Browns Bytes - Browns Meltdown
In this story:
Bri and I are back to talk about arguably the most ridiculous way for the Cleveland Browns to lose a football game. And there have been plenty.
There's been plenty of discussion about who's to blame for individual mistakes, so rather than rehash and re-blame, we take a more generalized approach to what's going on with this team and some of the trends of the Kevin Stefanski era.
Defensive Coordinator Joe Woods is under fire because this isn't the first time the Browns have had coverage busts. They occurred in the early part of the 2021 season as well as the first game against the Carolina Panthers, which wasn't warning enough to make sure this wouldn't be an issue again.
The players are calling it a player problem and a number of them are holding themselves accountable, though the defensive backs seem the most hesitant on this front.
Nothing about the way the Browns lost is inexcusable. They had a win in a season where they need all the help they can get and gagged it. There is something to be said about how the NFL treats the month of September like the preseason.
Teams often take at least a month to get themselves figured out. The AFC North could be a good example of this as the Baltimore Ravens gave up a 21-point lead to the Miami Dolphins and lost while the Cincinnati Bengals, the AFC North representative in the Super Bowl, are 0-2 having lost to the Cooper Rush led Dallas Cowboys.
So as ghastly and awful as that loss to the New York Jets is, is that what should cause changes on the coaching staff? Probably not, but if they lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers at home on national television with a 10-day layoff afterward, it could definitely happen.
It's a big week for Stefanski and establishing who he is as a head coach. In year three, is this team an accurate reflection of him? He's an excellent coordinator and play caller, but is he a great head coach? I'm inclined to think he is, but the manner in which they lost this game and some of the issues they continue to have beg the question.
It all boils down to this - the Browns just need to beat the Steelers.
