DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Browns Fire Stefanski

The writing has been on the wall that Stefanski was getting fired for weeks. Kev got neutered three times in the past two years. Forced to hire an OC (Ken Dorsey) and then to give up playcalling in back to back years. The situation had ran

On Stefanski’s next go around as HC, I think it would behoove him to do things on his terms rather than be the constant good soldier and “thought partner” where he defers nearly every decision to a collaborative effort.

Berry running the search and staying is Haslam screwing up and bungling this situation before it can even get off the ground. Berry should have been shown the door with Kev. His inability to find a QB, WR or OL to save his life, in addition to handing out lousy and managing said contracts leaves a lot to be desired. So Berry and Haslam will be targeting another “yes man” as HC? Lovely! Haslam will always make the wrong decisions.

Thanks for the memories, Kev! At last 2020 and 2023 were fun. The rest, not so much.

Haslam is an idiot.

Berry should've been fired also. Who should the next coach be?

Writing was on the wall... hopefully, they get their guy with the hire.

I agree!

I would love to know the thought process behind who did and did not get fired and the timing of how this all went down. I was sure that the FO coming into this season intact meant all were safe barring a meltdown (the proverbial "lost the locker room"). That didn't happen, so the firing doesn't make a ton of sense to me. I get the criticism against KS... I think it would've made a LOT more sense firing him after dumping Baker and the Watson trade not working (to put it kindly). Maybe a better coach would've gotten us an extra win this year... but the team was playing hard up until the end.

I said this before, I think it's much more likely that this results in a downgrade in coaching... not because Stefanski is great or anything but because the reasons for our losing the past couple years is 95% roster construction. I just hope we have some sort of plan (including specific names) for what the staff is going to look like vs starting up a coaching search from scratch.

Thank goodness he's done, gone, and cannot continue his "amazing" .... 8-26(?) streak.

The defense carried this team to almost every one of their victories. They outscored the offense in some. That's horrible.

Was there a talent problem? Probably. Was it so bad that we should have sucked this bad over the past couple of seasons? I don't think so. I look at the players on defense who were undrafted or signed as non-priority free agents, and it seems like we got a ton more production out of them than we did on the offensive side of the ball.

This team needed a change. Who's next? Maybe they give Schwartz the job, move Tarver into DC, and hire a whole new offensive staff. Who knows? We weren't getting better under Stefanski.

I hope, whatever they do, they are able to keep the defense intact (players and coaches).

I think promoting Schwartz is probably the move the mitigates the most collateral damage that goes along with a coaching change.

I agree. Stefanski is fired but Berry isn't? Makes no sense. Berry should've been fired also. This is why the Browns are considered a joke. It starts with the owners who are clowns!

It’s going to be some dope who Haslam believes can take Sanders to the next level. His NFL QB peak. (Which ain’t very high)

It’ll most likely be based on little else…


That’s not my thinking BTW, it’s me thinking’s Jimmy’s way…

Haslam's press conference was a hilarious disaster. He spent 40% of the time defending Berry's resume and his reason for keeping him. He even used Tyson Campbell playing with an injured shoulder as a testament to Berry, lol.

Firing Stefanski and keeping Berry is like having an infection, getting an antibiotic and then quitting the antibiotic halfway through.

I view Stefanski at least somewhat as the fall guy.

The chef that was handed a bag of rotted groceries was fired for not making a great meal.
Aka the Browns Browning like only the Browns can Brown.

For anyone hoping for a Schwartz hire....candidly, that's not happening.

My ideal would be to hire Schwartz and then find the best OC possible. Not sure that can happen, but we'll see

So dumb. Either they're playing things very close to the chest, or they don't have a specific plan for HC.

It appears their plan is to go with a full new staff

I agree with a lot of comments on the thread so far - this more so than any. KS needed to go. And yes, he was given a rough hand to play talent wise ... but did the team consistently play to their maximum (if reduced) potential? Did the team look well coached and well disciplined week in and week out? Did KS hold players (and special teams coaches) who failed to perform accountable? No, no and no. Did his struggles and the team's performance become cringeworthy HC interviews after games where the same words were spoken with less and less emotion and belief.

I also agree that it's a complete head scratcher keeping Berry. The GM responsible for the rough hand KS had. The guy responsible for the contracts and lack of roster flexibility. The ONLY thing I can come up with and it is a huge stretch - KS was the driving force to move on from Baker? Or maybe a bigger driving force than Berry and pushed for the disaster that is Deshaun? But I don't believe that, it's just something that might explain this craziness.

