We have gone on record saying we do not want the Cleveland Browns to fire Kevin Stefanski. But that doesn’t mean the coach doesn’t have things he needs to adjust in his style going into next season.
We have alluded to this before, but it’s a bit unfair to hang this year’s win-loss record on the head coach because we wonder if the front office was all in on winning in 2022 after the suspension of Deshaun Watson.
There are those who question Stefanski’s ability as a “leader of men” and we think that’s unfair because we don’t know how he reacts with the players on a daily basis. Football fans love the “in your face” style of coaches like Bill Cowher and Dan Campbell, but in a lot of cases, that wears thin after a while.
Earlier in the year, when the defense was playing poorly, we wanted Stefanski to be proactive and say he was going to get involved with the defensive game plan, in other words, be responsible for the entire operation and not just the offense, which sometimes it feels like.
We get the Browns are very tightlipped in matters like this, and perhaps Stefanski has had many conversations with Woods, but it would be nice to know he sees the same things we all see.
The coach also needs to improve in this area: You don’t always have to be the smartest guy in the room. This is an issue with a lot of young coaches, and the good ones learn from it. We think sometimes the obvious decision is the right decision.
Decisions like kicking field goals on the road early in games. We know the numbers probably say to go for it at times, but if you are going to take the human element out of things, you really don’t need a head coach.
The analytics thing actually goes toward the entire organization. The Browns were recently said to be the organization that uses the number more than anyone.
We aren’t anti-analytics, but it shouldn’t be the only way of reaching decisions any more than the old school coaching system would be. It should be a mixture, and by the way, that should apply to all sports. The more information from all areas the better.
We would also like to see the coach be more proactive rather than reactive. He seems to go away from the strengths of his team too soon. Again, from last Sunday, the Browns scored their only touchdown on three straight plays to David Njoku. We feel the tight end should be one of the focal points of the offense. We know he’s had injury issues, but when he’s healthy, maybe he should get the most targets.
Kind of a “ride the hot hand” mentality.
Most people get better at their job the longer they do it. Coaches don’t get a long leash these days, but it certainly isn’t the Hue Jackson 1-15 and 0-16 seasons for the Browns.
If the Browns win their last four games, and they have a solid chance to do just that, they will finish 9-8, a slight improvement from last year.
We would like to see Stefanski make some changes to his coaching staff going into 2023 and then re-evaluate him. If he doesn’t want to make changes, that might give you the answer we are looking for.
Also, notice we didn’t say anything about his demeanor in interviews or press conferences. The way he handles these is not going to change, and quite frankly, we are stunned people are still upset by his monotone cliche answers. That has nothing to do with his ability to coach.
Cleveland Sports Perspective 