As Thursday progressed to the Cleveland Browns in the afternoon, the vast deflation of what should have been one of the most exciting weeks in the franchise’s history continued.
The practice center remained closed. Quarterback Baker Mayfield, who is not allowed to practice with his teammates off-site, told reporters he has not played ball since the end of the regular season. Cleveland’s nominee for coach of the year, Kevin Stefanki, continues to work on a game plan that won’t involve him once the franchise enters the Pittsburgh stadium on Sunday night. And the reception did everything, except lighting prayer candles in the hope of filling the continuous gaps in the list being created by COVID-19 almost daily.
And all the time, the NFL is in your hands because, hey, the rules are not meant to be bent unless it’s something the league office really needs.
This is the worst part of what is happening with this whole situation in Cleveland. A team that just created one of the most salable points on the NFL – that any delayed franchise can get back on track quickly with just a few good decisions – is gradually being sucked into a COVID wood chipper and the league is not. I’m really saying nothing. A team source told Yahoo Sports that the only real “break” Cleveland could catch at this point in the NFL would be if another virus outbreak ran through the list and consumed enough of the depth chart to force the league to push the AFC wildcard game back. This is the solution that the NFL tried to sell for much of the season: if your problem is competitive and not health and safety, then this is your problem. Treat it like injuries and good luck.
I use the phrase “much of the season” because the truth of the matter is that the NFL has not been consistent this season. You can find many fan bases that can attest to this. Some were severely fined for COVID violations and the Las Vegas Raiders even had a draft choice withdrawn, but others skated with a slap on the wrist or nothing. The basis of the difference in these decisions is what the NFL decided was rampant neglect versus a desperate cry of “oops, we had an accident in the middle of a pandemic” (which is sometimes a fair assessment of how some teams were buffeted by COVID).
As for the impact on the field, we’ve seen some franchises have the luxury of having their games changed this season, while others, like the Browns this week, were forced to deal with the hand they received. The Denver Broncos come to mind, having been caught in the worst single game of the season by the league, which took the position that it would not give the team a mulligan and would wait a few days to ensure that an entire room of defenders was COVID positive. It wasn’t, of course, but the Broncos had to play a game with a large training squad taking pictures of the center, which was probably not the safest game he’s ever played in his life if we’re talking about health and safety.
Like all other teams in the league this season, the league office is participating in a huge season of trial and error. Things would break down and the NFL and its teams would do their best to fix it and learn. And, as part of that process, learning would lead to adjustments that would make teams safer, better and keep the product in a pattern consistent with the richest sports league in the world. All of which raises this question:
If the NFL has learned any lessons, why can’t it instantly adjust and apply that knowledge this week, when is it most important?
Detroit Lions should not influence the Browns’ luck in the playoffs
Start with Stefanski, who tested positive for COVID, being isolated from the team and prevented from being a coach in Cleveland’s first playoff game in 18 years. The league is adhering to this 10-day isolation decision for two reasons: consistency and competitive balance.
It seems like it makes sense, except when you consider the league office’s inconsistent maneuvers for much of the season, especially when it comes to pushing some games, but not others – and never really considered the idea of taking a week of reset ( which had everything to do with television and Super Bowl planning). Now the NFL is saying it has to be consistent because everyone agreed before the season that the head coaches would have to stay away from their teams if the positive diagnosis of COVID occurred after a game. And, damn, they made Detroit Lions interim coach Darrell Bevell stay at home, so they certainly wouldn’t want to break that pattern.
If 2020 taught the league anything, it is that decisions made at the end of the summer have a lot of room for error. Adjustments can be made, rethinking postures, especially in the playoffs. Perhaps you will let the head coaches get a post-season pass and get involved in matchday operations at home. While I certainly don’t want Stefanski to be left out of such an important game for the franchise, I also don’t want that to happen to Mike Tomlin or Andy Reid or Matt LaFleur or any other head coach this month. And I totally refuse to believe that this should happen in the Super Bowl, so why should the league stay that way in the initial rush?
Don’t say it is because Lions will be upset too. They are the Lions, and it was a regular season game with an interim coach. You are talking about a franchise whose ownership has made such advanced decisions that it has produced a playoff victory in 63 years. In what world do Lions deserve to dictate whether another team should have a double rule so that the head coach can be involved in their team’s playoff game during a pandemic season? Particularly when the NFL has already clung to the oldest favor in the league in football history, allowing Lions to get involved in a very lucrative Thanksgiving game since 1934. The NFL owes nothing to Lions, much less an explanation why. will not demote the technical team in a playoff game during a season of COVID.
Why can’t the rule be adjusted for Brown’s Stefanski?
As for competitive balance, Stefanski being at home and training the game from that position offers nothing. I spoke with several sources from league teams and they all agreed that it is not much different than if Stefanski were in a stadium box. This would not interfere with side communications in any significant way and Stefasnki would not be receiving any additional information that teams cannot obtain during their games. It’s not a problem. The Steelers could be upset because the league is breaking the rule for Cleveland, as Pittsburgh got the better of losing a week of farewell due to the Tennessee Titans outbreak, and then a long weekend due to the Baltimore Ravens outbreak. I admit it is possible. I also know Tomlin well enough to know that he cares about the fraternity of NFL coaches and likes to win games without another team being put at a disadvantage. I think Tomlin would give Stefanski a chance, and that’s good enough for me.
To Cleveland’s credit, the Browns are not complaining about any of this. As much as the fan base is up in arms and making way for Commissioner Roger Goodell at every step, the franchise shrugged. Stefanski suggested it is about having a stiff upper lip and agreeing to it, without making excuses. The front office is just trying to do the best job possible and not lobbying for a standstill or even pushing for a change in the coaching rule with COVID.
This is all the more reason to make an exception here in a long season of exceptions. If nothing was about being fair in 2020, great, but at least be right where you can be. The league has an opportunity to do that. Push the game and help the Browns or at least let them involve the head coach on the day of the game. You don’t have to be perfect all the time if you’re Goodell. You just have to make the effort when necessary.
We are in that space. Acknowledge this. Do the right thing.
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