Kevin Stefanski's Appeal

The Cleveland Browns are set to interview Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski Thursday afternoon for the third time in two years. The runner up to Freddie Kitchens in 2019, it's virtually impossible to know if Stefanski would be the right first time head coach for the Browns, but it's easy to see what makes him such an intriguing option.

In terms of what the Browns do offensively, there may not be a coach that offers a smoother transition to what the Browns do well and the players they are building their team around. First and foremost, Baker Mayfield can do everything Kirk Cousins does, but has more pure talent both with his arm and his mobility. Utilizing a lot of playaction enables a player like Mayfield to get to various positions on the field to make throws and take advantage of playmakers. What little success the Browns experienced in 2019 through the passing game was largely as a result of playaction.

The offensive line that's going to be on the team for 2020 thrived in a zone scheme as well as the wide zone scheme the Vikings employ in their running game. There's been questions as to whether Stefanski would succeed without coaches like Gary Kubiak and Rick Dennison at his disposal and they are excellent coaches. Nevertheless, if the Browns were to simply keep James Campen as their offensive line coach, who has been successful teaching that style of blocking, the Browns should be fine, save for learning new terminology.

Joel Bitonio and J.C. Tretter in particular have been tremendous in this scheme, opening holes for Nick Chubb. Chubb is stylistically different from Dalvin Cook, but he has the vision, patience and physical ability to find and exploit running lanes. This was the best thing the Browns did on offense in 2019 enabling Chubb to make the Pro Bowl and finish second in the league in rushing. While they would still have to find tackles and continue to develop a right guard, be it Wyatt Teller or Drew Forbes, the consistency in coaching could be extremely beneficial. It would also focus the teaching for what could be two rookies next year, hopefully enabling them to hit the ground running.

Stephon Diggs and Odell Beckham are obviously two different players, but they offer some of the same challenges for a coach in addition to their obvious talent. Even in a playoff game the Vikings would ultimately win, Diggs was visibly frustrated about his lack of opportunities to make plays. Stefanski's offense has been able to maximize Diggs, but Stefanski never veered away from a good plan in an effort to appease a star player for the sake of the team.

Against the Saints, the Vikings wanted to limit the amount of possessions the Saints had the ball and did that controlling the ball on the ground as well as with a quick passing game. At times, it was incredibly successful and led to a few scores, but even when the Saints clamped down, they didn't abandon it, opting to stick to their plan. They were able to control the pace of the game and were able to win, despite being a significant underdog.

It showed discipline, patience and an understanding of the bigger picture. The play calling was logical and it didn't feel forced or difficult. It was by no means perfect, but it also didn't ask players to perform miracles or do things they aren't capable. The Saints have a talented pass rush and secondary, so the Vikings tried to work to their weakness to create opportunities in the passing game to stay multifaceted and keep the defense honest.

Beyond coordinating a productive, logical offense that would fit the Browns, Stefanski was able to impress the smartest people in the Browns organization. Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta most notably, but people like Andrew Berry, currently part of the Philadelphia Eagles, and others in the analytics department were boosters for Stefanski.

And at some point, it might be a good idea to listen to the smart people that were hired specifically to help with these decisions. That's particularly true if a Stefanski hire would mean that Berry would return to the Browns as their general manager. Imagine a building full of smart, capable people all headed in the same direction trying to make the Browns better.

Now, perhaps someone like Robert Saleh or Josh McDaniels interviews and DePodesta and others are blown away and ultimately change their minds, opting to endorse these candidates they didn't interview last year. In that scenario, the Browns should hire those people, but if the Browns find themselves in another situation where the smartest people in the organization are overwhelmingly saying after three interviews in two years, the Browns should hire this man to be their head coach, it's time to listen to them.

Stefanski is 37, so he's not fully formed as a coach and can still improve and evolve. That also could mean that he will experience the learning curve that Kitchens was expected to need. But given his accomplishments at this young age and the fact that he's a Penn graduate, he seems like he should be more equipped to step in and take control of the team quickly with the upside to get better in a short time. Whether Stefanski would be the right choice remains to be seen, but it's not difficult to see the attraction.