Not only is the decision baffling - it means that instead of a fresh start and clean slate - we're going to get a weird hybrid of new HC with input from a tarnished and tainted GM who, no matter what anyone says, has to be under the severest of scrutiny and shortest of leashes moving forward. Absolutely shocking decision.... Yes, Haslam is an idiot who apparently has learned nothing in 13 years of ownership. Even if Schwartz gets the HC position - which I doubt - it still is a messed up situation unless he has requested Berry stay (I guess possible conspiracy theory/explanation #2? - again one I do not believe).

I would have liked to see KS get another year with more talent on O. I might be in the minority but I'm OK with AB staying. He just had his best draft and we do have some talent on the team to build on. Our D is very good and he should get some credit for that. Maybe Jimmy Haslam felt KS wasn't tough enough on his players and coaches and didn't hold them accountable.

DC Minter from the Chargers is one to watch for us based on a rumor

I don't think Schwartz wants to be a HC and I have my doubts that he even wants to stay here. He'll hang out and see if he approves of the coaching interviews. He redeemed himself this year and can easily move on, but the move will be lateral imo.

If the Haslams felt they wanted to change the culture both Stefanski and Berry should have been fired. You don't fire a HC whose players fought hard until the end and keep the man who formed this ship wreck of a roster. I knew there was a strong possibility that Stefanski would play the fall guy for the suits. It's nothing new in the NFL. And so it is. The guy who was trying to make the most out of the mess he was given is gone. The guy who made the mess remains. Same as it ever was.

We're both in the minority. I bet Berry will be happy to end the buddy system and be allowed to stay in his own lane. He is a solid GM who did what the owner told him to do in regard to DW. I said that on day one, and everyone in the org knows that "The Watson" falls squarely at the owner's feet. That definitely handcuffed him in the "build the roster" dept.

Are there some bad contracts? Sure... on every NFL roster.

He had a great draft, maybe the best in the league, last year. I wouldn't fire him right now; I'd narrow his focus and lay down some non-negotiable results-driven expectations.

Good chance it’s Rees and he’ll accept the non negotiable order to start Sanders.

Find a FA journeyman QB, accumulate picks, solidify your line and WRs and if you want draft a big, fairly promising QB.

Will team Sanders settle for a backup roll? (Who cares) Will someone pay a stupid price to take him from us (maybe) Are there even assets to trade that won’t set us back?

Before this organization moves ahead you gotta quit making yourself a total crap-show!!!
That’s self inflicted by ownership!!!

I'm on the same page as you both.

Looks clueless. Fire Ski, keep Berry? Wonder how many decent coaches might rush to apply to work for Hasla. Sanders as savior for the Browns is a laugher. Fresh page full of same problems. Bad choice, and it may not cure much, much less cure all the rot. The posters who have whined endlessly about culture change should tell us now! Will this do it? I think the fix will be in the coaching corrections. The ST come to mind. Wait til next year!

It sums up my thoughts too.

When it comes to result.
Berry 50%. Stefanski 50%.

In the beginning they said they worked as a team, well then they should both equally share the blame’s of our poor results.

Culture
Berry 40%. Stefanski 60%.

The general manager;s job is to set the framework and the head coach role is to see that everyone works inside those boundaries . We haven’t seen any improvement when it comes to getting a better culture. Every season has some drama, controversy and head scratching moments. I don’t see any trust, loyalty or respect between them when it matters. Stefanski has to answer most questions on his own. That’s weak leadership. Only spineless snakes behave like that.


Accountability.
Berry 25%. Stefanski 75%.

It’s the head coach who has the tools to practice accountability. He’s the one on the field talking to his coaches and players. He’e the one who can bench whoever he wants whenever he will. Stefanski didn’t fancy that role and in the end that was a big factor costing him his position.

Decision making.
The Haslams 50%. Andrew Berry 50%.

Kevin has a voice before the decisions is taken but he don’t have the final say. Andrew Berry has all the legal tools to do whatever he likes. Approve or block any decision, that’s part of his job description. If the owner dislike what he does they can fire him but a general manager who hides behind the owners back whenever somethings goes wrong shouldn’t been appointed in the first place.

We’re where we’re because of the owners but Berry and Stefanski haven’t exactly helped them to turn this train wreck around.

