It’s already been a long, strange season for the Cleveland Browns and their fans.
Early-season depth concerns yielded a growing number of surprises and breakout performances.
Questionable officiating decisions and fortunate bounces have gone the Browns’ way as often as not.
And now another team’s beat reporter is using the Browns coaching situation as an example to others?
Zack Rosenblatt of the Athletic wrote a piece excoriating the head coach of the New York Jets (via Zack Rosenblatt on Twitter).
Robert Saleh is not the only coach to lose his starting QB. He’s not the first one to be hit by injuries on the O-Line.
He is the only one who seems to use it as an excuse to wash over all the other #Jets problems.
Just look at the Browns: They’ve started PJ Walker, Dorian…
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) December 18, 2023
This after Robert Saleh blamed his team’s injuries – particularly at quarterback – for his team’s continued woes.
Rosenblatt offers Kevin Stefanski as an example of a no-excuse, get-the-job-done-no-matter-what head coach.
The Jets beat writer notes how injuries decimated Cleveland’s offensive line and led to four starting quarterbacks, but the Browns just keep on winning under Stefanski, and “next man up” is his only comment about injuries.
Neither of New York’s NFL teams have been a model of coaching consistency lately.
Yet it still seems unusual for a Cleveland Browns head coach or his staff to be looked at in a positive light.
Perhaps Paul DePodesta’s insistence on continuity in the coaches’ room is finally paying off.
As Stefanski enters the last season of a five-year contract, Browns ownership has some decisions to make.
It looks like Stefanski will beat the odds, not only finishing out his initial deal but also earning an extension.
Cleveland can show New York what better coaching does in their Week 17 Thursday night football matchup.
With some help, Stefanski’s troops might already have a wild card in their pocket and a division title on their mind.
NEXT: Analyst Shares 'Definitive Argument' For Kevin Stefanski To Be COY
