Our defense certainly doesn’t play with any urgency or passion. I watch other teams that gang tackle, fly to the ball, etc. We are just soft.
This is a direct reflection of the team leadership. Stefanski is nothing more than an offensive coordinator. He is NOT a leader of men. Woods demeanor is the same. This team is passive and soft. It's not going anywhere under this leadership. Period.
Which I have been saying for 3-years. Stefanski is a system coach that cannot or will not change or adjust. He doesn't have the leadership skills to lead or inspire his people. He also doesn't believe in playing to his players strengths. It's his way of the highway. We have a bunch of good players playing the game under Stefanski's ideals instead of their skill sets. People are calling for Woods head but what difference will that make when the ultimate person responsible just skates along untouched. Last year, all we heard was it was the QB that couldn't hold the lead. Two games into the 2022 season and 2 games with double digit leads being blown - Ah, just exactly like last year accept now we want to blame the defense. So, you have to ask yourself, is it the defensive players, Woods, or the Head Coach? Some of the names have changed but the coaching philosophy hasn't and we're getting the same old tired results. Last time I checked, Woods was hand selected by Stefanski. Since Stefanski hired him to deploy his defensive scheme, shouldn't Stefanski be responsible for the results? Of course, he should, it's his hand selected coaches and players.
Like I said earlier this preseason, if Stefanski and the Browns go 5-12 this season he'll have a sub-500 3-year record of 25-26. With the money that's been spent, the players acquired, and the lofty expectations - producing a losing record over 3-years would be inexcusable.
The Browns were expected to win this season. They have the talent, and they have the schedule, especially early in the season to get off to a fast start. If that doesn’t happen, then Stefanski should certainly be in trouble. That may be more so with public opinion at that point but as we have seen with other things, once the momentum gets going in the world of public opinion, it’s hard to stop.
The Browns have gone through 12 coaches over the past 23 seasons. Just in the last 10 years, the team has had Freddie Kitchens, Gregg Williams, Hue Jackson, Mike Pettine, Rob Chudzinski, and Pat Shurmur at the head coaching position. Williams is the only one, outside of Stefanski's current record, Williams posted a Browns career winning mark at 5-3.
Before them, the last coach in Browns history with a winning record was Marty Schottenheimer who was there from 1984 through the 1988 season and had a 44-27 record. Bill Belichick, currently of the New England Patriots, once coached the Browns from 1991 through 1995 and finished with a sub-500 record at 36-44.
Posting a losing record is the quickest way out of Cleveland. Leading your team from a playoff contender to 2 consecutive losing seasons will make Stefanski's seat hot for sure. How hot remains to be seen but if the first 2-weeks are any indication of things to come that seat will be a raging fire by seasons end.
