Tag Archives: Kevin Stefanski

Just what are the Browns at the bye?

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What exactly are the Cleveland Browns?

There are times such as Monday night that the Cleveland Browns look like they are a complete unit and play competitively against any team in the league. There are other games which they appear to be outmatched and outcoached with no business being on the field. This high level of variance makes evaluating this team particularly difficult.

Offense

Offensively they have shown to be an efficient unit that can put up points. Cleveland’s 25 points per game is tied for sixth in the league as their rushing attack ranks third (164.6 YPG) and passing game is 19th (221.1 YPG).

The Browns offense was the side of the ball that most were concerned with coming into the season. This was due to having Deshaun Watson suspended for 11 games and having to roll with Jacoby Brissett as their quarterback. Brissett has performed admirably and given Cleveland plenty of opportunities to win games, even with his tendency to have the occasional cringeworthy play.

Luckily this side of the ball features the NFL’s best running back in Nick Chubb. Chubb leads the league in rushing (841 yards), rushing touchdowns (10), and rushes for 20 or more yards (9). If Cleveland is going to somehow remain relevant this season it will have to be on the back of Chubb.

Also helping their cause is the performance of Amari Cooper. Cooper has been better than anyone could have imagined with 39 receptions for 553 yards and five touchdowns. Currently Cooper is on pace to have one on his better seasons. If he is able to continue at his current pace Cooper would finish with 83 receptions for 1,174.7 yards, and 11 touchdowns, a new high for touchdowns by three.

Cleveland’s offensive performance week in and week out is far from the biggest issue here. While game plan can be questionable at times, it has largely been successful.

Defense

This is where things turn sour. The Browns defense is allowing 24.9 points per game which is the sixth-most in the league. While it is just under Cleveland’s offensive output average, that is due to a couple lopsided games (both ways) and four of their five losses coming by just nine points. The yards per game departments do not appear to be all that bad, 331.4 total (12th-fewest), 208.3 passing (12th-fewest), and 123.1 rushing (13th-most), this is a case of yards per game numbers not telling the whole story.

There are plenty of marquee names on this defense and on paper they look to be one of the better teams in the league there are clear issues. The names on the Browns defense suggest it should be a better unit, but they have usually been a disappointment this season. Blame falls on multiple fronts here. From Andrew Berry to Joe Woods to the players themselves. Berry did not address the defensive interior in an adequate manner. Woods’ scheme and coaching has been a disaster. The players have blown coverages and appear lost on a near weekly basis. This is a problem and will continue to be until it is addressed in an adequate manner.

The only saving grace for this side of the ball is Myles Garrett. Garrett’s 7.5 sacks is fifth in the league, and eight tackles for loss ranks fourth. The performance of Garrett each and every week keeps this Cleveland defense from being completely useless.

Special teams

The Brown special teams continue to be less than special. Penalties at crucial times, blocked/tipped kicks, and bad decisions in the return game have been Mike Preifer’s calling card. To be blunt Priefer is bad at his job and should no longer be employed.

Coaching

This is where things get tricky. Kevin Stefanski is an excellent play and scheme designer. Play-calling is certainly above average. This may not be the most popular statement, but in game decision making and overall management of the game is incredibly average. There are times when it appears that Stefanski just lacks a feel for the game. With the way the Browns go about their business feel is not something that will be taken into account very often. The result is a lot of advanced metrics that absolutely love their decision making even though it can be questionable at times. Overall Stefanski appears to be a solid coach with areas he is strong in and others that need improvement.

Outlook

Cleveland is 3-5 and have three tough games on their schedule following their bye. The Browns will take on Miami and Buffalo on the road before coming home to face Tampa Bay. These are not games that Cleveland should be favored in and for good reason. These are clearly superior opponents who will likely give the Browns more than they can handle. Should Cleveland somehow win one or even two of these games things will get interesting. Watson returns in Week 13 as they embark on a slightly less difficult stretch against Houston, Cincinnati, Baltimore, New Orleans, Washington, and Pittsburgh, four of which are on the road.

