The NFL’s schedule release has become a larger spectacle each year. The final schedule won’t come out until May 14th, but teams and the league have been teasing fans with a few games here and there, whetting their appetite for the final reveal.
Several international and primetime games have been announced, giving fans some clarity and insight, but some teams haven’t had any of their matchups leaked early. Naturally, this leads people to start predicting what the schedules will look like ahead of time and to see if they are correct.
Browns insider Tony Grossi, for instance, believes it would make sense for the Browns to host the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1, if for no other reason than to have a reunion with their former head coach.
“Game 1: Home v. Atlanta Falcons,” Grossi wrote. “Kevin Stefanski’s return to Cleveland as a visiting coach makes sense for a season-opener. He told me at the NFL league meetings in late March that he will carry a chip on his shoulder this season. ‘Anytime you lose your job, or you fall short of what you were trying to do, you take that with you,’ he said. ‘You take that personally. So, I don’t mean it in a way that you hold a grudge. I think it means that it motivates you. You want to do better.’ He added, ‘You ever been fired? No? Not yet?’ Funny.”
The league often makes storyline-based decisions, and this could certainly be one for fans to watch. While Stefanski was once a beloved coach of the Browns, the attitudes surrounding him weren’t as positive in the final two years of his tenure.
Fans were calling for his head for months before the team decided to cut ties with him, and his departure in Cleveland wasn’t as smooth as anyone would have liked. With that said, it would be interesting for fans to see him back in the stadium for Week 1, and the environment would almost certainly be hostile towards him.
As Stefanski noted in his conversation with Grossi, he’s going to have new motivations and coach with a fury this year. The Falcons are a roster filled with talented players, although, like the Browns, they’re in a bit of an interesting situation when it comes to the quarterback position.
The Browns are entering a new era under Todd Monken, their 12th different coach since 2000. This team hasn’t been able to retain a signal-caller for a significant amount of time, but with any luck, Monken’s tenure will be different. Whenever they play the Falcons this year, it will certainly be a game for fans to circle on their calendars.
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