Now the coach of the Atlanta Falcons, Kevin Stefanski wouldn't give up much about his six seasons in Cleveland. (TheLandOnDemand)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
PHOENIX, AZ
You can replace his Browns gear with Atlanta Falcons red and black, but you can’t change Kevin Stefanski the person.
The former Browns coach is who he is. He’s not going to open up about his six seasons in Cleveland. You can ask him anything and he will do his very best to not say anything to create a headline.
With his new interrogators from Atlanta media still getting to know their new coach during a morning interview session on Monday morning, Stefanski fielded a barrage of pointed questions from me without cracking. He seemed to enjoy it.
(At one point, a Las Vegas reporter dropped in to inquire about Klint Kubiak’s bland personality and asked if Stefanski thought Kubiak would open up more as a head coach. Kubiak was QB coach when Stefanski was offensive coordinator with the Vikings. “I’m probably the wrong person to ask that question,” he answered, looking at me with a grin.)
In the context of one question about the chip on his shoulder that new Falcons QB Tua Tagavoila brings to Atlanta, Stefanski mentioned that he carries a chip into his new job, too.
“Where does that come from?” I asked.
“Have you been fired? No? Not yet? Um, just kidding,” Stefanski replied good-naturedly.
“No, anytime you lose your job or you fall short of what you were trying to do, you take that with you. You take that personally. So, I don’t mean it in a way that you hold a grudge. I think it means that it motivates you. You want to do better.”
In a recent appearance on Pardon My Take, Stefanski revealed that he was informed he was going to be fired as Browns coach on the Friday before his last game. I asked what was his reaction when first told he was out.
“I don’t remember,” he said. “That’s a long time ago.
“I would tell you – I’ve said this publicly and privately – I have nothing but love for that organization, for that group. In the end, it didn’t work out and I understand that. But I’m proud of a lot of things we did. I am proud of that [last] week, finishing with a win. I’m proud of that.”
I mentioned that it didn’t take him long to reunite in Atlanta with former Browns assistant coaches Bill Callahan and Alex Van Pelt. I said that led me to believe that firing Van Pelt after the 2023 playoff season wasn’t his idea. (Callahan also left then to join his son, Brian, with the Tennesee Titans, according to the Browns.)
“Yeah, not gonna get into that, thanks,” Stefanski responded.
Quick follow-up: Are you surprised that [former Browns defensive coordinator] Jim Schwartz is not coaching anywhere this season?
“Again … nice try, but not going to get into that,” he said.
What about this one, Kev? Who do you think will win the Browns QB competition between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders? I mean, just as a football fan, not as their former coach?
“Respectfully, I trust Coach [Todd] Monken can answer that one for you.”
After fielding a few questions regarding his new team, I pursued.
“Did the Cleveland job present unique challenges that you might not have expected?” I asked.
“No. I would not say that,” Stefanski answered. “I think all 32 teams have their own challenges, that’s for sure. The challenges in the NFL are both real in every city and unique in every city.”
The Falcons are on the Browns’ home schedule this season, so I asked what his feelings will be about returning as a visiting coach.
“Yeah, I’m not there yet. Is it still March? No, I’ll be excited to see a lot of friends. It’ll be a special game to see a lot of special people that I remain very close with.”
One of the turning points of Stefanski’s final season in Cleveland was the trade of veteran QB Joe Flacco to the Bengals after the team returned from its international game in London against the Vikings. I asked him if he were aware that Flacco would be traded.
“Yes. I was well aware of what we were doing with Joe,” he answered.
But didn’t that present a whole new set of challenges for you and your staff to be left with two raw rookie quarterbacks for the remaining 12 games?
“Respectfully, I am not going to get into that,” he said with a chuckle.
Atlanta media turned the discussion to Stefanski’s decision to let offensive coordinator Tommy Rees call plays this year. It’s the third year in a row Stefanski handed off play-calling to an assistant, though this is the first time from the beginning of a season.
“I thought you liked calling plays?” I asked.
“I don’t know that I ever liked it,” he said. “I don’t think you’re gonna find a quote from me saying I liked it.
“I just think I like game-planning. I like putting plans together. The order of which those plays come off those call sheets on game days is not as important to me as what’s on that call sheet. And the way I’ve always done it, I was very reliant on a lot of people on our staff, so it wasn’t a one-man show. I’m very comfortable with Tommy Rees doing it.”
As the interview session wound down, I asked Stefanski: “Other than not completing the job in six years, not getting the Browns further into the playoffs, what is your biggest regret?”
“No regrets,” he answered. “The only regret, like I said, we’re competitors, and any team you’re on you want to win and be the last team standing. And we didn’t accomplish that. That’s my regret and something all of us take with us. I certainly take that with me and my desire to do better.”