The Cleveland Browns won just eight games in the final two seasons under HC Kevin Stefanski, yet multiple teams lined up to try get Stefanski as their head coach this offseason. The Browns found their next leader in Todd Monken over three weeks after letting go of Stefanski, with owner Jimmy Haslam a concerning part of the process.
Prior to that, Stefanski was hired as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, with many assuming he’d bring in some of his former coaches from Cleveland.
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In short order, Stefanski hired Tommy Rees as his offensive coordinator and Bill Callahan as his offensive line coach. Stefanski also hired Bob Quinn, a consultant with the Browns, as a senior advisor to the head coach. Now comes word that the Falcons new top guy is bringing Alex Van Pelt to Atlanta with him as well:
Stefanski’s coaching decisions with the Falcons point to his belief that talent and, perhaps, ownership were the problem and not those trying to get the best from them. Many believe that Van Pelt’s Cleveland departure was pushed by Haslam to try to fix their QB Deshaun Watson problem:
There was a belief that Callahan also left due to Watson and the departure from the offensive system that made the Browns offense successful.
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Now, Stefanski is betting on Rees, Callahan, and AVP to elevate the talent found on Atlanta’s offensive roster while sending a subtle message about what he thinks the problem was in Cleveland.