Kevin Stefanski went 11-5, ended the Browns' 18-year playoff drought, won a playoff game on the road for the first time since 1969, and developed Baker Mayfield into a legit franchise quarterback. (Yardbarker)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Anybody paying attention could have told you that Kevin Stefanski was NFL coach-of-the-year for the 2020 season. The Associated Press vote announced Saturday night merely made it official.
Stefanski, who claimed similar honors from the Pro Football Writers of America and the Sporting News, became the first Browns coach to earn the AP award since Forrest Gregg in 1976.
In his first year as a head coach at any level, Stefanski guided the Browns to an 11-5 record – a five-win improvement over the team's record in 2019.
The Browns ended the NFL’s longest post-season drought of 18 years and won a playoff game on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers for the first time since 1969. The season ended with a 22-17 loss to the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC divisional playoff round.
The wild-card win against Pittsburgh was the Browns’ first in Heinz Field after 17 consecutive losses and was accomplished after a Covid outbreak kept Stefanski at home, along with four assistant coaches and two key starters, in addition to limiting the Browns to one practice session.
Stefanski coached up his team and coaches in virtual meetings during the week after testing positive for Covid and experiencing symptoms.
Not only did Stefanski coach the team to heights unseen in decades, he tutored quarterback Baker Mayfield to a breakout season while learning a new offense for the third time in three years.
Befitting the routine that became common in an unprecedented season played in a pandemic, Stefanski delivered an acceptance speech on video during the NFL Honors awards show on CBS.
“I’m incredibly humbled, especially given some of the coaching we’ve witnessed this season around the NFL,” Stefanski said in the video. “My name may be on this award but I think this speaks to the amazing support I get day in and day out from my coaching staff with the Cleveland Browns. I’m very glad I don’t have to do this by myself.
“Then the players -- it helps to have good players. I appreciate how they work every single day, week in and week out and how they fought. I appreciate that from those guys.”
Stefanski, 38, was hired Jan. 13, 2020 after 15 seasons in various capacities with the Minnesota Vikings. The 11 regular-season wins he produced were the most for a first-year Browns head coach since Paul Brown had 12 in the franchise’s first season in the All-America Football Conference 1946. They also marked only the 11th time since 1970 a first-year coach won 11 or more games.
Stefanski was the only head coach among five hired in 2020 to take his team to the playoffs.
The Browns were one of only four teams in 2020 to not lose consecutive games. Their 408 points were the second-most in franchise history.
“For him to be a first-time head coach, no real offseason and navigating the challenges of an NFL season amid a global pandemic, it’s remarkable,” Browns GM Andrew Berry said via a team release. “His poise, his ability to handle adversity and ultimately lead our team through adversity the entire year, whether it was a loss, injuries, having players, coaches, staff out for COVID-related reasons, he never lost his cool, he never lost his poise. It obviously showed with the on-field results.”
Stefanski was the hand-picked choice of Paul DePodesta, chief strategy officer, in the team’s coaching search in 2019. But the nod went to Freddie Kitchens, who was interim offensive coordinator the year before and the preferred choice of then-GM John Dorsey and Mayfield.
After Dorsey and Kitchens both were fired following the 6-10 season in 2019, DePodesta was given authority over the coaching search and he hired Stefanski.
DePodesta said that the unflappable Stefanski never blinked during myriad challenges posed by the pandemic and navigated through them with a wry sense of humor he seldom reveals in public.
“It's sort of the way he attacked everything all year — a sense of calm, a great sense of humor, undaunted regardless of the challenges that were thrown his way,” DePodesta said. “He was open-minded and flexible in terms of dealing with whatever came up on the field or off. Even in those really difficult times, being himself and being authentic. All of those things were evident to our players and ultimately translated to a phenomenal year as a head coach.”
Stefanski was the fifth head coach hired by the Haslam family ownership since it purchased the Browns in 2012. He followed Rob Chudzinski (4-12), Mike Pettine (10-22), Hue Jackson (3-36-1) and Kitchens (6-10).
“Kevin is more than deserving of this award as he has consistently messaged and embodied a team-first approach in everything he does,” said Dee and Jimmy Haslam. “While Kevin will most certainly downplay his personal contributions, his steady demeanor and servant leadership have been and will continue to be incredibly impactful for our football team and entire organization. We are proud to have Kevin as our head coach and this honor reflects his and our team’s collective accomplishments.”