The win over Cincinnati certainly gives Cleveland some life, but the early inexcusable losses may have put them too far behind the eight ball to go on a meaningful six-game run with Watson.

Stefanski: “we’ll see” about two key Browns

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When asked about the status of two key players, Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said “we’ll see” about their availability.

The steep hill the Browns are currently climbing in regards to Thursday’s game against Pittsburgh may have gotten just a bit steeper. Head coach Kevin Stefanski stated “we’ll see” in regards to Joel Bitonio and Myles Garrett.

This is hardly the news anyone wants to hear. Jadeveon Clowney has already been ruled out for the game against the Steelers and have subsequently placed Chase Winovich and Jesse James on injured reserve. While it is not necessarily time to sound the alarm about the Browns depth for Thursday, it is more than acceptable to acknowledge the button that sounds the alarm is in the room. There is plenty of time for Garrett and Bitonio to recover, but they are up against the clock.

Kevin Stefanski to call plays next year

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The Cleveland Browns head coach has stated that he will retain play calling duties.

If there was any question in regards to who would call plays for the Cleveland Browns in 2022 it has been answered. Kevin Stefanski said that he will call plays next season.

Kevin Stefanski enjoyed an outstanding first year in Cleveland with near perfect play calling and execution. There was a predictable step back in year two, mostly because requesting perfection is unreasonable. Year three should provide somewhere in the middle between year one and two if things go correctly.

While there may have been some hoping for a different play caller in 2022, Kevin Stefanski has rightfully held on to this particular area. The reason why Cleveland hired Stefanski in the first place was because of his offensive scheme and play calling ability. If the Browns are not going to have Stefanski call the plays why even have him be the coach in the first place? Once that is asked to anyone who questions this decision, the reason becomes crystal clear. Or at least it should for those who do not take up residence in a world of delusion.

Grading the Browns 2021-22 season

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The Cleveland Browns fell short of expectations during the 2021-22 NFL season and their grades will reflect that. Part of going from an average team to a good or even great team is having certain standards that are met. After going 11-5 last season, Cleveland regressed resulting in a disappointing 8-9 record.

Offense: D

Offensively the Browns were challenged for the majority of the season. Cleveland barely eclipsed the 20 points per game barrier (20.5), ranking 20th overall in the NFL. A five point drop-off from last season, this was not an offensive unit that struck fear in the heart of defenses. A large part of that was the regression in the play of Baker Mayfield. While Mayfield did deal with injuries, they were not the only reason for the decline in performance. The only reason this unit does not get an F grade is that Nick Chubb is still a fantastic running back who can make game changing plays.

Defense: C+

There was one area on the Cleveland Browns that was a glaring issue last season, defense. Cleveland went out and added some much needed talent on that side of the ball. By signing John Johnson III, Jadeveon Clowney, Troy Hill, and Anthony Walker in addition to drafting Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Greg Newsome, this defense was able to take a step forward. Cleveland’s defensive DVOA took a massive jump from 25th last season to 11th this season. Even still, this was not a unit that was enforcing their will on their opponent in the manner that is thought of when dominant defenses are discussed.

Specials Teams: F

The less said about this unit, the better. This team still has kicking issues (kicker and punter) and the return game was a disaster from the start. More turnover in this overlooked unit should be expected this offseason as they are not currently close to having the answer in this department.

Coaching: B-

Kevin Stefanski was about as close to perfect during the 2020-21 season. Stefanski’s near perfection resulted the Browns best season in decades. Unfortunately, perfection was the only way that this team would get back to where they were last season. The reality is that it is just an unfair expectation to thrust upon a coach. While Stefanski was not perfect and did struggle in some areas this season, a lot of that has to do with being hamstrung on the offensive side of the ball. Dealing with subpar quarterback play and a wide receiver who was let go midseason did not help. Stefanski put together a good scheme and game plan for the majority of the season. The problem was that while plays were there to be made, the team failed to execute when called upon.

