CLEVELAND, Ohio (TheOBR.com) Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!
THE DAILY BLOVIATION
When I started the OBR back in the 1990s, it was, to no small degree, a response to the anger I had felt when the Browns were stolen by the City of Baltimore in 1995. I figured that, if the theft of the team had such an emotional impact on me and others, then the return of the team should be celebrated as well.
I wasn’t a football coach. I had never played the game on any competitive level. I was just a fan of the team, working as a business consultant, and had no plans to make the site my vocation or sole source of income as it is today. All of which goes to say that, unlike the others on the OBR, I don’t bring any special knowledge of football to the table, although I’ve picked a few things up over the years.
Where I do have some expertise is in software development and, more importantly, business and management. In a nearly two-decade business consulting career, I got the chance to see machinations among client managers and C-level execs up close, saw many mistakes being made and, less frequently, overt successes. I had some successes and failures of my own.
The long transition from consultant to small-business owner has been full of struggles, which I’ve survived to date. This is a very competitive racket with everyone from big corporations to individuals with Substacks to fans with Twitter accounts anxious to play in the arena.
All of which goes to say that I look on the Cleveland Browns’ decision to move on from Kevin Stefanski less as a football move and more as a snapshot of a highly profitable (but still somehow struggling) business in action.
The NFL is no “normal” business. It’s a tolerated and de facto monopoly – the only legitimate American football business in existence. It competes with other sports and college football to some extent, but it has a unique cache and no real competition in its space. As a franchise owner, it’s nearly impossible to fail because of the salary cap and guaranteed TV money. The rules and organization of the league, from the NFL Draft to schedule-making, are designed to provide balance and allow even the worst-run franchises to succeed at various points.
The worst thing that can happen to a team’s franchise owner isn’t bankruptcy or even low margins; it’s simply failure to compete on the field of play. The inability to maintain at least a near-average record over time reflects a special situation in which the team’s decision-making is consistently poor.
Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns and the changes we saw yesterday. The Browns record in this respect is awful, with Jimmy Haslam’s won-loss record being close to that of the New York Jets’ Woody Johnson, generally recognized as the league’s most inept franchise.
The Cleveland Browns may ultimately get lucky (they’re overdue) and thrive as a result of yesterday’s decision. They may find the perfect coach for them. I certainly hope so. Still, I find the decision-making flawed on several levels.
Reactive, Not Proactive: The team’s stated reason for firing Kevin Stefanski was purely reactive: The team didn’t win enough games, so a change was needed, goes the logic. There doesn’t appear to be a plan beyond Andrew Berry gathering some smart people around him and finding a new coach who will hopefully solve the franchise’s problems, including its chronic quarterback issue. There’s no plan in place, beyond the team hoping to find “the guy” who will turn things around, and the very wide list of candidates to date isn’t overtly promising. If you’re going to cancel “Plan A”, having some sense of “Plan B” helps. The Browns will be throwing a Hail Mary to try to land a transformative coach despite having one of the least desirable positions available by any objective measure.
There’s No Vision for the Outcome: I’m not getting any sense from either Haslam or Berry that there’s any vision for what kind of team they want to construct or the type of leadership required. GM Berry mentioned some leadership attributes he’s looking for – a segment of business-speak which could as easily be applied to a search for a Chief Operating Officer as a head coach. Without a clear vision of what type of team or specific coaching attributes they want to aspire to, there’s no real way to narrow the search for the “right guy” or even to get a sense of what attributes the hire should have beyond being a “good leader”.
Not Understanding the True Root of the Problem: I find the team’s leaking rationales to members of the media, such as “as a new voice was needed,” to be the basest form of management, crawling back to industry bromides without considering how the situation developed. Kevin Stefanski was burdened with a dearth of talent on offense and no answer at the team’s most important position: Quarterback. Part of this was due to poor personnel moves over the years, most prominently (but not only) the Deshaun Watson disaster. Even before 2022, the team struggled to find an answer at this position, indicating a wholesale management replacement would probably make more sense than singling out the coach. Will a new coach magically solve the problem? I guess that he won’t, unless the true cause of the issue – poor and defensively lopsided talent acquisition – is suddenly much better than it has been (which Haslam seems to be relying on with his emphasis on the 2025 off-season and promises to focus on offense).
I believe that this is a case of a frustrated owner issuing a dictate for change without knowing what form that change should take. Change. Win more. Now go off and do it, Andrew Berry.
It’s the sort of decision-making that, in my opinion, rarely yields a good result. The coaching search will be pressed for time, as the new coach is expected to weigh in on a range of matters before March, while also building a new coaching staff and learning about the organization already in place. It’s the sort of situation that usually results in a step back before any forward progress can be made. One has to assume that a plan has been put in place for weeks to reach another other conclusion. I see no evidence that this is the case.
There is no Drake Maye awaiting a new coach, nor a supporting organization with a reputation for doing things exceptionally well. It’s like going all in in Texas Hold-em without having a straight flush in hand – just a pair of queens – and hoping that things will turn out alright.
I’m unimpressed with the decision-making here, but, like all Browns fans, it’s my job to clear my memories of past poor decisions and embrace whatever the new hope looks like. Maybe the 27th time will be the charm. Maybe we’ll get lucky.
Luck. Hope. That’s the strategy. Let’s go.
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
OBR GOODIES
OBR VIDEO
Cleveland Browns Two-Minute Check-In: Stefanski Fired – (youtube.com)
Gang of Three: Search and Rescue Mission? – (youtube.com)
OBR ARTICLES
Cleveland Browns Stock Up/Down – 2025 Season Defensive Players – Jack
Browns Shedeur Sanders Said He has Aspects of His Game that Add Up to One Complete QB – Fred
Cleveland Browns Shedeur Sanders Accuracy Charting Week 18 Update – Sam
Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 1/5/26: Just Get It Right – Barry
MESSAGE BOARD POSTS
Stefanski and desire for Watson…
Coaching search – offense or defense?
Pete – Schwartz and the DC Concern
ST Coordinator a possible “off the beaten path” candidate?
Are Kyler Murray or Tua in play?
Selling the HC job to candidates
Will the hierarchy change now?
Cleveland Browns – Lack of Discipline on Stefanski?
Question for Lane re; Haslam keeping Berry
Now that Stefanski is gone what about Schwartz and the defense?
Haslam on Talent Level; Your reactions?
HC candidates after the firing of Stefanski?
Callahan squared for the offense?
Lane….candidate pool and has Haslam learned anything
At one point did Stefanski lose ownerships support?
Question for lane-Stefanski update?
Question for all insiders-FA agressiveness level?
Berry staying: impact on job perception
What would it take to get Cignetti to take Browns HC job?
LIVE BLOG: Browns Dismiss Kevin Stefanski!
Browns need to find their Stephen Vogt
HC hires who you would be excited about
1st round caliber QB a must or it doesnt matter who the HC is
Place your bets on who will be the next HC
HC Hires That Will Make You Throw The Remote AT The TV
OT: You can tune a fish but…..
Some interesting points from CBS Sports Jonathan Jones
LiveWire Thread for 15 – Twitter, Video, Articles
THE LIFTPositive news from the world of sports and beyond…
Anti-Aging Drug Regrows Knee Cartilage in Major Breakthrough That Could End Knee Replacements – (goodnewsnetwork.org)
Interesting medical development here which could help ex-football athletes live better lives as the knee restores itself.
WRAPPING UP
When not bemoaning his lost PowerPoint skills, Barry McBride is the Publisher and Founder of the OBR and bloviates this nonsense every morning. You can follow him on Twitter @barrymcbride or write him at barry@theobr.com if you are so compelled.
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