Not reading thru all the posts but piping up to say what is probably the very unpopular thing which is neither Berry or Ski should have been fired. We're still very much living in the wreckage of the DW trade fiasco (which I believe was largely the doing of Haslam's impulsivity and single mindedness, which he's famous for). I agree with the Jimmy Watkin's article from this morning, we're going to have the same experience with Ski we have with Mayfield. We'll watch as he goes and thrives elsewhere convinced in the moment that we're right. Teams are already lining up for him.

Well now, you've got to replace him with someone *better*. We weren't that far away. We're a lot further now IMO. But with the Browns we will always believe the grass isgreener elsewhere, what we have is never going to work, we live on hopes and dreams. So, bring on the new man. They'll want their changes made, will want their coordinators and coaches, their QB, and they'll be forgiven for not hitting the ground running, making stupid mistakes in the beginning, working out the kinks, and well... Best of luck with all that. Clocks-a-tickin'.

I would've liked Kevin to have another year. I also understand wanting to see what a new coach can bring to the team regarding offensive philosophy/vision. The run game was terrible this year. That needs a rework. I don't understand how the offense can go the whole year and not figure out how to stop a DL stunt.

We do have a lot of young players and will be bringing more with the draft. Implementing a new HC/staff/system a year earlier is an understandable decision.

I am with you both regarding Berry. He is a solid GM. He's has some misses. He's made some good trades. He's brought in some good pieces in FA. He's done alright drafting in the past, last year was great. He built an outstanding defense. He's had a rough time on offense, however at least now can finally stop trying to build an offense around DW. There are a lot of young exciting pieces to build on offense (i.e. Judkins, Fannin, Bond, Corley).

Fate brought up a point to keep in mind with the change in coaches. "I bet Berry will be happy to end the buddy system and be allowed to stay in his own lane." Depo is gone. Kevin is gone. There might be some change regarding chain of command/leadership philosophy.

We have never had a HC that went on to be a HC elsewhere after leaving the Browns I'm pretty sure. This time it will be different.

Maybe not next season but it's going to happen. NFL teams understand what happened here.

Haslem once again shows he has 0% football knowledge

Since 1999

Pat Shurmur - NY Giants 2018-2019
Romeo Crennel - KC Chiefs 2012

Interesting. I wonder what those controlled environments/factors were....

It's vague corporate-speak without any real meaning. Berry is just saying "wasn't my fault!"

Apparently he elaborated.

Thanks for that update Milk. I should have clarified (I need fired too obviously): Will the HC have the same "power" as Berry? Meaning will both report to Haslem as in the past or will the HC report to Berry.

Thanks for pointing that out.

Because we were so bad at picking them for so long. I mean, the Kitchens hire alone screams absolute hiring incompetence. I remember watching the first Hugh Jackson interview after his hire and thinking "he better be a wunderkind on the field because he comes off like a complete dipstick". Then a compete 180 and hired the very measured, very rational Berry and Ski.

I think there might be no more identifying characteristic of incompetence in ownership of any organization than wild variance in hiring. It reeks not only of not having any sort of guiding principle, you know, knowing what you're looking for, but also just desperate hope and self deluding. You can land on someone who's actually good but if you're the one still making big decisions, like a 4yr old with a bazooka, it's just a matter of time before you accidentally blow a hole in the bottom of your own boat. You do things like chuck your injured B+ QB for the promise of a sometimes A- QB who sat out a whole year, had 22 sexual assault allegations, made it clear he hates you but then throw 1/4 billion dollars at him and chain the fate of your organization to the whatever way the wind blows that guy for the next 5 years. And then fire the people who don't thrive in those 5 years. We will suck for as long as the Haslam's own this team. Full stop.

Everyone raise a glass for the next guy. May he have no idea what he's getting into.

Haslem once again shows he has 0% football knowledge

I think the bigger issue is the best, most qualified people to be HC's in this league can easily see the dysfunction at the top. Why would they, the cream of crop, ever want to hitch their wagons to that? They've watched Berry dismantle a once competitive team when he arrived and put the product we see now on the field.

I thought Ski would have been given at least another year to continue building upon what was left of the Watson wreckage. And Berry gets to keep his job?

I've never detested the Haslams more than I do right now. I don't think Jimmy has the self-awareness to understand that he's seen as a joke of an owner.
What coach of any value wants to come to work for this team?

My football buddies, not Browns fans, are also bewildered by this.

Can't help but think he is referring to Cleveland here.....but maybe not.

That seems to be a growing trend these days.

Berry is a boot licker ....

