Stefanski, who joined the Browns in January 2020 after a long stint in various positions at the Minnesota Vikings, scored the most wins for a Browns coach in his first year since Paul Brown was 12 in the team’s inaugural season in 1946 His winning percentage (0.688) was the best since Blanton Collier (0.714) in 1963 and the third best in the franchise’s history.
Stefanski’s 11 wins in the regular season were the biggest of any first-year head coach in 2020 and marked only the 11th time since 1970 that a first-year coach has won 11 or more games. The Browns were the only team to reach the playoffs this season with a coach in their first year.
Cleveland was one of four teams in the league that did not lose consecutive games, which was another credit to Stefanski’s leadership, Berry said.
“Every Monday, victory or defeat, was really the same for us,” said Berry. “He really did a great job of protecting our cocoon, so to speak. The season can be emotional. It can be emotional especially externally, whether you have a big win or a horrible loss. Kevin’s mindset was when we arrived on Monday , we must seek to improve and we must seek to work. Indeed, we must feel the same, regardless of the result on Sunday. That is a credit to your steady hand. “
Stefanski was also the author of the game in an attack by the Browns that featured some of his best numbers in generations.
Cleveland’s 408 points were the second highest in the franchise’s history, as the Browns finished third in the league in races with an average of 148.4 yards per game (best since 1978) and 12 in the quarterback standings (96.6 ). Under Stefanski’s tutelage, QB Baker Mayfield’s third year saw his quarterback rating jump from 78.8 in 2019 to 95.9 in 2020, while increasing his touchdown passes (22 to 26) and dramatically decreasing his interceptions (21 to 8).
Stefanski did all this while navigating the new realities and standards presented by the pandemic COVID-19, making his first year of work unlike any other. Browns strategy director Paul DePodesta recalled a conversation he had with Stefanski last March, when Stefanski jokingly asked him, “Where’s the first-year head coach’s manual on how to deal with a global pandemic? “
“It’s more or less the way he attacked everything all year – a sense of calm, a great sense of humor, fearless, regardless of the challenges that came his way,” said DePodesta. “He was open-minded and flexible in terms of dealing with whatever happened on the pitch or outside of him. Even in those really difficult times, being himself and being authentic. All these things were evident to our players and in the end of the accounts, have translated into a phenomenal phenomenon year as head coach. “
Stefanski’s first offseason program, where the team installed a new offensive and defensive system, was entirely virtual, and he commanded the vast majority of his former Minneapolis residence. Stefanski and his coaching staff did not personally meet with most of the players until the training ground, which has been completely remodeled to follow league protocols. During the second half of the season, the Browns handled numerous stops and starts on their schedule, including the complete closure of the team’s facilities due to positive COVID-19 tests. Stefanski himself tested positive in the days leading up to the Browns’ Wild Card victory over the Steelers and, along with a handful of players and assistant coaches, was forced to miss the trip to Pittsburgh.
From start to finish, Stefanski presented an apologetic, close-man mindset that permeated the entire organization.
“There has never been a feeling of pity for ourselves or the proverbial ‘here we go again’,” said DePodesta.
“You think about what he had to endure over the course of this year. Ultimately, he didn’t just endure – he prospered.”