Even casual Cleveland Browns football fans know that there was a breakdown with the team’s so-called two-minute drive in the Week 5 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Down by 5 points and with no timeouts remaining, the Browns got the ball.
What followed was a head scratching assortment of plays that were so counterproductive that they wasted time and did not gain yardage.
Coach Stefanski is the Browns play caller.
It is important to know that no one can call a game to perfection.
Some plays will fall flat.
However, for a team that is driven by quantitative data, low percentage plays were utilized during the fourth quarter with the game on the line.
Addressing the third-down draw play in particular, Coach Stefanski said:
“In hindsight I wish I had done something different. This is where I have to put our guys in position to succeed. I didn’t do that there, and I’m sick about it. I definitely got too wrapped up in the previous play call.”
Stefanski on draw play: "In hindsight I wish I had done something different. This is where I have to put our guys in position to succeed. I didn’t do that there, and I’m sick about it. I definitely got too wrapped up in the previous play call."#Browns
— Tom Withers (@twithersAP) October 11, 2021
Fans are also sick about it and took to social media to share their feelings.
https://twitter.com/SyrePhrog/status/1447587520074616833
if y’all run a draw play on 3rd down next week @browns #Browns pic.twitter.com/XdkFULBeIz
— 🎯 (@CrackCobian) October 10, 2021
yesterday was disappointing.. very frustrating, to say the least..
I love coach kev.. but yesterday, brandon staley looked more like the coach stefanski that I'm used to..
you can't be aggressive and successful for the first three quarters, then curl into a ball in the last…😑— BrownsFreak51 (@BrownsFreak51) October 11, 2021
Stefanski cannot afford to be conservative in his late-game play calling anymore; arguably, his play calling was off at the end of the Chiefs game also.
Fix It For Arizona
There is not much more to be said about the Los Angeles Chargers game.
It was a winnable one that ended up being the Browns’ second loss of the season.
The most important thing the Browns can do now is fix things for Arizona.
There is no rest for the weary or injured because the 5-0 Cardinals could put the Browns in a similar situation as the Chargers did.
Here is hoping that the Browns fix the play calling and execution in practice this week so this topic only rears its ugly head after Week 1 and Week 5 and never again.
NEXT: Rich Eisen To Browns Fans: "Do You Want Charlie Frye Back?"