I think KS realized his job was in jeopardy as the season went along and decided if he was going to get fired he might as well stop being a yes-man to Haslam and do his job his way and Haslam couldn't stand not having someone do what he says.

The real culpable person is the one who wanted "massage parlor" Waston and was willing to guarantee $230 million and 3 #1 draft choices that bankrupted the Browns.

If it was not KS, then whom?

Stefanski lacks the power, money nor authority to do any of that. Who it was still remains uncertain but nobody who has really thought this through thinks Stefanski wielded that much power.

Raiders fire HC Pete Carroll following his first season in Las Vegas

https://www.nfl.com/news/raiders-fire-hc-pete-carroll-following-his-first-season-in-las-vegas

I do not see a better HC candidate compared to Stefanski available.

Berry was just as much of the problem if not more...

You assume they’re looking for better rather than a YES man…

j/c...

If I were a head coaching candidate (especially one that's worth a damn), I would expect that any offer from the Browns would come with some sort of guarantee for a certain number of years (give me a year or two while we build the roster). The problem is that apparently wasn't good enough to keep KS... and per the past several coaching hires before KS, wouldn't be worth the paper it's written on.

I live in the NYC area and heard on the radio that he's supposedly the top candidate for the Giants. I mean, look at his resume against the other candidates. Yes, the W-L isn't great but it comes with a lot of caveats. One particularly gigantic HUGE caveat that would have sunk Belichic in his prime.

The Browns are so freakin' stupid. And the Browns owner doesn't deserve nice things because he's so freakin' stupid. Rinse... repeat.

I'm not angry over the firing of KS..... I liked him and thought he was a sincere guy with lots of skills...

But, I looked at his record, hell he was within one good year of getting to .500. He appeared to have the most of the team on his side.

I think he could have easily been over .500 if he had a consistent QB and Wide Receivers to rely on.

One thing bothered me, when Haslem announced the termination and was asked about Jim Schwartz, his comment should have been, yes, we are looking at that, but nope, he was like, WHO? (kinda)

I wish Kevin all the best.....

tampa?

Sorry to see him go... Kevin was a standup Coach and person , and was light years ahead of some of the last clowns we had. Fans just want more, quicker and different. Be careful what u wish for.
We will never know who did what behind the scenes when it came to major decisions like Watson and draft picks. I suspect Kevin was asked and went along with the majority. His personality was not confrontational and didn't have the clout here like some coaches with less ownership involvement. I always wanted a little more fire and player atonement on the field. If someone on the OL wiffs several times or cant remember the damn count then yank his ass for a series or two. Bill Cower style Nice guys finish last . That said, He had a turd of a offense and was given nothing for QB help. Do u think he was beating on a table for 2 rookies this year during the draft? Until we get a STUD QB like the many we passed on over the years, we are going to be in the same place every year.

I feel KS easy going nature had something to do with it. He didn’t hold anyone accountable both players and coaches and he didn’t call anyone out. Ownership may want someone with a little more fire. The new stadium could be having an impact on decisions being made too.

IMO, Ward kind of alluded to this in his presser today. When asked what he wants in the next coach he hesitated for several seconds as if he wanted to measure his words before he said accountability. He had a lot of nice things to say about Stefanski as well but I thought this answer was a look behind the scenes.

And yet you have people pining for him here. Some very angry. I’ve never seen a coach who was handed an embarrassment of riches and accomplished so little be so revered. Feels like the twilight zone.

I'm glad he's gone. He was the right guy for the job when he got here, but then got too smart for his own britches. Too many head scratching coaching decisions and trying to act like the smartest guy in the room that cost us games. He also had to have some culpability in the DW fiasco. If he would have stood his ground and disagreed with the decision they wouldn't have signed him. He either agreed with it or didn't press his opposition. He was a year removed from being named NFL COY, he could easily have gotten another job if he was worried about job security. I just grew really tired of his coaching.

I said it in another thread that has since been locked.

Berry is a weasel. He cemented that when he opted out of the traditional bye week press conference and shoved everything on Kevin's plate.

I don't have a big problem that we moved on from Stefanski, but if only one was fired, it should have been Berry.

Schwartz poses a problem. He won't stay if he isn't promoted as HC. Why stay with a team who passes you over after coaching your ass off, producing outstanding results?

He is smart. He won't simply quit and lose money. He will see to it the team releases him.

I like Jimmy Haslam, but he isn't a very good NFL owner. He would be a great Guardians owner. Baseball is a sport where owners can buy their way out of bad decisions and into good decisions.

