Browns regress because of struggle to grasp human element

On Jan 10, 2023

Cleveland Browns GM Andrew Berry, left, and head coach Kevin Stefanski watch the team practice during NFL football training camp, Saturday, July 31, 2021, in Berea, Ohio.

BEREA — On more than one occasion, Kevin Stefanski has been asked about the culture of the Browns, and the head coach has said it’s simply about people.

He used his default answer again Monday in a season wrap-up news conference.

It’s fitting because the Browns have a problem with people. They haven’t managed, developed or taught them well enough the past two years.

Their struggle to grasp the human element on and off the football field is the main culprit in the team regressing throughout the Stefanski era — from 12-6, including 1-1 in the playoffs, in 2020 to 8-9 in 2021 to 7-10 in 2022.

Leadership. Communication. Unity. Discipline.

The Browns have lacked the intangibles needed to capitalize on their talent and ensure it works together.

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Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, left, shakes hands with the team's new general manager Andrew Berry during his introductory press conference at the Cleveland Browns training facility, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020, in Berea, Ohio.

The most recent and significant consequence is a wasted 2022 in which they missed the playoffs, thereby squandering the first season of quarterback Deshaun Watson’s five-year contract worth a historic $230 million fully guaranteed.

When the dust began to settle from Sunday’s season-ending, 28-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Stefanski fired defensive coordinator Joe Woods.

Blown coverages in the secondary and glaring weaknesses against the run made the move predictable and understandable, but discarding Woods won’t come close to fixing everything plaguing the organization.

The issues run deeper, and they start at the top.

Browns owner Jimmy Haslam greets quarterback Deshaun Watson before the team's preseason game last week.

Owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam underestimated the extent to which trading for Watson — accused by more than two dozen women of sexual misconduct or sexual assault during massage appointments — would divide their fan base. They were overly optimistic last offseason about the length of the suspension he would receive because they misread the league office’s appetite for punishment. The 11-game ban doled out on the QB after a settlement between his camp and the NFL set the tone for a disappointing season.

Yet the Browns still could have overcome the fiasco and made a legitimate playoff push if they hadn’t underachieved en route to records of 4-7 without Watson and 3-3 with him.

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The defense and special teams were a mess for the majority of the season, sabotaging a team far from reaching its potential.

And when adversity hit, the Browns were missing leaders on the roster who could grab teammates by the scruff of the neck and pull them out of it.

Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta and General Manager Andrew Berry have not prioritized locker-room dynamics enough. Among the most damning pieces of evidence are their decisions to cut fiery veteran leaders like wide receiver Jarvis Landry and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson in each of the past two offseasons.

Defensive end Myles Garrett, running back Nick Chubb, left guard Joel Bitonio, cornerback Denzel Ward and wide receiver Amari Cooper are quiet, lead-by-example standouts. As for Watson, he has characterized himself as shy by nature.

Perhaps the most noteworthy concession Berry offered Monday is the Browns “didn’t necessarily have the right mix in all areas” of player leadership.

Asked whether the Browns need to address their shortage of vocal leaders this offseason, Berry said, “I think the bigger focus is effectiveness of leadership as opposed to necessarily style of leadership. So ultimately are we getting the results and the outcomes that are desired? And I think also the other thing is people are leaders in different ways. So again, I’d probably more focus on effectiveness as opposed to, ‘Hey, you need X amount that are in this way, X amount that are that way.’”

Well, the results and outcomes haven’t been good, and a chief reason the Browns need a more diverse mix of leadership styles in the locker room is Stefanski’s low-key personality. A coach with Stefanski’s demeanor can succeed in the NFL, but football is an emotional game fueled by passion.

The Steelers’ Mike Tomlin, the Baltimore Ravens’ John Harbaugh and the Tennessee Titans’ Mike Vrabel are among the coaches at the other end of the spectrum, and it’s hard to believe they need as many outspoken leaders on the depth chart as Stefanski does.