New Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski promises a ‘smart’ and ‘tough’ team
Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski, coming off six seasons as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, shared his vision for the team for the first time Tuesday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
He was hired Jan. 17 to replace former coach Raheem Morris, who was fired Jan. 4 after two 8-9 seasons only a few hours after the regular-season finale.
“I’m beyond thrilled to be the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons,” said Stefanski, who took the Browns to the playoffs twice, was named coach of the year twice and finished with a 45-56 record.
He was plagued by poor quarterback play for most of his six seasons on the shore of Lake Erie. The Browns used 13 starting quarterbacks during his tenure, which commenced with Baker Mayfield guiding them to the playoffs.
After winning the Deshaun Watson derby by giving him a five-year, fully guaranteed $230 million contract, the Browns traded Mayfield, a former No. 1 overall pick in the draft, to the Panthers.
Stefanski may have done his best work in 2023, when the Browns went 11-6 when using five starting quarterbacks and reached the playoffs. They were defeated 45-14 by the Texans in the wild-card round.
“In this career (and) in this business, sometimes you have to navigate tough times,” Stefanski said. “I certainly have seen my tough times. I feel like I’m a better coach on the other side of that.”
It was rough over the final two seasons for Stefanski and the Browns, who went 8-26. Some in town dredged up the old “Factory of Sadness” videos about the stadium.
“I want to learn from all those things,” Stefanski said. “I hope that there’s things that I learned on a day-to-day basis. I hope there’s big-picture things that I’ve learned and taken from that. So, really excited about where I am, but I wouldn’t change anything about that.”
In the Falcons, Stefanski inherits a team that has posted eight consecutive losing seasons and has not been to the playoffs since 2017.
The quarterback position is in a state of flux with Kirk Cousins and his contract situation and Michael Penix Jr. coming off left knee surgery. The defense has some nice pieces, but was ranked in the middle of the 32-team NFL.
Stefanski was hired after the Falcons interviewed eight other candidates, including an announced interview with John Harbaugh. After Harbaugh linked up with the Giants, the Falcons set up a second interview with Stefanski and hired him over steaks at Arthur Blank’s house.
“This is a special place,” Stefanski said. “Atlanta is where I wanted to be. I wanted to be here. There was a pull to this job and a pull to this city.
“It really started right at the top. It’s Arthur Blank and Matt Ryan. Arthur and I shared very similar values of how to treat people. He will create an environment and an opportunity to win.”
New president of football Matt Ryan helped lead the search.
“I’ve known Matt a long time,” Stefanski said. “I’ve known of Matt a very long time. I know what he’s made of. I know what he’s about. I know where he’s from, literally, but I also know what is important to him. What’s important to Matt is winning.”
Stefanski was noncommittal about his current quarterback situation.
“I will tell you, obviously, Michael is somebody I’m very excited about,” Stefanski said. “His rehab is what’s most important right now. I saw him in the training room this week. He’s, as you can imagine, attacking his rehab.”
Stefanski was with the Vikings in 2018 and ’19 with Cousins as the quarterback.
“Then when it comes to Kirk, obviously, have a previous relationship with Kirk,” Stefanski said. “But I don’t know if it’s the time yet to talk about all positions and those types of things, but those type of conversations will come in due time.”
Stefanski was ready to talk about his coaching staff and said that offensive coordinator Tommy Rees would be the play-caller.
“We’re putting a staff together that I’m very, very excited about,” Stefanski said. “Putting a staff together is like a puzzle.”
Also, the Falcons’ offseason program will start April 7.
“It’s our job to develop our football players,” Stefanski said. “The easy thing is to talk about it. ... We will be about that work.”
Stefanski described the style of play he’ll demand from the Falcons.
“We’ll put in the work to being a smart football team, to playing a smart brand of football,” Stefanski said. “We will earn that toughness. I believe that physicality and playing this style of football is earned. We will earn that.”
Stefanski said he’s reached out to a lot of players, including All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson.
“I can’t wait to get our players in the building,” Stefanski said. “I’ve spoken to a lot of our players. There’s still phone calls I need to make. I’m getting through it, but having talked to our guys, I can’t tell you how excited I am to talk and to coach this roster.”
In addition to Harbaugh and Stefanski, the Falcons also interviewed Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde, former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and CBS analyst and former Raiders coach Antonio Pierce.
Hafley was hired by the Dolphins, and Minter, a former defensive coordinator at Georgia State, was hired by the Ravens.
Ryan believes the franchise nailed the coaching hire, while the general manager search is ongoing, with James Liipfert set for an in-person interview that reportedly will take place Thursday.
“Kevin’s entire lived coaching experience, from his start in Minnesota and all the different things that he did there, to his time in Cleveland, the ups, the downs, the highs and the lows,” Ryan said. “I know that as a player. I learned from both. I learned from the success. I learned from the struggles. I was a better player as I got older as a result of both of those.”
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
