It seems like there is a new angst for Cleveland Browns fans even when the team is good, which the 2021 edition of the brown and orange should be.
The latest is should the starters play in the final preseason game against Atlanta this weekend. Our response is simple. We trust Kevin Stefanski right now, and if he doesn’t think the starters need to play in this game, we trust him. He has earned that.
That isn’t to say he won’t ever lose it, but remember, no NFL teams played any exhibition contests a year ago, and for the Browns, it was a successful season.
Of course, Stefanski will be second guessed if his team doesn’t play well on September 12th when they visit Kansas City, and conversely, he will be hailed as a genius if the Browns beat the team that eliminated them from the playoffs last January.
We have heard people already saying Andy Reid is playing his quarterback and other starters in the preseason, but Reid has been around for a long time in the NFL and probably is a bit “old school” in that regard. He believes guys need to play.
Other coaches, like the Rams’ Sean McVay, believe starters get their reps in the training camp and there is no reason to expose them to injury in games that do not count. He’s a younger coach and perhaps Stefanski, also a young coach, feels the same way.
Imagine the starters play a quarter this Sunday night, and a key player goes down with an injury? That’s one reason why coaches don’t want to play the starters. On the other hand, guys go down in practice as well, and they don’t call off practice the ten days prior to the season opener.
We are sure everyone can recall LeCharles Bentley going down on the first day of training camp several years ago. Injuries can happen at any time.
But some coaches feel no need to expose starters to any extra game action. It’s the same reason coaches sit players at the end of the season if a post-season berth is clinched. There is no need to get hit for no reason.
So basically, it’s a no win situation for any coach, and the criticism only comes after the fact, like a loss in the opener against the Chiefs means starters should’ve played, they obviously weren’t sharp or if a key player has to miss time because of an injury, what was he doing out there in a meaningless game?
As for Stefanski’s decision, which hasn’t been announced yet, remember the starters did get to play in two days of scrimmaging against the Giants last week, so they did get action against another team, but in a more controlled setting. We expect that will become the norm as years go by, because quite frankly, the NFL could easily go to just two of these practice games.
It would not be surprising to us if the Browns’ starters have the same view of the game as we do Sunday night, that of spectators. However, if the coach thinks they need to get in there for a quarter or so, that’s fine too. In fact, we would probably do the latter.
And one other thing, if the Browns do lose to the Chiefs week one, it won’t be a shock.
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