Was it ever really a question who’s gonna call plays?
The Cleveland Browns traveled to White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia last week, kicking off their training camp at the Greenbrier for the second year running. Expectations are high inside the team facility. If you ask Kevin Stefanski or Andrew Berry the aim is clear - compete for a championship.
The Browns did a lot to meet those expectations this offseason - one key change was the dismissal of offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, and the hiring of his replacement, Ken Dorsey. Throughout the spring there was much speculation about who would handle game-day play calling duties - Stefanski or Dorsey? Under the AVP regime, Stefanski was the offensive play caller, which sometimes drew ire from Browns fans, with poorly timed run plays, failed trick plays and head-scratching risks. Despite the criticism, Stefanski’s ability to string together a sequence of punch-counterpunch play calls is among the best in the league, and is part of the reason he is a 2-time coach of the year.
In Stefanski’s first press conference of training camp, he got ahead of any incoming questions and announced that he would retain play calling duties. This move wasn’t entirely unexpected, but it places much of the success of the new offense on Kevin Stefanski’s shoulders, and could be the death knell for his career in Cleveland if it doesn’t pan out.
See, the Browns have a major problem - they invested 230 million dollars (along with a few first round picks) into a quarterback that does not play football the way Kevin Stefanski coaches it. Deshaun came up in a Clemson offense that ran a spread style, shotgun based offense, and during his time in Houston, he was most effective when playing out of the gun. Since joining the Browns, he has failed to regain the form he had with the Texans. Kevin Stefanski runs a zone running, play-action, long developing style of offense that has made the transition more difficult for Watson. Joe Flacco’s success with the Browns is the key evidence that styles make the fights in the NFL, and it is clear that Deshaun Watson is not Kevin’s style of quarterback.
The move at OC signals a step change in the Browns approach to the offensive side of the ball, and a recognition of the incongruencies between the preferred playstyles of Kevin Stefanski and their very expensive quarterback. Ken Dorsey will bring a new approach to the Browns scheme. Shotgun RPO will be the flavor of the season, and it will be a flavor that Deshaun Watson will be more comfortable with. Browns fans demanding 30 carries/game for Nick Chubb and expecting good-ol-fashioned smashmouth AFCN football might be disappointed - This will be a new look Browns offense, regardless of who is calling plays.
The pressure is no longer on Watson to fit into Stefanski’s system. The pressure instead rests on Stefanki’s shoulders to adjust to this new paradigm and continue his play calling success. The beginning of camp has shown this new offensive style, with lots of short throws, fast reads and runs from the shotgun. Deshaun has looked good in this new system, and the rest of the offense has adjusted well. The Haslams have rolled out a new company line regarding Deshaun, saying that he looks “comfortable and confident.”
It's a clear choice the Browns are making - players ahead of coaching. It's a message to Kevin Stefanski and the rest of the coaching staff - when it comes to the playstyle of their quarterback, the Browns need to adapt, or die.