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Kevin Stefanski will remain calling offensive plays for Browns.
The Cleveland Browns‘ offense has been an issue this season, but head coach Kevin Stefanski is standing firm on his decision.
Following the Browns’ 23-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Stefanski said he wasn’t sure if he would continue to call offensive plays. Cleveland failed to record a touchdown in the game, but after reviewing the film, Stefanski confirmed on Monday that he would remain the offensive playcaller.
“Yeah, I’m going to keep calling plays, but I want to stress that this is – we have to get better in so many areas and that includes coaching,” Stefanski said on Monday. “That includes how we teach our guys, how we put them in different formations, the ways you run the ball, ways you pass the ball, all of the above.”
Despite the Browns‘ offensive struggles, Stefanski believes he’s the best option to call the offensive plays.
Stefanski is confident the offense will be able to turn around and get better, as he has full faith in rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
“I do know what you mean, but we have to do it,” Stefanski said about nothing coming easy for the Browns offense. “It’s a matter of coaches putting guys in position to make plays. Guys making plays when they’re put in position, doing their job. Don’t expect anything to come easy. That’s not the name of the game in this sport. But we’ll just keep grinding on it.”
Stefanski Believes Browns Have to Get Better
With Stefanski remaining the play caller, he knows the focus now turns to making the team better.
The Browns coach believes it’s not just the offense, but everything needs to be better, and he is committed to that.
“Obviously, watched the tape this morning and watching it now with the players and ton of areas that we just need to better and need to better in all aspects,” Stefanski said. “Offense, defense, special teams, players, coaches, you name it. We have to be better. That’ll be our focus. That’s what we’ll focus on moving forward so we can go play as a football team and find a way to win. And obviously got a big one this week with Miami coming to town. That’ll be our sole focus today.”
Stefanski believes that with Gabriel set for his third-straight start, he’s starting to get more comfortable in the offense, and Stefanski has full confidence in him.
“Yeah, I think just the big focus for us, is we have to better in all areas, players, coaches, you name it,” Stefanski added. “Obviously, Dillon (Gabriel) is in his second start. Some good things to build off of. He’s learning just like all young players are learning for us right now. And we’ll continue to try to get him to make those improvements that young players make, and also play better around him. That’s our focus.”
Browns Coach Explains Lack of Touches for Judkins
Not only did Cleveland fail to score a touchdown against the Steelers, but the offense turned pass-heavy against Pittsburgh.
Star rookie running back Quinshon Judkins finished the game with just 12 carries for 36 yards. Looking back on the game, Stefanski explained the lack of carries for Judkins.
“Yeah, obviously that game…if you look at the fourth quarter, the number of plays that we had in that game being down three scores precluded us from running, you know, our normal base down offense. But he’s obviously a key part of our offense.”
The hope is Judkins will be a bigger part of the Browns‘ offense in Week 7 against the Miami Dolphins.
Cole Shelton Cole Shelton covers the NHL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has covered pro and college sports since 2016, including bylines at BJ Penn, USA Today, SB Nation, Rotowire, Canadian Baseball Network and more. More about Cole Shelton
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