Dawgs By Nature
Switch to Jameis Winston and concerns around the team lead to change
The Cleveland Browns head into Week 8 of the NFL season with a load of changes. Some seem to be permanent for the rest of the season while others are subject to change:
While there is hope that Winston can replicate Joe Flacco last year, the Browns season is not ending up in the playoffs even if they can knock off a depleted Baltimore Ravens team in Week 8.
Stefanski, handing over play-calling to Dorsey, has some questioning whether Mike Vrabel could be the team’s next head coach.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Stefanski made the change to Dorsey partially because the timing worked with the switch to Winston but that was only a piece of the puzzle:
Plus, there was a time management issue for Stefanski. The offense was struggling, and Stefanski was still spending most of his time working with that unit. If it wasn’t helping, that time wasn’t being used well.
This move freed Stefanski up to attend more defensive meetings this past week, for instance, allowing him to coach the whole team and, just as importantly, be available to the whole team.
There is a lot of logic in the reasons. Switching both QB and play-caller in the same week does lead to a fresh start overall and, since it wasn’t working, freeing up Stefanski’s time makes sense.
Reading between the lines, “just as importantly, be available to the whole team” seems to be hinting at something. Whether it was just a general disconnect between Stefanski and the other two parts of his team (defense and special teams) or, perhaps, concerns from DC Jim Schwartz and special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone, it seems that Rapoport has heard concerns from within Cleveland.
Rapoport also talked about Winston’s history and Watson’s future noting that “All options are on the table” moving forward with their highly-paid quarterback.
Why do you think Stefanski handed over play-calling to Dorsey? Do you think it is a big deal or just trying to do something different after a terrible start? Share your thoughts in the comment section below
