needs to relinquish this job going forward.

1. Always blaming himself, but never held responsible

The 2021 season was pivotal for Stefanski's tenure in Cleveland as the offseason heading into 2022 was full of many changes. After failing to make the playoffs in his sophomore season, Stefanski moved on from former Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods.

Firing Woods was well received among the fanbase mostly due to the roster potential compared to their performance. To make things even better, Stefanski hired well-regarded coordinator Jim Schwartz. Woods' defenses in Cleveland ranked 10th and 15th overall, respectively.

During that same span; Stefanski's offense was ranked 16th in 2020, and 18th in 2021. Fans called for Stefanski to relinquish play-calling after the 2021 season. Instead, the Browns traded fan-favorite quarterback Baker Mayfield, allowed Jarvis Landry to walk in free agency, and added Deshaun Watson and Amari Cooper through trades. That was supposedly the key to fixing the team — defensive coaching and offensive personnel changes.

In 2022, the Browns offense ranked 13th in the NFL, with a combination of Jacoby Brissett and Deshaun Watson at QB. The defense ranked 10th. In 2023, the Browns defense was the number one defense in the NFL, while the offense ranked 16th.

Stefanski, however, earned much praise for making the playoffs and being the only team in NFL history to do so with four different starting QBs after the season-ending injury to Watson. Again, all seemed well for Stefanski who was unknowingly on his way to his second NFL Coach of the Year award.

Except the Browns would get embarrassed against the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round. Many speculated different reasons, such as resting players for the final game or injuries finally catching up; regardless, Stefanski decided to fire offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt in the offseason. Van Pelt was not responsible for the play calls on that horrendous day.

He did, however, most definitely influence the development and preparation of each QB that suited up on Sundays. Van Pelt then became another fall guy for Stefanski, who was simply outcoached by Texans rookie HC DeMeco Ryans.

2. The 2024 Browns look overwhelmed in all phases of the game

Stefanski had a plethora of options to fill the vacant coordinator position in 2023, and some more qualified than even himself to be calling plays. That seemed to be the issue though, as Stefanski decided to hire former Bills OC Ken Dorsey, who was fired after just a season and a half in Buffalo. Dorsey had something that Stefanski liked, possibly even more than whatever they discussed during the interview process; he was not a threat to take over the play-calling duties. Currently, the Browns sit with the 31st-ranked offense in the NFL after only three weeks.

Stefanski made the worst possible comment during Week 1, on live TV, about his decision to fire Van Pelt, and hire Dorsey; to "take the Browns' offense from good, to great." The comment has aged terribly, and instead, fans are pointing fingers at whom to blame: the offensive line, the QB, the receivers dropping the balls, the lack of a dominant runner; and even the defense, which is currently still a top-10 unit, is getting criticized. So now, two elements of the Browns (offensive line and defense), which were elite in 2023, are the catalyst to destruction this season?

With the terrible offensive play, Stefanski is focusing more of his time and energy on the offense and trying to figure out some way to breathe life into the unit. The only time the Browns' offense has appeared in any capacity, as good, is the first drive of the game, each game. Remember Freddie Kitchens and the criticism he received for his ability to get the offense going outside the first drive?

The ability to make in-game adjustments has been completely disregarded, and instead, Cleveland has been stubborn in their attempt to make their game plan work. We won't even deep dive into the fact that the receivers, known for creating separation, are getting none, or consider the fact that the numerous illegal shift/motion penalties on the offense; potentially mean that Stefanski's plays are taking too long to develop.

In Week 3, for some reason, Stefanski opted to try and throw deep against the New York Giants, consistently. Watson was sacked eight times before he realized that the QB didn't have enough time to wait for the plays to develop and receivers to get open.

It wasn't until the fourth quarter that Watson finally got into a groove, and Cleveland seemed poised for a comeback. For some reason, when the short to intermediate plays were working, and Watson was driving the ball well, Stefanski decided to start dialing up the long ball again which led to incompletions and forcing fourth and long scenarios. Browns fans shouldn't be discussing how much the drop by Cedric Tillman killed the game. Instead, they should focus on the three terrible play calls before putting the ball in your rookie receiver's hands with the game on the line.

3. The offense can't get much worse

The bad news, Browns fans, is that we may not necessarily be at rock bottom, yet. With the 31st overall ranked offense, there's still one more spot we can fall to, which is currently owned, ironically, by Van Pelt and the New England Patriots.

There are two sides to a potential argument here; one being that Van Pelt is not a better play-caller than Stefanski, and Stefanski was right in firing him and/or never allowing him to call plays. The other side is that Cleveland entered the season on polar opposite sides of New England in terms of expectations. Cleveland's offense gained much credit, due largely, to the ability to produce wins with different QBs.

The roster in Cleveland is substantially better than New England, and we cannot forget that the Browns entered the season with an "elite" offensive line. From what we have seen so far from the offensive line, the loss of Bill Callahan in the offseason, and failure to replace him correctly, will haunt the team for the remainder of 2024.

At this point, through all the changes in coaches, players, and now "schemes"; the only thing that has remained is Stefanski calling the plays on offense. He's consistently telling reporters that it starts with him, but we never really see much change from him.

If the offensive line is so bad, maybe it is time to stop with the "next man up" mentality, and the bland, "we trust the guys we put in the game", and start dialing up some plays that protect your QB, and take the pressure off your 12th string tackles. Van Pelt never got the opportunity to call plays outside the Wild Card victory; Dorsey likely won't either, and if things do not change quickly, Dorsey will most likely serve as the OC for only one season under Stefanski before being canned.

We give a lot of credit to a coach who has never managed a top-10 offense, even though they're paid as a top-three unit. If Stefanski gave up the play-calling; maybe the entire team would play better with a HC who can focus on managing the game and the big picture. Maybe Stefanski should do the only thing he hasn't tried yet; letting someone else run the offense.

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