Dawgs By Nature
With one game remaining in the season, it’s clear that current Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski seat is not only hot but both sides seem ready for a change.. Nothing is official, but based on what we know and what is being reported, Stefanski is likely going to be coaching elsewhere in the NFL. The last time the Browns underwent a coaching search, Baker Mayfield was still in Cleveland, and general manager Andrew Berry wasn’t.
The Browns will have a list of candidates; if they are doing things right, they already have that list to choose from. Let’s divide the candidates into tiers.
Under no circumstances should the Browns even entertain interviewing these candidates.
As for Gruden, the last time he was coaching was with the Las Vegas Raiders. The team never finished above .500; he eventually resigned due to inappropriate conduct he wrote in multiple emails. The last time Gruden finished above .500, the original iPhone was in style, and multiple popular apps hadn’t even been created. As far as Belichick goes, he’s past his prime as a coach, and when Hall of Famer Tom Brady retired, Belichick struggled in finding a new quarterback as well as being a part of questionable roster/personnel decisions. He will receive a gold jacket in Canton, but his style is outdated, and he’s not someone Cleveland needs.
Coaches who have been head coaches before, but whose ceilings are already defined.
Only two coaches will be highlighted here. If you can compare Mike McCarthy to a current basketball coach in the NBA it would be Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers. One championship that both coaches have won is saving a mediocre resume. After winning a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers in 2010, the Packers alternated between divisional round, wild card or conference title flame outs. McCarthy was able to win 12+ games with the Dallas Cowboys, but the furthest the team went was to the Divisional Round. For some reason the Cowboys underachieved in certain years despite having talented rosters with McCarthy under the helm. It’s also worth mentioning that the Cowboys have had multiple playoff losses in which the team came out unprepared and was embarrassed. That falls on coaching.
Current Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury couldn’t figure it out with the Arizona Cardinals and no one should expect him to figure it out again if he were to be hired. Kingsbury is dubbed as an “offensive guru,” but it’s more so the quarterbacks he’s had that have done the heavy lifting. His offenses aren’t dynamic; they’re more bland than people want to admit. It’s also not a coincidence that his offenses are often figured out in the second half of the season...
