CLEVELAND — Stability is a great thing in any stage of life. The word “stability” and the Cleveland Browns have not been used in the same sentence much. But we are now living in a time of peace and somewhat tranquility with the Browns. And believe me, that’s a good thing and we deserve it. There was a time, not too long ago, when the NFL Scouting Combine would take place in Indianapolis and the Browns would be rolling out a new general manager and head coach. That was no way to live or win in the NFL.
This week, as the league has gathered again to time and test players for the upcoming NFL Draft, here are the Browns with a stable front office and coaching staff. Now I know the Browns had to shuffle the coaching staff a bit in the last couple of weeks, but at the top Kevin Stefanski sits solidly going into year five as the Browns head coach. Andrew Berry enters the same year five as the general manager.
The revolving door has slowed down in Berea. The team has started to win, and more importantly, expects to win. The culture has changed in a very good way with the Browns.
Some of the stories I could tell you about head coach and general manager searches would make your head spin.
Like the time in 1999 when the new expansion Browns were hiring Chris Palmer to be their first coach since returning to the league. The Channel 3 Sports Department went full “undercover.” We found out that owner Al Lerner, president Carmen Policy, general manager Dwight Clark and the rest of the Browns contingent were with Palmer at the Beachwood restaurant, Moxie. We called their reservation desk and said we worked for Clark and needed to talk to him immediately. Sure enough, he came to the phone. We hung up and staked out in the Moxie parking lot. When their dinner broke up — bang — there was Chris Palmer, the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns. We were live at 11!
We got pretty good at chasing down Browns candidates, but it also became a sign that the team couldn’t get it right and it spilled over onto the field. They were losing at an alarming rate.
Rob Chudzinski for a year and Eric Mangini for two became the norm for life expectancy of a Browns head coach. The same was true for general managers. Some would say it was “Football Purgatory,” but I would disagree. It was “Football Hell.”
The Browns are in good hands currently. The Berry-Stefanski Team is working. Are they fire and brimstone in front of the media? No, they’re not. But they are smart, tactical and when you look out on the field and watch the Browns, they look like a team that is organized, well-put-together and well-coached.
Now we sit back and watch them do their jobs as they pull and tug at the salary cap and free agency. Finally, the Browns have a solid foundation. No more massive “rebuilds.” Thanks for that.