People can say what they want about Jimmy, much true, but they can't say he doesn't care like Lerner or doesn't spend money like Art.

It's frustrating being a Browns fan. The Browns and NFL in general have just about beaten all of the passion out of me. The NFL is the least fan friendly of all the sports.

Sorry for the rant.

My feeling is that if that was the reason, then him or both would've been canned prior to the start of this season. We had a high pick in this last draft... so we potentially let a dead man walking have a hand in taking a QB at 2? I don't buy it.

I'm not one who puts a lot of trust into what these talking heads say for the most part but if this part is true, it matches up with what I've thought all along. This entire "consensus" thing was nothing but a publicity statement to try to present a vision of total unity. There is always a hierarchy and pecking order when it comes to making decisions within any corporation. Not everyone is going to agree on all major decisions. The higher your rank is on that corporate ladder the more power your say has all the way up to the owner. I have no idea if this is true or not but then again neither does anyone else. But it would come as no surprise to me if this isn't 100% accurate. From your link...............

It makes sense that KS didn’t want Watson. He knew he would have to change his whole offense around and we all know how that turned out

I can say already that I'm going to follow Stefanski like I do Baker now that they have both been dumped by the Browns. I would've preferred they stayed longer in Cleveland, I harbor no ill-will, and I'll be sorta rooting for them as they continue their careers.

This is true. But Stefanski has to own the fact he did not have a good relationship with Baker, and again with Watson. Those were two QB's that have some proven results in the league, and he was unable to find sustained success with either. He had some success with Joe Flacco in 2023 but really that was it.

Total agreement.

I'm there, too. I just kind of checked out this year. At first I was upset that the team beat Pittsburgh and Cincy in the last two games and then I sat back an considered what I was doing. Yeah, I'd just given up entirely. That's not football.

The Ownership will continue to make dumb decisions. The only good thing they might be doing is building a stadium that will anchor the team to Cleveland for the foreseeable future. Beyond that they should let a football man run the team.

See you guys next year!

He wenat 11-5 with Baker at QB. Oh, you're about not having sustained success with Baker while he was playing injured most of the season the following year. Yeah, they should have done great playing with a hobbled QB.

People can say anything they want but Baker himself has taken responsibility for being immature when he was here and said he had to go through the adversity he faced to be the QB he is today. I'll take that from the horses mouth rather than some rewrite of history.

Hmmm. Hard to swallow that as more than revisionist history when they were all in line to brag about how well the two hit it off in meetings in Houston. Almost made it sound as if Watson was "lured" by Stefanski's ability to draw up plays that would favor his strengths. Reports after the trade stated these two were like lovers and couldn't even stop texting each other with play ideas.

Sounds a little suspect to me.

But I'll say this... if that's the way Stefanski felt, but failed to express it, then it's just more fuel on the fire of "weak leader". This is the same guy that co-signed on the after-the-fact-passive-aggressive "we want an adult in the room". The dude hired to be the adult couldn't keep "the kid" in line when the wrong person was dictating how an injury would be handled.

I'm just very suspicious of what was going on behind closed doors and who it was in the end making those calls. I guess going with the company line in public could be seen as a weakness. I just don't know how productive it would be to publicly bump heads with your bosses. Undermining your bosses in public may actually be seen as a bigger weakness and certainly not a good look on your resume'.

As far as their constant communication goes after watson was signed I would certainly hope that when a HC has to revamp his entire O around a new QB that really doesn't fit the current one, that they would be in constant contact trying to create plays that would work with your current roster.

I'll agree with you on the "almost" part of "almost made it sound as if".

And don't forget, on that second visit they backed up the Brinks truck too. Speaking of being lured.

No doubt lol. The Brinks truck trumps all.


I'll try not to rant here, but I suck at that. Just giving this some breathing space for a day, this is where I'm at...

Hindsight offers little nuance. Stefanski was still young to coaching and jumped on board the Analytics Train. I don't say that to besmirch analytics as a whole, I just think we were sold on letting models, math and consensus be the tail that wagged the dog. The barking head was still (and will always be) Jimmy Haslam.

We were sold, and Stefanski was sold, the idea that people working together in consensus was the best model for success in the NFL. There's little argument that that would be beneficial to a young coach. Problem is, that young coach needs to then break out of the mold he's been cast in and be his own man. I think Stefanski had a hard time doing that and I think the reason why is that there's waaay too much security in being part of the consensus.

