The Kevin Stefanski: Two-Time Coach of the Year Thread

[Amherstcavsfan]

Nothing else matters if you cannot throw the ball in the NFL reliably. You can have the greatest rush offense of all time, but if a team can sit on it with no repercussions, then it doesn't matter.

The Coach is saddled with a QB that has shown, at best, he's above average and at worst, he's not a starter. If he does this next year with even an average vet qb and they still cannot move the ball, then I'll start to question him.

 

[CBBI]

I’m really starting to think stefanski lost the locker room after the whole OBJ fiasco. JJ3 posting on Twitter to run the ball during the game, AVP interviewing for a college OC job, Jarvis just out there looking like he really doesn’t care anymore. Its been reported for weeks about turmoil in the locker room. I know many people seem to think it’s about baker, but I’m really thinking it’s about stefanski which is really shitty if that’s the case

I would agree with this if the team actually stopped playing hard, which they never did.

You look around the league and there are plenty of teams (the Browns routinely did this from 1999-2019 and it’s easy to spot) doing the “death march” and just playing out the string of a losing season with guys going half speed and ultimately trying to not get hurt.

 

[bob2the2nd]

Nothing else matters if you cannot throw the ball in the NFL reliably. You can have the greatest rush offense of all time, but if a team can sit on it with no repercussions, then it doesn't matter.

The Coach is saddled with a QB that has shown, at best, he's above average and at worst, he's not a starter. If he does this next year with even an average vet qb and they still cannot move the ball, then I'll start to question him

Here is what just drives me up the wall and to me what makes the decision to fire him the moment the season is over, if not today.

You know your starting QB is injured, you know he requires surgery. You have played him basically all season with a brace on his shoulder, a bruised heal, and beyond all of that he is clearly mentally struggling. Now I got it, before this week you were still fighting for the playoffs. Your over priced backup QB is completely and totally worthless, so you put in the more talented QB, in hopes he is magically fixed. However last night was meaningless. So the browns were left with a decision to try and win or not. There is no one that questions if Baker (and the rest of the injured players) dont play, not a soul. "With us eliminated from the playoffs, we have opted to let Baker (and the rest of the injured players) get some rest and prepare for surgery". Instead the browns apparently go for the win and send everyone they can out on the field... Well except people like Kareem Hunt who were questionable, expected to play and then were a very late scratch???

So if the Browns are actually trying to win why the flying fuck was nick chubb who was by far and away the best offensive player for the browns not out there? At halftime KS said that Chubb was fine, there was never an injury report/the team announced he was fine, but after the the game KS said that Chubb was injured during the first half, but yet was given twice the number of carries in the 2nd half as the first half, though still was his lowest usage rate of the season. So was Chubb actually injured or not? Was KS lying to the press at half time or is he lying to the press after the game? Either way he is lying to the press, something which the NFL could very easily turn around on the browns. If it turned out Chubb wasnt actually injured why the fuck was he not playing, if you are trying to win why the fuck is he not playing? Why in gods green earth was nick chubb either not the focal point of the offense, OR why were the injured players not on the bench. Either try to win or dont try to win, and KS tried to split the middle. By doing so he risked getting his all pro RB and starting QB beat up in a meaningless game.

im done with him.

edit: forgot to add. There is a world all of this was done intentionally. He wanted to lean on Baker in order to prove that Baker should not be his starting QB. Its the worst world. That KS was intentionally throwing an injured player under the bus. Its one that loses him the trust of his team and should be the trust of his GM and owner. You are dealing with someone's very livelihood and just letting him get beat to shit. I dont think this is what happened but if it is, is the sort of thing that should keep KS from ever getting another starting coach gig in the NFL

 

[CBBI]

I can't embed Jake Burns since he protected his account, but...

Baker Mayfield from EMPTY sets this year according to @SportsInfo_SIS

10th in dropbacks
11th in EPA
4th in Positive%

Doesn't seem like the numbers back up that empty sets were that big of a problem.

 

[Amherstcavsfan]

Here is what just drives me up the wall and to me what makes the decision to fire him the moment the season is over, if not today.

You know your starting QB is injured, you know he requires surgery. You have played him basically all season with a brace on his shoulder, a bruised heal, and beyond all of that he is clearly mentally struggling. Now I got it, before this week you were still fighting for the playoffs. Your over priced backup QB is completely and totally worthless, so you put in the more talented QB, in hopes he is magically fixed. However last night was meaningless. So the browns were left with a decision to try and win or not. There is no one that questions if Baker (and the rest of the injured players) dont play, not a soul. "With us eliminated from the playoffs, we have opted to let Baker (and the rest of the injured players) get some rest and prepare for surgery". Instead the browns apparently go for the win and send everyone they can out on the field... Well except people like Kareem Hunt who were questionable, expected to play and then were a very late scratch???