At the end of the day this team was not good enough. Part of that is team construction while another is not being able perform on a weekly basis. There is only so much this team can do as currently constructed and changes will be needed if they want to achieve their loftiest goals next season.

Kevin Stefanski clears COVID protocols

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The Cleveland Browns head coach has cleared COVID protocols and returned to the team.

Kevin Stefanski is back. After missing his first regular season game and second game overall as Browns head coach, Stefanski has cleared COVID protocols and is back in the building.

The timing could not be better in what appears to be a make or break for the Browns and their season. If the Browns are going to stand a chance against Green Bay on Saturday, having Kevin Stefanski involved as much as possible can only help.

Kevin Stefanski tests positive for COVID-19

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The Cleveland Browns head coach has tested positive for COVID-19.

Kevin Stefanski is the latest member of the Cleveland Browns organization to test positive for COVID-19. The Browns head coach has tested positive one day after eight players were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

If Kevin Stefanski is unable to produce two negative tests by Saturday, Mike Prefer will be acting head coach with Alex Van Pelt calling plays. This is not a foreign situation for the Browns as Stefanski was unable to be on the sidelines for their playoff victory over the Steelers last season.

Cleveland is currently under enhanced NFL protocols and daily testing is likely to produce more positive results before Saturday’s game against Las Vegas.

Browns at the bye week

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The Cleveland Browns are 6-6 at the bye and there are a lot of things to consider in regards to how their disappointing season has unfolded so far.

There was always a possibility that the Cleveland Browns would regress this season and that is exactly what is happening. Teams that have employed an offensive scheme like Kevin Stefanski typically take a step back in year two as opposing defenses adjust to their game plan. That is exactly what has happened in Cleveland as the offense is not playing up to expectations and the defense has been a massive disappointment.

Kevin Stefanski and play calling 

Last season Kevin Stefanski was as close to perfect as a coach can get in the play calling department. Problem is that expecting that year in and year out is not realistic. Being perfect is not sustainable and the reality is that is playing out in real time. The Browns offense has not lived up to the lofty expectations that were put upon them and it really is not all that surprising. This team was due to take a step back and they have, a big reason is that the play from the quarterback position has been pitiful.

While there are some calling for Alex Van Pelt to call plays, that is a foolish endeavor. The reason the Browns hired Stefanski in the first place was for his offense and his play calling ability. If Cleveland is going to turn over play calling to Van Pelt they might as well fire Stefanski on the spot. If that sounds ridiculous that is because it is and it should be not under serious consideration.

Baker Mayfield has flopped in a prove it year

After showing that he is an avenge quarterback in his first year in the Stefanksi system, Baker Mayfield set himself up to take the next step and prove he is a franchise quarterback. Mayfield has largely been a liability and is costing himself more and more money as each week progresses. The Browns passing game is not a threat to anyone and the way that opposing defenses have lined up have proven that. Cleveland routinely faces stacked boxes forcing the offense to beat them with the arm of Mayfield, something that has not happened often enough.

A lot of this falls back on what was mentioned above, Stefanski being perfect. Stefanski put Mayfield in the right spot and designed plays with easy throwing decisions resulting in a productive, but not flashy passing attack. A major part of that was designed rollouts for Mayfield, something that has been taken away by virtually every defense this season. The book has been out on how to make Mayfield ineffective for quite some time, keep him in the pocket and make him try and see over players taller than him. Mayfield is too short to be a pocket passer which is why the rollouts are so essential to him being an adequate quarterback. Without the rollouts Mayfield is almost unplayable and that has limited what the Browns can do through the air.

At the end of the day the only way Mayfield is able to be average is when everything is just right and when it is not he is one of the worst quarterbacks in the league. Currently the latter is the one currently making weekly appearances for Cleveland.

