Monday's leftovers

(So much to unpack. This will be a two-parter. We begin today with the further adventures of Kevin Stefanski.)

It's not exactly a secret the seat on which Kevin Stefanski sits as head coach of the Browns is getting hotter by the day. Two seasons of unacceptable mediocrity and occasional rumblings within the team's culture make that perfectly clear as to why.

The situation next season, however, will be dramatically different. Stefanski is now working without a safety net. Only one year will remain on his five-year contract after 2023. He's got to win now. A return to the postseason in 2023 might be the only thing that saves him.

He has banked one terrific season followed by two that have angered a constituency that believed he was finally the right head coach for this moribund franchise. It has reached the point where more than a few now wonder whether we've already seen the best of him. 

The Haslam family has shown unusual patience with the Andrew Berry-Stefanski front office. It sure looks as though season four under this regime will determine their fate. Two straight losing seasons raises questions. Three in a row is a trend.

As general manager, Berry is responsible for shaping the roster. There's enough room on the hot seat for him, too.

And let's not forget Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta. It seems as though the former baseball executive has strategized the Browns, by way of analytics, into a morass of mediocrity mainly through how Berry and Stefanski perform their jobs. A 15-19 record the last two seasons is the result.

(Full disclosure: I don't understand analytics or how they work. I'm old-fashioned. My eyes are my guide to whether a football team, in this case the Browns, plays well or poorly. I don't need a statistical breakdown and analysis to determine that.)

In spite of the dismal final outcomes of the last two seasons, Berry bestowed the dreaded vote of confidence on Stefanski Monday during the end-of-the-season news conference he shared with his head coach.

Although he probably didn't mean it that way, he nevertheless told the media, "I think we have a really strong head coach. He's smart. He's good with our guys. He's creative." He's also 26-24 in the last three seasons and heading in the wrong direction.

"Our goal is . . . to make sure we reach our goals and have a really productive 2023," Berry continued. "That takes all of us. We know we have a good one in Kevin." Apparently he pays attention to some of the outside noise quarreling with Stefanski's coaching style.

Still sounded like a vote of confidence to me after the last two disappointing seasons. Without actually saying it, it also sounded as though Berry had no problems with Stefanski's playcalling and would not object to a fourth season managing the offense.

With Deshaun Watson commanding the huddle for the next four seasons, that promises to be extremely interesting. A coach who loves a balanced offense relying on a quarterback considered one of the best passers in the National Football League.

***

Part of the news conference dealt with the firing of defensive coordinator Joe Woods shortly after arriving back in Cleveland following the season-ending loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night and who his successor will be. 

It is being reported the Browns have requested -- and presumably received -- permission to interview assistant coaches Jim Schwartz of Tennessee, Pittsburgh's Brian Flores, Jerod Mayo of New England and Seattle's Sean Desai for the job. Another name being floated is former Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer.

Woods' up-and-down three years with Cleveland resulted mainly in communications problems, many resulting in numerous blown pass coverages, which was unusual for a team that ostensibly was loaded in the secondary from a personnel standpoint.

Arguments can be made that at least three of the Browns' 10 losses this season would have ended in victory if not for miscommunications in the secondary. Some suggest Woods' schemes proved too difficult to execute properly in the back end and that one reason was their inability to grasp what he was teaching.

What this defense needs is an attitude, a mean streak. It needs to take on the personality of its coordinator. Flores and Schwartz are known for the bellicosity of their defenses. Under Woods, the Cleveland defense played back on its heels instead of aggressively attacking opposing offenses.

Woods was also hamstrung this past season by a general manager who refused to recognize a major weakness at defensive tackle and did nothing to improve it. That the Browns were one of the NFL's worst against the run was not an accident. 

Do I have a favorite among the early candidates? I like Flores, who epitomizes the previously-mentioned attributes. He's young, can relate to the players and be in a position if the Haslams don't like what they see in the new season, they've got a ready-made head coach to step right in like -- and here is where I reveal how far back I go -- Marty Schottenheimer taking over for Sam Rutigliano in 1984.

***

After Jadeveon Clowney all but secured his departure from Cleveland after two seasons, I wonder why he lasted so long this season. While willingly complaining to a Cleveland.com reporter about how he was being misused, he revealed for the first time he refused to play on first and second downs in a week six game against Baltimore. Strictly third down for him.

And Stefanski allowed it. Instead of sending Clowney to the dressing room for the remainder of the game as a punishment, he did nothing. Clowney wasn't hurt. At least physically. His ego was bruised because he believed the club wanted to thrust Myles Garrett into the spotlight. 

Perhaps it was because Stefanski was concentrating more on being the playcaller for the offense than to bother with something like that. That the incident is just coming out now is somewhat concerning and brings into question why the lack of transparency.

***

Denzel Ward left the Steelers game Sunday with shoulder problems. That begged a question regarding the Pro Bowl cornerback's ability to stay healthy. A quick check revealed something quite interesting. Ward has never played a full season in his five-year career.

Out of a possible 82 games, he has suited up and played in -- or left due to injury -- only 66 games with  injuries ranging from concussions (he's had three), to miseries with hips, groins, calves, hamstrings and his neck.

That's 16 missed games for a high first-round draft choice (2018), who still manages to get voted to the Pro Bowl. He has missed 20% of the club's games. And the Browns rewarded him last April with a five-year contract worth $100,5 million, $71.25 million guaranteed. What a country.

Next, part two