CLEVELAND, OHIO — At season end for the Cleveland Browns, it was only expected that head coach Kevin Stefanski would be awarded with both NFL Coach of the Year honors and a contract extension. Well earned after the team finished 11-6 despite losing to injuries the NFL’s leading rusher Nick Chubb. quarterback Deshaun Watson, top offensive linemen and having to go thru a string of quarterbacks to replace Watson. Instead, Stefanski will now have to also find replacements for 3 assistant offensive coaches who helped him overcome all those obstacles only to be fired: Offensive Coordinator Alex Van Pelt, Running Backs Coach Stump Mitchell and Tight Ends Coach T.C. McCartney.
Neither Van Pelt, Mitchell or McCartney were responsible for coaching the defensive backs who were proverbial no-shows in the playoff game against the Houston Texans and lost the game for the Browns more than QB Joe Flacco’s two Pick-6′s did. Nor were any of them the coaches on defense who failed to make the needed adjustments when it was clear Texans receivers were getting wide open early and often.