Browns need receiving help badly

What once appeared to be a strength for the Browns is a glaring weakness. Cleveland does not have a good enough group of pass catchers to make things work with Baker Mayfield. Even when Odell Beckham Jr. was on the team the group was still lacking. Beckham was the only receiver who could consistently create the separation required for Mayfield to even attempt a throw, but for some bizarre reason he never looked in his direction.

The best receiver on the Browns at this time is Jarvis Landry by a large margin. While Landry is a good receiver, he is more of a possession/slot type and not the X that the team used to have in Beckham. Donovan Peoples-Jones has been inconsistent, Anthony Schwartz is a work in progress, and Rashard Higgins is a complete non-factor.

As far as the tight ends go, this is not a great group. Austin Hooper is the most consistent of the group, but is not player that was promised when signed prior to 2020. Harrison Bryant has a bright future and has shown some flashes, but is a probably a year away from getting a prominent role. As far as David Njoku is concerned, he is the same guy he has always been. In year five Njoku is still an incredibly raw player who has not been able to put it all together to become a reliable target in the passing game. This season should be his last in a Browns uniform.

With all of that said this team needs to overhaul this group this offseason in addition to making a change at quarterback.

Myles Garrett is fantastic

Now for something positive, Myles Garrett has been excellent this season. The current league leader in sacks with 14, Garrett has been the only player on the Browns defense that has been reliable week in and week out. The only reason this defense really has a chance at doing anything positive at any point comes back to Garrett.

Team is undisciplined and that’s a massive problem

The Cleveland Browns are one of the most penalized teams in the NFL. With 85 penalties, only the Cowboys , Panthers, and Raiders have seen more flags. The -199 net penalty yards is the second worst differential in the league, only behind Tampa Bay. Cleveland’s 34 pre-snap penalties is the most in the NFL and their 100 total flags are third-most. Committing penalties is the easiest way to lose a game and that is what has happened plenty of times this season. As long as Cleveland continues to be undisciplined they will continue to be fighting an uphill battle that is impossible to win.

Rest of season outlook

The Browns have five games left this season and while there is still technically a chance they can make the postseason, it is not realistic. Cleveland faces Baltimore, Las Vegas, Green Bay, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati after they come back after the bye. This is not an ideal schedule for an incredibly inconsistent team attempting to navigate this gauntlet of a schedule to make the postseason. The remainder of the season is going to be more about player evaluation moving forward than playoff aspirations and should be treated as such.

 

Kevin Stefanski won’t bench Baker Mayfield

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When asked about a potential quarterback change, Kevin Stefanski instantly shot down any possibility of that happening.

It has been quite clear to anyone who has watched the Cleveland Browns this season that a large portion of their struggles fall on the shoulders of Baker Mayfield. Mayfield has been a liability offensively for the majority of the season and that is due to a combination of lack of ability and injuries. Coming into Sunday night’s game Mayfield apparently said it was the healthiest he has felt in weeks. While anyone with eyes could see he is still clearly hurt, there are other non-injury related thing still holding this team back. Yet, Kevin Stefanski continues to trot him out there week after week.

During the postgame press conference, Kevin Stefanski was asked about a potential quarterback change. Stefanski immediately shot down that option with his response.

Kevin Stefanksi is standing firm on his decision to continue to play Baker Mayfield. Mayfield has not been playing at an acceptable level for some time now. Since returning after missing Week 7, Mayfield is completing just 56.1% of his passes, averaging just 187.8 yards per game with five touchdowns and three interceptions in addition to being sacked 11 times. Mayfield’s 6.7 yards per attempt over that span is a full yards below his season average of 7.7.

Everyone is very much aware that Mayfield is holding this team back more often than not. While it is admirable that Kevin Stefanski continues to fall on his sword for his quarterback, there comes a time when enough is enough. Stefanski needs to realize that if he keeps taking the blame for the shortcomings of the quarterback that he could be in the sights of an unpredictable owner looking to make a change. Considering the season is essentially over, it is self preservation time for Stefanski and he needs to realize that before it’s too late.