Kevin Stefanski becomes the latest Browns fall guy: editorial

The firing of Browns Head Coach Kevin Stefanski is conscionable nan latest illustration of a Browns guidance incapable to spot its ain culpability successful a squad that cannot win.

It’s nan squad that desperately needs a basal makeover -- not a caller coach.

This feels for illustration Baker Mayfield redux - dumping a league-acknowledged leader, successful this case, a two-time NFL coach of nan twelvemonth who’s conscionable going to enrich different squad pinch his skills and knowledge.

So Stefanski’s out, alternatively of what’s really needed: an all-out effort of smart acquisitions, utilizing immoderate of nan Haslams’ wealthiness to plug nan anemic spots, return amended advantage of stars for illustration Myles Garrett and stabilize nan discourtesy pinch nan consistency and skills a backmost pinch staying powerfulness could bring to nan team.

This isn’t rocket science. Plenty of different pro shot teams look capable to reassess and rebuild top-down aft mediocre seasons. The Browns conscionable muddle guardant successful a miasma of bad that traces a batch of its antagonistic power to nan ill-considered 2022 Deshaun Watson woody that saddled nan squad pinch nan gigantic weight of an injury-prone has-been, shadowed by intersexual battle accusations and paid for successful a then-record five-year, $230 cardinal deal.

General Manager Andrew Berry -- whom nan Browns kept connected -- was besides tarred by nan Deshaun decision, a blot connected his grounds nan squad won’t acknowledge.

The only redeeming grace from nan Deshaun debacle is that, successful 2027, nan Deshaun-deal era will definitively beryllium complete and nan squad free to rebuild astatine nan backmost slot for real.

Which brings america to Baker Mayfield, still beloved by galore successful Cleveland for his scramble and can-do cognition and nan wins -- including, arsenic a rookie, breaking a 19-game losing streak successful nan first Browns crippled he played. In that game, he came disconnected nan chair pinch nan Browns down 14-0 to lead nan squad to a 21-17 triumph. In 2020, Mayfield took nan Browns to their first winning play successful 13 years and first playoff triumph since 1994.

Mayfield’s 2021 play wasn’t arsenic successful, and nan beforehand agency soured connected him, but was trading nan celebrated backmost nan correct call? Especially erstwhile Deshaun was slotted successful arsenic nan answer?

Let’s look it. For nan Haslams, it’s been nonstop scapegoating of others alternatively of what’s really needed to rebuild this proud franchise: taking a difficult look astatine their ain executive decisions and failures to technologist a real, top-down rebuild of nan Browns.

Cleveland.com sports columnist Jimmy Watkins, successful responding to nan team’s firing of Stefanski, filleted nan decision pinch an exhaustive database of reasons Stefanski’s Browns grounds was really beautiful laudable arsenic he did his champion to activity astir nan Deshaun disaster.

“Cleveland hired Stefanski to beryllium its backmost guru,” Watkins wrote, “and too Watson, each backmost who started astatine slightest 10 games nether nan coach’s tutelage accomplished thing of substance.”

Watkins past offered nan details:

“Former Browns backmost Baker Mayfield (59 starts), whom Stefanski joined successful nan Cleveland heartbreak nine this week, posted nan champion QBR of his profession and won nan Browns’ first playoff crippled successful 26 years during nan 2020 season.

“Veteran backup Jacoby Brissett (11 starts) posted nan champion passer standing of his profession while starring a Cleveland discourtesy that classed sixth successful expected points added (EPA) per play during Watson’s 11-game suspension 2 years later.

“And aged man Joe Flacco (10 starts) led a ragtag Browns discourtesy to nan playoffs during a five-game agelong successful 2023 wherever Cleveland averaged 312 passing yards and 28.6 points per game.”

That’s what a bully shot coach does aliases tries to do. Build connected his quarterback’s skills.

It’s portion of nan logic nan Deshaun acquisition was specified a monumental achromatic spread for nan team, and why nan Browns’ consequence to that disaster should person been an all-out blitz to hole it -- not denial, aliases a hunt for nan Browns autumn feline de jour.

Kevin Stefanski gets to deterioration that mantle, for now -- until nan adjacent NFL squad scoops him up. It’s clip for nan Haslams to extremity nan scapegoating and get existent astir rebuilding a squad that tin win.

About our editorials: Editorials definitive nan position of nan editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer -- nan elder activity and editorial-writing staff. As is traditional, editorials are unsigned and intended to beryllium seen arsenic nan sound of nan news organization.

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