It was a lot easier to be the third (or fourth) voice saying "I can make this work" because you know failure means mitigated, shared responsibility. The dude that says "that's b.s., that makes no sense, that's not how I want to do things, etc, etc..." has a short shelf life if he is wrong. Reminds me of a song by Nine Inch Nails - Happiness in Slavery

Don't open your eyes, you won't like what you see
The blind have been blessed with security
Don't open your eyes, take it from me
I have found you can find happiness in slavery

At some point there was a fork in the road (probably after Watson though) where Stefanski chose Stockholm Syndrome over blazing a new path. At that point there was not much choice other than to finish out his tenure here as a "yes man".


The nuance, where Stefanski is concerned, is that he has learned a lot, about a lot, and is probably well prepared for his next gig. Probably with a short list of non-negotiables as well.

The nuance, where we as fans are concerned is that there is no nuance. Jimmy is in charge until Jimmy sells the team.

I don't think Jimmy is a bad person, and I know I'm in the minority in feeling this way, but he owns the damned team - that in and of itself earns him the right to run it however he wants. I also think he genuinely wants to win a championship and will use all possible resources to do so.

I just hope we've crossed the line, at some point or another, where Berry got in his face and told him to go $%^$ himself, and that is the catalyst for a mutual respect in letting Berry just do his job. Because if Berry is still a "yes man", we're probably screwed for a little while longer.

Sounds like Prisco was talking to Stefanski's agent.

I didn't finish reading your post yet, but I had thoughts on this part, specifically....

This is getting into tinfoil hat territory, but I'm starting to wonder if this whole "consensus" thing was sold more to the fans than anyone else. AB/KS were hired as we were coming out of a period of enormous instability. Depo wanted the Buffalo guy and was told to F off and we hired Kitchens, who was canned and then Dorsey quit when he couldn't run the next hire... to say nothing of the disarray that was going on before all them (the Hue era). I'm beginning to wonder if "consensus" was just a word they used when those "same old Browns" questions would start popping up. Hindsight being what it is, I find it hard to believe that KS was in lock-step with watching his offense get twisted into something unrecognizable and simultaneously degrade due to lack of meaningful talent investment.

While our reasoning may vary as to the motivation for why Haslam wants to win a championship, we certainly agree that he does. I'll just say it's most certainly in his self interest from a financial standpoint, a reputation standpoint as well as a business standpoint for him to win one or more NFL Championships. I thought some of the dealings at Pilot flying J were more than a little suspect but I can't say for sure if he was hands on in that. So I'm not convinced he isn't a bad guy but likewise I'm not convinced he is one either.

I do believe just understanding that he's "the third or fourth voice in the room" says it all. His opinion matters little in the grand scheme of things in comparison to the owner and GM.

Where I think our main difference comes in is in my opinion from above combined with this.................

As a HC both the GM and the owner are your bosses. While they will listen to your voice their opinions rule the day. Sure you can show exceptions for men who have been great HC's over time but that's not the situation here. So please allow me to ask you, other than sharing an opposing opinion behind closed doors what other avenue did he have as such a HC? In the end they rule the final decision and your choices are to either work within that framework or leave. To do as your told or be fired.

And as it pertains to this entire "consensus" issue, why does that sound so believable to many? Surely you don't believe they all came to an agreement on every major issue that came across their desks do you? But it is however a great PR tool. You always want to project unity to the public. How many times previously to that had we heard rumors there was division in the FO? Division between the coaching staff and FO? There's a lot of those kind of rumors that spread in the NFL. If you can convince everyone that in no way exists before those rumors start, you have won a major portion of the PR battle.

I just see this from a very simplistic standpoint. Stefanski works for Barry and Haslam. You don't undermine your bosses by publicly disputing them. You don't air dirty laundry. That's simply a part of your job that comes with the package. The corporate hierarchy above your status controls the policies and final personnel decisions. Your choice is to work within that structure or leave. I don't really see it working any other way anywhere else with first and often second time HC's. I won't buy into what I believe to be corporate speak to see it the way they have chosen to package it.

Speaking for myself I have no way of knowing what goes on behind closed doors. I have no idea what's really going on behind the scenes and everything we have been discussing is nothing other than my perspective based on my experience and those who are involved in upper levels of the corporate world that I know on a personal basis. Which means a grand total of nothing.

But I have enjoyed this back and forth and I can see how either of our differing opinions could be likely scenarios here.

.