Jimmy Haslam on Kevin Stefanski, Jim Schwartz, Shedeur Sanders, and more: Transcript

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Browns managing and main partner Jimmy Haslam took questions from reporters connected Monday pinch respect to Kevin Stefanski’s firing, Jim Schwartz, Shedeur Sanders, and more.

Below is nan transcript arsenic provided by nan Browns media relations department:

• Where do nan Browns look for their adjacent caput coach? Tuesday’s Sports 4 CLE
• Andrew Berry connected Kevin Stefanski, coaching search, Shedeur Sanders, and more: Transcript
• Shedeur Sanders connected Kevin Stefanski, nan offseason, and more: Transcript

Opening Statement:

“Good morning, everyone. Personnel decisions, peculiarly pinch group astatine nan apical of an organization, are ever difficult. And I tin show you, having made a batch of these complete nan years, that this was arsenic difficult arsenic immoderate we’ve ever had to make because of nan value of nan personification involved. Organized, worked hard, navigated our vessel for six years done nan inevitable ups and downs that we look successful nan NFL – outstanding begetter and husband. And I deliberation moreover you all, who are astir a lot, astir apt underappreciate really overmuch clip we each walk together. And there’s thing much nosy than winning an NFL crippled for illustration we did nan past 2 weeks, beating our archrival (Pittsburgh) Steelers 2 weeks agone and past winning yesterday connected nan past play of nan crippled and seeing nan joyousness successful nan locker room. And there’s thing much distasteful than losing an NFL game. And it’s finite – you either triumph aliases you lose. And Kevin (Stefanski) did a batch of bully things present complete his clip play pinch us. It was an highly difficult determination we made. I shouldn’t opportunity I person nary doubt…I would beryllium highly optimistic that Kevin will beryllium a caput coach again successful nan league.

Now I want to move our attraction and talk to our fans. And I want you to perceive this, okay? First of all, ownership takes afloat work for wherever we are. To triumph 8 games successful 2 years is horrible – it’s wholly unacceptable and it’s not going to continue. And I want nan fans to cognize we are arsenic disappointment arsenic you are, and we perceive a batch from our fans, which we really appreciate. We person awesome fans, they’re highly passionate, and they merit amended than what they’ve gotten successful nan past 2 years. I don’t request to opportunity thing other – we are going to springiness you a amended product. Our sole extremity present is to beryllium a accordant winner, not make nan playoffs [only] successful ‘20 and past make it again successful ‘23, not triumph 8 games successful 2 years. That’s not what we’re trying to do, that’s not acceptable. Our fans merit better. We’ll commencement nan caput coach search, virtually this afternoon. Andrew Berry will lead that effort, cardinal members of his statement arsenic good arsenic ownership will beryllium progressive successful nan process. You each person been done these processes before, and I deliberation we person a bully scheme laid out. I want to remark connected Andrew because I cognize there’s questions retired location – well, why didn’t you alteration some of them? Or why didn’t you alteration Andrew and not Kevin? And I would opportunity this, I deliberation Andrew complete nan past twelvemonth has done a very bully job, and I want to spell done that because I deliberation it’s important to talk astir nan moves he made to fortify our team, okay? I deliberation it began pinch what I would telephone a very businesslike free agency. We added 1 player, and that subordinate made a important quality successful our shot squad and that was Maliek Collins. Maliek is not only a really bully player, he’s a really bully personification who is simply a leader connected our defense, a leader successful nan protect statement room. Andrew negotiated a waste and acquisition a week aliases 2 earlier nan draught started successful which we added 3 draught picks, 2 past year, a 2nd and a 4th aliases a 5th and a first this year, okay? Then I deliberation we had 1 of nan amended drafts that we’ve ever had. I deliberation we added 4 really bully shot players, who were either first squad All-Rookie, aliases 2nd squad All-Rookie and I deliberation Carson (Schwesinger) has a really bully chance to beryllium nan NFL Defensive Rookie of nan Year. I deliberation what’s important to understand astir our rookies though, and you each spot them, you each cognize them, they’re not only really bully players, they’re really bully people. And they will beryllium nan cornerstone pinch which we’ll build and turn and create this winning team. But I deliberation it would beryllium short sighted to not conscionable look astatine free agency, not conscionable look astatine nan draft, but besides to look astatine a mates of different moves Andrew made. We person struggled to person a accordant spot kicker here, really nan full clip we’ve owned nan squad and I conjecture nan measurement we started this year, you’d say, looks for illustration you’re continuing to struggle. Our grandsons were astatine nan game, we were coming backmost to Cleveland past night, and I said, ‘Andre Szmyt is simply a awesome instruction of erstwhile you fail, prime yourself up, persevere, and bully things will happen.’ And nan signing of Andre and bringing him on, holding pinch him that first week erstwhile everybody was saying ‘You request to trim him, you request a caller kicker,’ I deliberation we’ve hopefully solved our spot kicking woes for a agelong time. Quality person, nan squad believes successful him and we’re gladsome to person him. And past lastly, I deliberation thing that’s underappreciated was nan Tyson Campbell trade. Tyson is simply a really bully subordinate and a really bully person. And I deliberation each you request to cognize astir Tyson is he has been playing pinch a bad enarthrosis for respective weeks. We were unsure if he’s going to play, sewage wounded successful nan first half, he went in, sewage treatment, came backmost and tried to play successful nan 2nd half of a crippled wherever were trying to triumph our 5th crippled – it wasn’t for illustration were trying to make nan playoffs. I deliberation this twelvemonth we not only added, and I’m repeating myself connected purpose, really bully players, but besides really bully people. And I deliberation that halfway that Andrew has put together this twelvemonth will thief move america forward, we dream to person akin results this coming year. Let maine conscionable opportunity this – nan adjacent 120 days are important for nan organization, okay? We’ve sewage to find nan correct caput coach, we’ve sewage to beryllium businesslike again successful free agency, we person 10 draught picks, including 2 number ones, we person 4 of nan apical 4 picks successful nan apical 3 rounds, okay? And we’ve sewage to get really bully players who are really bully group again, we’ve sewage to beryllium opportunistic if waste and acquisition opportunities travel along. We are solely focused connected having a awesome 120 days truthful we tin commencement winning games astir here. All right, I’ll return questions.”

