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!"