So if the Browns are actually trying to win why the flying fuck was nick chubb who was by far and away the best offensive player for the browns not out there? At halftime KS said that Chubb was fine, there was never an injury report/the team announced he was fine, but after the the game KS said that Chubb was injured during the first half, but yet was given twice the number of carries in the 2nd half as the first half, though still was his lowest usage rate of the season. So was Chubb actually injured or not? Was KS lying to the press at half time or is he lying to the press after the game? Either way he is lying to the press, something which the NFL could very easily turn around on the browns. If it turned out Chubb wasnt actually injured why the fuck was he not playing, if you are trying to win why the fuck is he not playing? Why in gods green earth was nick chubb either not the focal point of the offense, OR why were the injured players not on the bench. Either try to win or dont try to win, and KS tried to split the middle. By doing so he risked getting his all pro RB and starting QB beat up in a meaningless game.

im done with him.

I guess but what I would say is Nick Chubb has a future in Cleveland while Baker may not.

Regardless, The Browns win if the QB plays well. If your issue is that Stefanski needed to protect Baker from himself? I guess the question is, what does Baker do if he's forced to shut down?

Idk, but really, it's not even close to a big deal, imo.

 

[Los216]

Y'all can't be this dense right?

There's really people calling for KS job right now?

Have you guys not been paying attention to Berry, Depo, and KS the last two seasons? You really don't see what's happening here? Are people really acting like they don't know what's up?

Football media and football fans have always had a reputation for being dumber than other sports media and fans but situations like this really highlight it. Don't be ridiculous. Y'all know what's up.

 

[CBBI]

Here is what just drives me up the wall and to me what makes the decision to fire him the moment the season is over, if not today.

You know your starting QB is injured, you know he requires surgery. You have played him basically all season with a brace on his shoulder, a bruised heal, and beyond all of that he is clearly mentally struggling. Now I got it, before this week you were still fighting for the playoffs. Your over priced backup QB is completely and totally worthless, so you put in the more talented QB, in hopes he is magically fixed. However last night was meaningless. So the browns were left with a decision to try and win or not. There is no one that questions if Baker (and the rest of the injured players) dont play, not a soul. "With us eliminated from the playoffs, we have opted to let Baker (and the rest of the injured players) get some rest and prepare for surgery". Instead the browns apparently go for the win and send everyone they can out on the field... Well except people like Kareem Hunt who were questionable, expected to play and then were a very late scratch???

So if the Browns are actually trying to win why the flying fuck was nick chubb who was by far and away the best offensive player for the browns not out there? At halftime KS said that Chubb was fine, there was never an injury report/the team announced he was fine, but after the the game KS said that Chubb was injured during the first half, but yet was given twice the number of carries in the 2nd half as the first half, though still was his lowest usage rate of the season. So was Chubb actually injured or not? Was KS lying to the press at half time or is he lying to the press after the game? Either way he is lying to the press, something which the NFL could very easily turn around on the browns. If it turned out Chubb wasnt actually injured why the fuck was he not playing, if you are trying to win why the fuck is he not playing? Why in gods green earth was nick chubb either not the focal point of the offense, OR why were the injured players not on the bench. Either try to win or dont try to win, and KS tried to split the middle. By doing so he risked getting his all pro RB and starting QB beat up in a meaningless game.

im done with him.

edit: forgot to add. There is a world all of this was done intentionally. He wanted to lean on Baker in order to prove that Baker should not be his starting QB. Its the worst world. That KS was intentionally throwing an injured player under the bus. Its one that loses him the trust of his team and should be the trust of his GM and owner. You are dealing with someone's very livelihood and just letting him get beat to shit. I dont think this is what happened but if it is, is the sort of thing that should keep KS from ever getting another starting coach gig in the NFL

A lot of word vomit here, but the key takeaway is that the Browns win the game if Baker actually plays a competent game.

He didn't. They lost. The end.

 

[Kiddo]

A lot of word vomit here, but the key takeaway is that the Browns win the game if Baker actually plays a competent game.

He didn't. They lost. The end.

One could argue that if Baker even completes 50% of his passes last night they may be in position to win at the end.

 

[WellYouNeednt]

Just had a moment when reading inside the various Browns sections —

The most value in sports message boards seems to rest in “insider information”; (which is non-existent in the Browns section) and comedic posters/non-sports threads. The majority outside of that is the same 5-7 posters pompously spewing “facts” or arguing over who is “right” and yet no one could actually have an answer.

“The stupidity of people comes from having an answer to everything”

 

[CBBI]

This is kind of my biggest fear.

While everyone was trashing an injured Baker all year, there were numerous things (between play-calling, lack of discipline with penalties, and some off-the-field decisions) that had me concerned about Stefanski.

Baker is temporary - he either performs well enough to convince us to extend him, or he's gone. Long-term we can still be competitive with this core. But once we start seriously questioning Stefanski and/or he loses the locker room, that's a recipe for disaster. I believe with a better QB we SHOULD win more and things SHOULD improve with winning, but I'm not particularly thrilled with how Stefanski handled this season and it's pretty concerning.

