Former Browns special teams ace and captain Bubba Ventrone has emerged as candidate to replace Mike Priefer as special teams coordinator.
Kevin Stefanski finally cleaned up the mess from epic Game 2 loss to Jets
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
How ironic/appropriate/coincidental – choose one – was it that NFL Network aired the replay of the Browns’ historic loss to the New York Jets on Tuesday?
Earlier in the morning, coach Kevin Stefanski fired special teams coordinator Mike Priefer, completing the double hit on the coaching goats of that horror show in September.
Angry fans wanted the heads of Priefer and defensive coordinator Joe Woods the day after that 31-30 loss. Stefanski waited until the day after the season to dismiss Woods, and until now to let go Priefer.
The nightmarish ending to that soul-crushing defeat in the Browns home opener – did they actually blow a 30-17 lead with 1:55 to go? -- prevented them from starting a season 2-0 for the first time since 1993. It also foretold the mind-numbing breakdowns on defense and special teams that would derail Stefanski’s third season as coach.
For posterity’s sake, these were the sins in that game that cost Priefer and Woods their jobs.
On special teams, the Browns:
* Allowed a 17-yard completion on a fake punt that led to the Jets’ first touchdown.
* Missed a PAT on the Browns’ last touchdown that proved to be the difference in the final score.
* Failed to recover a Jets’ onside kick after they had closed the deficit to 30-24 with 1:22 to play.
On defense, the Browns:
* Allowed pedestrian receiver Corey Davis to get behind Denzel Ward and Grant Delpit for a 66-yard touchdown on the Jets’ second play with 1:22 to play and no timeouts left after falling behind, 30-17.
* Allowed Joe Flacco to emulate Johnny Unitas by moving his team 53 yards in nine plays in the final minute with no timeouts. Rookie wideout Garrett Wilson scored the game-deciding touchdown virtually uncovered in the middle of the field from 15 yards out.
This devastating loss in Game 2 choked the air out of a season of high hopes, even with the reality of Deshaun Watson missing 11 games because of a league suspension. The infections on special teams and defense spread through six losses over the next eight games.
The dismissals of Woods and Priefer had to be tough on Stefanski, who had not made a major coaching staff change prior to these. Both men had long relationships with Stefanski.
Woods has family in Akron and privately savored matching wits twice a year against his coaching mentor, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. Priefer grew up in Cleveland a Browns fan and cherished working for his hometown team. Nobody appreciated the Browns’ wild-card win in Pittsburgh in January of 2021 more than Priefer, who served as the acting head coach in that historic victory with Stefanski sidelined with COVID. Priefer was overcome with emotion after that game.
Some may view the moves as Stefanski tabbing Woods and Priefer as scapegoats for the 7-10 debacle of a season. I view them as a coach realizing something was broke and needed to be fixed.
The question is whether it’s too little too late.
Now what?
The Browns requested permission to interview Colts special teams coordinator Ray “Bubba” Ventrone and Giants assistant special teams coach Anthony Blevins.
Ventrone was a Browns specials teams Pro Bowl alternate in 2010 when the Browns’ special teams were ranked No. 1 and was a captain the following two seasons. In five seasons with Ventrone as coordinator starting in 2018, the Colts ranked 10th, 29th, fourth, second and eighth in the Rick Gosselin special teams rankings.
Blevins returned to assistant special teams coach in his first year under Giants coach Brian Daboll, the position he broke into in 2018. In 2020, Blevins was Giants assistant defensive backs coach and in 2021 he moved to assistant linebackers coach.
More to come
After secondary coach/pass game coordinator Jeff Howard departed to be Los Angeles Chargers inside linebackers coach, the Browns apparently have decided to divide secondary coach duties between coaching cornerbacks and safeties.
According to multiple reports, they hired Utah defensive coordinator Ephraim Banda as safeties coach.
Banda, 41, was safeties coach at University of Miami under head coach Manny Diaz in 2016. He eventually became co-defensive coordinator before moving to Utah as defensive coordinator. The Browns are his first NFL team.
Stefanski still has to fill openings at defensive line and quarterbacks coach, and may promote assistant secondary coach Brandon Lynch to cornerbacks coach.
