The Cleveland Browns headed into the 2024 NFL season with high hopes of getting back on track as a potential Super Bowl title contender in the AFC, armed with a lockdown defense led by Myles Garrett and a formidable offense with quarterback Deshaun Watson back under center.
Unfortunately, things haven’t gone as planned for head coach Kevin Stefanski, who is coming off his second NFL Coach of the Year award after brilliantly keeping things together last season following the season-ending injuries suffered by Watson and Nick Chubb.
Stefanski is widely regarded as one of the best head coaches in the league, and understandably so, with many giving him a pass for this 2024 campaign, which seemed to go off the rails right out of the gate.
Although many have sympathized with Stefanski’s situation in Cleveland, Tony Rizzo of ESPN has not, as he believes the talented head coach deserves some of the blame because of what he’s put on the field this season via ESPN Cleveland.
“I think everybody feels bad for Kevin because he puts up with a lot of crap, but what he’s put on the field this year is an F. an F,” Rizzo said.
"I think everybody feels bad for Kevin because he puts up with a lot of crap but what he's put on the field this year IS AN F. AN F," – @TheRealTRizzo thinks Stefanski isn't free from blame for this Browns season.
Do you agree? pic.twitter.com/GB1D9uIdRr
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) November 14, 2024
There’s no question that Stefanski has dealt with a number of unfortunate injuries over the last two seasons, which is not an easy thing to deal with, especially when the same star players keep going down.
However, Rizzo might be right that Stefanski does need to shoulder some of the blame, as this team hasn’t shown any promise of being able to turn things around, which doesn’t bode well for the immediate future.
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