Jimmy (Haslam), did Kevin person immoderate chance erstwhile he came successful this greeting to prevention his occupation based connected nan truth that he’s had immoderate really challenging backmost situations, particularly this year?

“Yeah, I don’t deliberation those decisions are made over… I deliberation those decisions thin to beryllium made complete a play of time. And I’ll time off nan conversations we had pinch Kevin betwixt america because I deliberation he deserves that respect.”

Jimmy, will Jim Schwartz beryllium a campaigner for caput coach?

“You know, we haven’t looked astatine that yet. I would opportunity this, we deliberation a batch of Jim Schwartz.”

Jimmy, little than six months ago, you gave Kevin Stefanski and Andrew very large shows of support. You said that you request to rebuild nan instauration of nan team. And you besides said that you would springiness Kevin nan opportunity to activity pinch a quarterback. Obviously, 5 wins successful your eyes, wasn’t better, wasn’t bully enough. But what was nan breaking point, particularly fixed your comments?

“I don’t deliberation location was 1 breaking point. I deliberation you sewage to look astatine nan assemblage of activity and sometimes it’s conscionable clip for a change. And we felt for illustration it was clip for a change.”

Did you deliberation nan roster was bully capable to triumph much games this year?

“You know, it’s easy for maine to opportunity yes. So yeah, I deliberation it was bully capable to triumph much games.”

What feedback did you get from players, erstwhile you talked to them astir Kevin. And really overmuch did you measurement that into?

“We return into relationship a wide array of comments, thoughts, data, etcetera, erstwhile making a determination for illustration this.”

Jimmy, really overmuch do you deliberation to usage your words, “A plaything and miss connected Deshaun Watson,” affected Kevin’s expertise to triumph and nan measurement nan violative statement and wide receivers were benignant of neglected complete nan past six years?

“I mean, I don’t deliberation we request to screen it again. I mean, I said it. You know, erstwhile you waste and acquisition for a subordinate and you springiness up 3 number ones and 2 number threes, that really depletes your expertise to raise nan roster. So, did it person impact? Yes.”

Jimmy, do you deliberation nan alignment betwixt Berry and Stefanski suffered this year?

“No.”

Coach said he didn’t cognize you were trading Joe Flacco. How does that happen?

“Let maine opportunity this. And immoderate of you said this is simply a dysfunctional building, I return immense objection to that. The 2 of them activity conscionable for illustration this, okay? And they talk each nan time. Their offices are fundamentally adjacent doorway to each other. I mean, is location hostility successful nan building? Of course. I mean, this is simply a difficult business and there’s tons of worldly going on. The 2 of them activity together highly well, highly well.”

Why would nan caput coach beryllium amazed that his starting backmost is being traded?

“I can’t remark connected that 1 thing, Tony (Grossi). But if anybody says this is dysfunctional aliases nan 2 of them did not activity good [together], that’s dormant wrong.”

Do you consciousness for illustration this statement is adjacent capable that adjacent twelvemonth you’ll beryllium capable to move it astir aliases really acold retired are you?

“Well, let’s spot what happens complete nan adjacent 120 days, okay. There are a batch of examples of teams going from past to first successful nan NFL. So, do I deliberation we person nan halfway of a team? Yes. Do we person activity to do successful rebuilding nan roster? Absolutely.”

Do you deliberation of Shedeur arsenic nan backmost successful nan future?

“I’m not going to get into specifics. We person a batch of activity to do connected nan roster, peculiarly connected nan violative broadside of nan roster.”

What are you looking for successful nan adjacent coach?

“I deliberation that’s a really bully question. The activity required retired of a caput coach successful nan NFL, it’s 1 of nan tougher activity jobs I’ve ever seen. So, they’ve sewage to beryllium a bully leader. I deliberation they’ve sewage to beryllium smart successful position of IQ, EQ, and shot acumen. And evidently they’re going to bring expertise connected 1 broadside of nan ball. We do not person bias connected whether they should beryllium from nan discourtesy aliases nan defense.”

Do you want Schwartz to stay pinch nan organization?

“Absolutely. Great coach.”