Dawgs By Nature
Jimmy and Dee Haslam finally made the decision to cut ties with the Cleveland Browns head coach, Kevin Stefanski, on Black Monday. The team had 12 losses this season and 14 last year. And now comes the portion of the franchise where his replacement will be hired. But who? And from where?
RELATED: HARBAUGH TO BROWNS? A FEW REASONS CLEVELAND SHOULD BE IN THE RUNNING
Should the new guy be an offensive-minded coach who can groom young quarterbacks? Currently, the Browns have two of those on their roster, and they just might select another in April’s NFL draft. Maybe a guy who has strong defensive tendencies, since Cleveland has one of the best defenses in the league? A young mind? A guy who has decades of experience? A former head coach or a guy who will roam the sidelines for the first time as an NFL head coach?
But in today’s NFL, if you notice, something is going on every month. This is by design.
And as the playoffs are set to begin, for some clubs, the hot topic going around is who is going to be their team’s next head coach? The league never stops moving.
A recent firing seems almost unbelievable. The Baltimore Ravens waited an extra day and let go of their head coach, John Harbaugh, late Tuesday afternoon. No, really. He was their head man for 18 years, went to the playoffs 12 seasons, captured six division crowns, and won a Super Bowl title. What more does a coach have to do to keep his job?
It has been reported that Harbaugh’s agent received seven calls from NFL clubs inquiring about getting the coach a new deal. Seven teams have head coaching openings, including Baltimore, so somebody is not happy with their current head coaching situation.
Already, clubs such as the New York Football Giants have been mentioned as the most likely landing place for Harbaugh. This much is certain: he won’t be accepting any coordinator jobs. And then again, he might want to pull a Sean Payton, take a year off, then choose his vacancy to suit his needs. Or go the Bill Cowher route, take an analyst job, and never go back.
Harbaugh was a special teams coach before taking over in Baltimore. For the past decade, the Ravens have always had great defenses. It has been mentioned that the Browns’ defense is already a strong group, so for Harbaugh, he may see that the defensive core is intact without having to rebuild the entire group from scratch, as he would with other teams that have head coaching vacancies.
For now, Harbaugh, age 63, isn’t saying if he is or isn’t going to be on some teams’ sidelines in 2026. Let’s just assume he will. So, why not the Browns? Why not come home to Ohio?
Harbaugh has ties to Ohio and Michigan. His parents grew up Browns fans.
Harbaugh is a former defensive back and has always taken pride in this position group....