Here's a fun exercise.

Take every single play call Stefanski has made this season, stick Derek Carr or Russell Wilson or Kirk Cousins or Jimmy Garoppolo in Baker Mayfield's place.

What is the Browns record this year? At worst they are 9-7 or 10-6 with one game to go, right? Maybe even 11-5?

Ultimately, that's why I'm not down on Stefanski.

All the stuff you mentioned is merely window dressing to me if the Browns get better QB play.

 

[Vee-Rex]

I can't embed Jake Burns since he protected his account, but...

Baker Mayfield from EMPTY sets this year according to @SportsInfo_SIS

10th in dropbacks
11th in EPA
4th in Positive%

Doesn't seem like the numbers back up that empty sets were that big of a problem.

Shocked to see that. I assumed it would be near bottom. QB play really is down across the league this year.

 

[Vee-Rex]

Here's a fun exercise.

Take every single play call Stefanski has made this season, stick Derek Carr or Russell Wilson or Kirk Cousins or Jimmy Garoppolo in Baker Mayfield's place.

What is the Browns record this year? At worst they are 9-7 or 10-6 with one game to go, right? Maybe 11-5?

Ultimately, that's why I'm not down on Stefanski.

All the stuff you mentioned is merely window dressing to me if the Browns get better QB play.

9-7 or 10-6 is just making the playoffs this year. The expectations are much higher, right?

Can we win a Super Bowl with Stefanski’s 2021 coaching? Because that was the criteria when judging Baker. Short of having Mahomes or Rodgers I don’t think we win the big one with his coaching this year.

Now I have faith in Stefanski for the future. People calling for his job are insane - they defend Baker because he’s “the best QB we’ve had in 22 years” but don’t apply the same logic to Stefanski. I think he’s a good coach - I’m just hoping that we saw the worst of him this year, because there are some aspects to be critical of.

 

[DJTJ]

I can't embed Jake Burns since he protected his account, but...

Baker Mayfield from EMPTY sets this year according to @SportsInfo_SIS

10th in dropbacks
11th in EPA
4th in Positive%

Doesn't seem like the numbers back up that empty sets were that big of a problem.

I’ll eat my crow. I’ll also argue that they probably aren’t really efficient in general.

 

[CBBI]

9-7 or 10-6 is just making the playoffs this year. The expectations are much higher, right?

Can we win a Super Bowl with Stefanski’s 2021 coaching? Because that was the criteria when judging Baker. Short of having Mahomes or Rodgers I don’t think we win the big one with his coaching this year.

Now I have faith in Stefanski for the future. People calling for his job are insane - they defend Baker because he’s “the best QB we’ve had in 22 years” but don’t apply the same logic to Stefanski. I think he’s a good coach - I’m just hoping that we saw the worst of him this year, because there are some aspects to be critical of.

I did say 9-7 heading into the finale felt like the worst case scenario with a better QB for what that's worth.

They could just as easily been 11-5 heading into the finale with better QB play. And if that was the case they're playing for the No. 1 seed.

With a better QB they for sure beat the Packers and Ravens and at least one of the Steelers games, if not both of those games.

Not to mention they had opportunities to win both the Chiefs and Chargers games on the final possession. Baker didn't play poorly in either game, but would a better QB coming up big in crunch time?

 

[Vee-Rex]

I did say 9-7 heading into the finale felt like the worst case scenario with a better QB for what that's worth.

They could just as easily been 11-5 heading into the finale with better QB play. And if that was the case they're playing for the No. 1 seed.

With a better QB they for sure beat the Packers and Ravens and at least one of the Steelers games, if not both of those games.

Not to mention they had opportunities to win both the Chiefs and Chargers games on the final possession. Baker didn't play poorly in either game, but would a better QB coming up big in crunch time?

Seeding is weird in the AFC this year due to parity and I don't necessarily think it means much. With the coaching job this year I truly think our season ends at the Chiefs or Bills in the playoffs with the likes of Carr, Wilson, Cousins, or Garoppolo. With a roster that, supposedly, is just a QB away from winning the big one. That's simply not good enough.

We have the talent to be a playoff team this year - I could easily point to the Steelers who have had QB play nearly as bad as ours, with a worse roster on offense (their o-line is nowhere near ours and their RBs are nowhere near ours). Strong defense but from a talent perspective we're right there with them. Yet they still won't finish with a losing record, have swept us, and have a shot at a wildcard next week.

We're 5th in penalties and 5th in penalized yards after leading the league in yards for most of the season. That's two straight seasons where we've done poorly in penalties under Stefanski. If we play the what-if game I'm guessing we win 2 more games if not for our penalties (Chiefs/Chargers for sure).

But I'm not doing that - this isn't a Baker vs. Stefanski thing for me. I think Baker is the bigger issue but Stefanski hasn't been very good himself, and I think he needs to be better if we're ever going to win the Super Bowl.