Don’t be so quick to judge Falcons’ Kevin Stefanski on Browns tenure
Kevin Stefanski has his work cut out for him.
Before the new Falcons head coach blows the whistle for the first time, there are already expectations for next season.
A frustrated Falcons fan base wanted more. Some had hoped against hope that the team would be able to attract John Harbaugh, and others craved one of the big-name coordinators with no head-coaching experience.
The knock on Stefanski is that he isn’t a winning coach, sporting a 45-56 record in six seasons with the Cleveland Browns. On the surface, that doesn’t instill a ton of optimism, but a closer look should be more encouraging.
The Falcons’ record in the past six seasons? Try 41-60, with no postseason appearances. Stefanski, at least, took the Browns to the playoffs in 2023 and in ‘20, when he led a victory in the wild-card round against the rival Steelers.
That appearance ended a 17-year postseason drought for Cleveland. With the Falcons’ 8-9 finish this season, they missed the playoffs for the eighth straight year.
Stefanski had 11 wins in each of those two successful seasons, the first Browns coach to have a pair of double-digit-win seasons since 1988, when the first “Die Hard” movie was released and CDs first outsold vinyl records.
Not even Bill Belichick did that in Cleveland, and he turned out to be a pretty good NFL coach.
Understand that Stefanski didn’t have much to work with in his Browns tenure. Those 11-win seasons came with Baker Mayfield and an aging Joe Flacco at quarterback. That’s without mentioning the myriad other quarterbacks during Stefanski’s tenure, including the disaster with Deshaun Watson.
The Falcons’ quarterback situation isn’t ideal, with Michael Penix Jr. coming off an ACL injury and his immediate outlook to start next season unclear. There is some reason to be encouraged that Stefanski will have more say in the quarterback situation in Atlanta and that he can work to develop Penix.
A cautionary tale
As a Detroit native, I’ve been emotionally scarred by the years of futility of the Lions franchise. Like many others, I developed a healthy malaise for the hometown team and found other things to do with my Sundays instead of focusing on yet another losing season.
There was the imperfect 0-16 season in 2008 that led to somewhat happier times with a younger Matthew Stafford, the predecessor to this winning version with the Los Angeles Rams.
After that era came Dan Campbell, who seemed to be just the next in a long line of mediocre coaches. That is, until his introductory news conference in 2021, when he talked exceedingly about establishing identity and toughness — and biting kneecaps.
Lions fans went crazy and sought out pitchforks and torches. That clip was on every sports-radio show for days, and the national TV analysts broke down every word and laughed.
Even in hiring a new coach, the Lions were the laughingstock of the NFL yet again.
The term “Same Ol’ Lions” just continued, thinking they had gotten it wrong by bringing on a head coach with no experience and just continuing the carousel of characters.
After going 3-13-1 in his first season, Campbell has reeled off an impressive 45-23 record in the past four years. More impressively, Campbell led the Lions to the NFC championship game and came within a half of taking the Lions to their first Super Bowl.
Look who’s laughing now.
Campbell figured it out, and the Lions have jumped off their treadmill of mediocrity. Although they missed the playoffs this season, they’re far from the franchise that, before Campbell’s arrival, hadn’t won a postseason game since 1991.
Grit became the Lions’ mantra, and Campbell exemplified that from the beginning.
First impressions
It’s not about Stefanski trying to win the opening press conference with bold, colorful declarations of what the Falcons are going to do. That would be foolhardy.
That’s just talk, and fans are tired of hearing that.
Instead, the best first impression for Stefanski in Atlanta will be setting and achieving a reasonable goal, like just making the playoffs. That’s not too lofty, considering the Falcons are in the wretched NFC South, which sent an 8-9 division winner to the playoffs this year.
That had to be part of the attraction in taking the Falcons job, understanding that the team is already close to making the postseason, thanks to the roster that former general manager Terry Fontenot assembled.
But it comes with some expectations too.
Fans will want to hear about the big plan, including bringing an offensive scheme that can maximize the talent of Bijan Robinson and figure out the quarterback quandary, with Penix on the mend and more questions about the path forward and whether Kirk Cousins is a viable option.
The pressure will be on Stefanski, because making the playoffs is the expectation — as it should be — and there have been too many letdowns with a roster that has the talent to do better.
The NFL is a labyrinth of decisions, both good and bad, and the Falcons have made their share of each in the past few seasons. Those choices now reside with Matt Ryan, the Falcons’ new president of football.
Choosing a head coach with experience seems to be a prudent call, but only time will tell. This is Ryan’s first hire, and although it isn’t the home run that getting Harbaugh might have been, it looks to be at least a solid double.
The trick will be seeing whether the Falcons can score.
About the Author
Rod Beard is the Senior Sports Editor for pro sports at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, joining the team after 20-plus years at The Detroit News, where he was a beat writer for the Pistons for seven years, after five years covering the Michigan men's basketball team.
