What can one game do?
In the mind of Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanksi, the 13-6 win over division rival Pittsburgh Steelers last weekend just may have swayed the powers-that-be to keep him on for another season. Currently, the Browns are 4-12-0 overall and 1-4-0 in the division. The win was just the second in the past nine games.
The final game on the schedule is Sunday, January 4, on the road against the 6-10-0 Cincinnati Bengals with a 1:00 p.m. start.
Stefanski had his usual Monday press conference and addressed what the media and the Cleveland fanbase have been discussing for the past four weeks: whether the embattled head coach will hear his name called on “Black Monday.”
The NFL concludes their regular season next Sunday and without another Monday Night Football contest. The following day, is coined Black Monday because many coaches and GMs are fired on this very day. Already, the New York Football Giants and Tennessee Titans have canned their head coaches. It has been rumored that as many as six teams will also fire their head guy, and Stefanski is a regular topic on these lists.
Stefanski was asked if he wanted to continue as the head coach after two frustrating seasons:
“Yeah, as you can imagine, my sole focus is on this game versus Cincinnati. But I will also tell you I’m privileged to have this job.”
The effort against the Steelers was incredible. The Browns, in all three groups, acted like a playoff spot was on the line if they came away with a victory, and everyone played to the final second as CB Denzel Ward thwarted QB Aaron Rodgers three consecutive plays with incomplete passes for the win.
And as hard as this roster is playing, it hasn’t contributed to more notches in the win column. Again. Last year, the club was 3-14-0. They could end up 4-13-0 this year. Thirteen losses are nothing if this is Major League Baseball or the NHL. But a 17-game season goes by quickly, and Cleveland has just seven wins in two seasons.
Have their been any discussions with upper management about what Stefanski should expect? Did the win over the Steelers save his job? What if this roster closes out the season with two straight wins?
Stefanski offered:
“Yeah, I understand the question. I never get into those types of discussions. All I care about is finding a way to go one-and-0 this week against the Bengals.”
How typical. Funny that this question is during Bengals week. Somebody play the Bill Belichick vid where he states repeatedly to any question he didn’t want to answer, “We’re on to Cincinnati.”
Stefanski was asked about how these guys are really playing hard despite winning just four games and knowing they will be cleaning out their lockers within the week:
“We keep the focus on what’s in front of us. I appreciate this group. They have done everything I have asked them to do, going back to the spring. I know how these guys have worked, and that’s just what we are about, then competing like crazy. It’s just the right players in the locker room that understand how important this game is.”
Anyone who has discussed football with Stefanski really likes him. He is well-respected in the league, and if the Browns decide to part ways, he will have his choice of jobs and teams.
Despite the back-to-back losing seasons and the opportunity to again lose 13 games if they lose to Cincinnati, this is a roster that has some elite talent. DE Myles Garrett will, in all likelihood, win his second Defensive Player of the Year award, and LB Carson Schwesinger is the favorite to capture the Rookie Defensive Player of the Year nod.
