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Hands off Stefanski

The more things change, the more they remain the same.

Now that the parameters Kevin Stefanski agreed to when he agreed to become the Browns’ newest head coach have been revealed, that idiom applies big time.

Nothing has changed at 76 Lou Groza with the formal announcement that hailed Stefanski’s arrival into the den of failed coaches. If two stories tied to Stefanski’s acceptance of the job are to be believed, now we know why his predecessors failed.

It’s the owner. He loves to run the show. He thinks he knows all about football. He doesn’t and it perpetuates the dysfunction that has wrapped itself around this franchise for two decades.

Jimmy Haslam III has searched for the solution to change the team culture ever since taking over as owner of the Browns from the Lerner family in 2012. He can stop searching. The problem is the visage he sees in the mirror every day.

One of the concessions Stefanski had to make in order to accept the job, according to Steve Doerschuk of the Canton Repository, was allowing people from the analytics arm of the club to wear a headset and have access to the coaching staff on game days.

In addition, he agreed to meet with Haslam the day after games – strictly coach and owner – for hours-long confabs, presumably to explain strategy and his tactical approach to the games. Sort of a second-guessers get together.

In addition, Dustin Fox of 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland reported the front office wants Stefanski to “turn in game plans to the owner and analytics guys by Friday and attend an end-of-the-week analytics meeting to discuss the plan.”

You don’t get more unorthodox than that. If anything, that’s taking analytics way too far and should have no place in the way a head coach puts his game plans together.  Bothering him on game days is counterproductive.

Now all this might be the handiwork of Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta, as well as Haslam, who pretty much worships (OK, I exaggerate, but you get the point) his CSO and his analytical approach to the game of football.

Good Lord, why would anyone accept such a blatantly hands-on situation by people who should mind their own business instead of the new head coach’s business? Stefanski might as well report to work with one arm strapped behind his back.

And the new general manager, whoever the unfortunate soul is, probably faces the same situation. Too many cooks . . .

How in the world can Stefanski be successful with higher-ups lurking all the time? What kind of a relationship can he possibly have with his players? They’ll find out sooner or later what’s going on. Working under those conditions is anathema to establishing a winning culture.

Now it’s beginning to make sense why Josh McDaniels walked away from Berea after interviewing last Friday knowing there was no way he wanted that job. Doerschuk reported he wanted “a sweeping makeover” before accepting the job. Blow everything up. The offer never came.

Haslam steadfastly believes a brand new alignment is the key to turning this morose franchise around. He’s tried just about everything else up to now. Everything, that is, except clasping his hands behind his back and remaining silent.

After selecting a new GM, Jimmy and Dee Haslam should take a lengthy leave of absence and let Stefanski and Co. run the show unabated for one complete season.

Yes, it’s their money and that can do as they please. But when it comes to the NFL, they are consistent bunglers. They have a lasting relationship with Murphy’s Law, proving time and again they are incapable of running a stable operation.

It’s time for them to step back and let those they have chosen to do their jobs . . . do their jobs with no interference. Let them rise or fall on their own. Don’t second-guess them. Trust they know what they are doing.

If they succeed, enjoy their successes. If they fail, they fail, but give them time to fail. Not one of two seasons. Unless, that is, they are so bad, he has no choice but to pull the plug and apologize all over again for a bad decision. That Haslam surprisingly awarded Stefanski a five-year contract is a step in the right direction.

“We were looking for a strong leader of this football team,” the Haslams said in a prepared statement, “a very bright coach with a high football IQ who could establish a strong understanding of what he expected of his players, hold them accountable and confidently navigate the challenges and opportunities that present themselves throughout the season. Kevin exemplifies these qualities and more.”

All well and good. Now leave him alone.