Monday's leftovers

It's the day after the game that should have been won but wasn't and the sting of losing still burns. In fact, it's even worse than the original feeling because the numbness has worn off.

The Browns lost a game Sunday down in Atlanta that never should have been close to begin with. It will resonate for a very long time because the head coach betrayed the men whose performances ultimately determine how long he remains on the job.

Kevin Stefanski is the head coach of the Browns. The head coach. Not the offensive coordinator. That's Alex Van Pelt, who is really the offensive coordinator in name only (OCINO). Stefanski has deemed himself the playcaller whenever the Browns have the football. That's a problem.

This playcaller is hurting his team big-time and his head coach by extension. Sunday's loss is a perfect example of the playcaller overruling what a sound-thinking head coach would almost assuredly do when putting points on the scoreboard comes into play.

Last time I looked, points were valuable no matter when they are scored. Three points are just as valuable in the first quarter as they are in the last quarter. They don't count any more or less at the end of a game.

One of the worst feelings a losing head coach can experience are regrets. Wudda done that (but). Cudda done that (but). Shudda done that (but). But what? Didn't do that.

Stefanski is experiencing more "that's on me" moments this season than in his first two seasons. To me, those are regrets. Regrets do not win football games. And a 2-2 record at this point is unacceptable because this team is good enough to be unbeaten after playing the softest part of the schedule. 

Yes the Browns are tied for first place in the AFC Central. That's the good news. The bad news? A dangerous seven-game gauntlet lies dead ahead beginning with the Los Angeles Chargers at home Sunday followed by games against New England, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Miami, Buffalo and Tampa Bay. That division lead is precarious at best. The basement beckons.

Stefanski likes to say his main job is putting players in the best position to . succeed. Says it all the time. And yet, he continues to avoid following that philosophy.

For example, why dial up a pass play on second and goal at the Atlanta one-yard line in the final minute of the first half with the best ground game in the National Football League aching to score? No need to get cute. Run the damn ball with Nick Chubb and/or Kareem Hunt. 

Instead, he settled for a Cade York field goal after a Wyatt Teller hold on the pass play pushed them back. He put Teller put in a position to be subjected to the possibility of a penalty. He and his linemates should have been blocking for Chubb or Hunt on downs two and three, not dropping back to protect the quarterback.

It is becoming more apparent Stefanski, the head coach, is having problems with his playcaller  retrospectively. It's so much easier to see the screwups after the game. Smart decisions during the game is the perfect antidote for that malady.

He is coaching and thinking like a coordinator, not a head coach. He is hurting this very good team. He needs to look at the big picture and do what's best for the team, not just one side of the ball. He needs to remind himself daily to take the points when they are available and not be greedy.

Someone in the Ivory Tower should tell him what's best for this team is ceding the playcalling to Van Pelt and becoming the head coach for the entire team. They are hurting right now and most of the fault for that rests on his shoulders. 

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It would be easy for some to write off the loss in Atlanta to the fact the defensive line was operating at a distinct disadvantage due to injuries along the front four that saw only two veterans suit up. It took the Falcons an entire half and then some to discover that.

For a while, it looked as though they were content with trying to win on the arm of quarterback Marcus Mariota. Once they realized that wasn't going to work, they uncorked a strategy for which the Browns had no answers. 

It actually began in the late stages of the third quarter after consecutive three-and-outs and a Denzel Ward interception convinced them to try something else. That something else made Browns fans think of defensive ends Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney and defensive tackle Taven Bryan.

Caleb Huntley (a practice squad call-up)) and Tyler Allgeier (a rookie) ran the football like grizzled veterans 10 consecutive times -- it looked as though Mariota need work with his handoffs -- for the entire 75 yards, the shortest gain of the bunch was the final five yards for the score by Huntley, who lugged the ball eight of the 10 times.

That worked so well, they stayed with it on the next possession and were rewarded with chunk runs of 21 yards by former cornerback and kick returner Avery Williams and 41 more yards by Allgeier, all with starter Cordarrelle Patterson resting a sore knee on the bench. The Cleveland line looked helpless and didn't get much, if any, help from the linebackers.

If nothing else, it proves two things: Garrett and Clowney need to be healthy to give the Browns a decent chance to snuff out -- or at least slow down -- opposing ground games. And the bench is too young and inexperienced to be a factor.

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Questions, questions, questions: Why was Amari Coper targeted only four times Sunday? . . . Was the Falcons' pass defense, ranked 27th in the NFL entering the game, that good? . . . Why didn't Brissett just throw the ball away instead of taking a sack in the final moments in Atlanta territory and York warming up on the sideline for another long-distance field goal try? . . . And finally, why did Brissett throw into triple coverage (leading to a pick) when at least one other receiver was open along the sideline?

Answers, answers, answers: Beats me. If Cooper is that good, he should be open a lot. . . . And no, that defense is not that good. That's why they're 27th. . . . Good question. He's been around long enough go know sacks are drive killers. . . . Desperation, I guess. Either that or he didn't scan the entire field. Another reason he is a journeyman quarterback. Just good enough to play backup in the NFL, but not good enough to make plays when needed the most.

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Finally . . . Can't remember the last time the Browns compiled 403 total yards, 177 of them on the ground, controlled the game clock for nearly 36 minutes and ran 71 plays and lost. . . . How many more blown coverages does Stefanski need to see to step up and give his defensive coordinator some help? Oh that's right. He has enough problems managing the offense. . . . Nice to see rookie wide receiver David Bell creeping into the game plan. Caught four of five targets (he was the target on Brissett's pick) in the last three games for 47 yards, including two grabs against the Falcons for 35 yards. . . . Also nice to see Donovan Peoples-Jones back in the rotation. After being targeted just four times in games two and three, Brissett threw to him nine times against the Falcons, connecting on five for 71 yards.