Nick Sirianni and Kevin Stefanski Shared a Laugh Over Preseason Attempt to Ice Kicker

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Icing the kicker in a preseason game? You better believe defending Super Bowl champion coach Nick Sirianni is going to try his luck.
As Browns rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel led his team down the field before halftime during his preseason debut, Stefanski sent out his field-goal unit to try and tack on three points with two seconds left on the clock before the break. Sirianni wasn't going to let the Browns get off that easy though in the exhibition contest, calling a timeout to try and ice kicker Andre Szmyt before his attempt.
The moment led to a big laugh from Sirianni as he smiled across the field at Stefanski who could only shake his head and point his finger at his opposing coach.
Sirianni and Stefanski exchanged a look after SIrianni tried to ice the kicker before halftime 😂
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That was no problem for Szmyt though, as he knocked through the 49-yard field goal after the timeout.
Stefanski, a Philadelphia native, appeared to receive some playful banter from Sirianni after the hilarious moment. Szmyt is behind Dustin Hopkins on Cleveland's most recent depth chart after he spent last season on the team's practice squad. Although his head coach shook his head at the move from Sirianni, I'm sure he was somewhat appreciative of the attempt to simulate a live-game situation.
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Blake Silverman is a writer at Sports Illustrated, primarily covering the NBA and WNBA. Before joining SI in November 2024 as a breaking/trending news writer, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation and A10Talk. He’s an alum of both Michigan State and St. Bonaventure University, receiving a master’s degree from the Bonnies’ sports journalism program. Outside of work, he’s a husband, father, yogi and fairly mediocre tennis player who’s open to any tips on how to play defense in EA Sports College Football.