Head Coach Kevin Stefanski (4.23.25)
Opening Statement:
“Okay. Exciting time in our town. Draft coming up tomorrow, this weekend. Guards (Cleveland Guardians), winners of five straight. First pitch in about 10 minutes. Cavs (Cleveland Cavaliers), game two. Weather’s great, so Tony’s (Grossi) making his tee time right now, but really fun time for us. And then for us as coaches to have all these guys here in the building, we get to coach finally. This building is not made to not have players, and it’s no fun when it’s empty. So having the guys back has been great. So, with that, I’ll take any questions.”
What does tomorrow look like for you?
“Yeah, hurry up and wait. For coaches, we’re coaching. Got some lesson plans, and we’re focused really on the veterans that are here and working with them right now. And we’ll sit down like everybody else and tune in tomorrow at 8 o’clock.”
Is it safe to say you have an idea about tomorrow?
“Yeah, I mean, as AB (Andrew Berry) said, we’re going to use the shot clock. So we’re in four corners offense right now. We’re dribbling it out.”
I know you’re a stickler for taking attendance. Would you expect after a 3-14 season that the guys coming back should show a little more attendance in this year’s offseason program?
“Yeah, as you know, Tony, we don’t get into the attendance with that type of thing. It’s a voluntary program. The guys that are here are committed to getting better and we’re working very hard in the meeting room and in the weight room right now. It’s all we can do for the next couple weeks, but we’re just focused on guys that are here.”
What kind of a lift was it to see JOK (Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah) walk in the building?
“Yeah, great to have Jeremiah back in the building. Obviously, he’s been here in and out of the building throughout the off season. Great energy. He’s always the same person every single day at every single hour of the day, but fun to have him around.”
Is that a sign for what’s to come?
“As you know, Mary Kay (Cabot), we’re so day-to-day with any injury, and in particular, we’ll continue to treat his injury and listen to what he says and what the doctors say.”
Joe (Flacco) said he went golfing and had no idea he was going to have job the next day. Did something change?
“No, I think, as you guys know, that’s how free agency works. And some things happen in the immediacy of the clock starting and others take a couple days, a couple weeks. So that’s just free agency.”
What is the advantage of bringing a quarterback in that you worked before?
“I mean, potentially the advantage there is, you know your teammates, you know the system, maybe can hit the ground running, those type of things. But as Joe can tell you, and as the players that are returning can tell you, year to year things change and you’re always updating your system. So there’s a lot of work that has to be done even for guys that are returning.”
This is your first quarterback competition here. Every year you go in with an idea of who you’re starting quarterback will be. Is it fair to say that if you take a quarterback this weekend, you’re looking at a three-man race?
“I’d say whoever is in the room is competing for the job. So I guess that’s one way to put it. But competition brings out the best in everybody, so we look forward to that.”
What’s that going to look like for you?
“You’ll see. I mean, we obviously have a plan, Daryl (Ruiter). But short of knowing all the particulars, we got to get through phase one and then phase two. Obviously when you’re – any position, you’re always divvying up reps and you’re getting extra work for guys so that you can get the maximum exposure in any competition.”
I think Joe said that he told him no frequency notions about who the starting quarterback would be.
“That’s accurate. Yes.”
Is that difficult?
“Yeah, I look at competition as a really good thing. I think it’s a really good thing, especially when you like the guys that are competing for the job like we do. So I think it only elevates everybody’s play.”
Do you view the first day you met your team this week at the opening of the season?
“I do, yeah.”
What did you address?
“I mean, not to get into particulars, Tony, but I do think the first time you get in front of your team in phase one is the first time you’re in front of the 2025 Cleveland Browns. That’s our first thing we’re doing. So obviously when you’re in phase one, there’s a limited amount that you can do, but you can start to lay the foundation of your schemes, lay the foundation of how you work, certain things that you’re doing in the weight room, that type of thing. That’s kind of where you are and then after a couple weeks, we’ll be able to get on the field with our players.”
Has AB had conversations with you about potentially trading back?
“You know, obviously this whole process, I’m focused on the players that are available.
I’ve done – put the scout hat on, did a lot of the work. I’m excited about this weekend. We’re going to add really good football players to our football team. How it all shakes out? I’ll be tuning in like everybody else.”
When we talked to you at owner’s meetings you said something like about how you’ve thought a lot about messaging in your time here. What was your messaging approach to the players?
“You know, it’s something that I think about a lot. And as a coach, you message a lot to your team, you stand in front of your team a lot. I remember talking to Tito (Francona) about this. I remember I went and visited him before one of the games and I was asking him about team meetings and he’s like, ‘team meetings? We don’t have team meetings.’ He’s like, ‘maybe at the first day of spring training and then that’s it.’ We have a lot of team meetings. So, I’m in front of the team a lot, whether it’s regular season, off season, before practice, after practice, before a game, after a game. So, you’re trying to make sure that your message is concise. You make sure that your message is fresh. You make sure that the guys are then listening and bringing that message to their teammates, and you know, embodying that message, if you will. So it is something that I think as coaches we have to spend some time on the things that we believe are important and then when you are standing in front of your team, you’re explaining why those things are important and then I think it bears fruit when you get into playing games.”
Kevin, it almost seems like the perception since you’ve been here is usually like the higher profile players end up being the team captains and leaders and things like that. Is that something maybe you think about revisiting a little bit? Just because they’re a high-profile player, maybe they don’t have to be a leader?
“Well, I think we vote on captains as a team. The players vote their peers. I think that’s the most powerful way you can choose the captains. Now I’ve said this before to you guys as I have said to the team, is you don’t need a ‘C’ on your chest to be a leader. There’s so many different types of leadership. There’s vocal leadership, there’s non vocal, there’s guys that just do the job the way it’s supposed to be done and don’t say much. That’s leadership. I think followership is important. I think the ability to watch somebody do it and then follow them and do it in kind I think is important. So, but the big picture in terms of captains, that’s always been something that we’ve, the players vote on. But that’s not the only place that you’re going to get leadership on a football team.”
Nick (Chubb) still has not been signed anywhere. What has he meant to this team and is there a chance he could come back?
“Yeah, I’m not going to get into specifics on those things. I think you guys have heard me talk about Nick quite a bit, what I think about the person and the player. Obviously I think very highly of him.”
If you guys did draft a player like Travis Hunter, how much of his role do you guys have laid out? How much of it is getting feedback from him and I guess how much would he have a say?
“I think you certainly want to include players in those discussions. He’s unique, as we all know and not many have done it how he’s done at the collegiate level. So you want to take his input in it. But I think we and every team that’s in the top of this draft has to come up with a plan of how you would see it. But then you really have to be able to adjust to what the player is doing really well, or maybe, ‘Hey, we need to do a little bit less of this and more of that,’ or vice versa. I think it’s really so incumbent upon the player and what they’re able to handle early.”
How do you plan for a guy like Travis Hunter who wants to play on both sides of the ball?
“Well, not to get into all the specifics, but Travis is somebody that is uniquely equipped to do both. You know, I remember having conversation with him about, there’s only so many hours in the day, so you’re going to have to meet extra with this coach or that coach, and he made a comment that he’s a fisherman. He gets up at five in the morning quite often, so that’s not a problem for him in terms of maximizing his day.”
Is it true that Abdul Carter beat you in chess when he was on his 30 visit?
“I’m not going to confirm nor deny, but maybe I let him win.”
On the evolution of the quarterback…
“Well, I’m not going to disagree with Tom Brady. I would just say, yeah, the game’s evolving, the position certainly evolving. That’s true. And we say this every single year. The game looks different. Sometimes it’s barely – you can perceive the differences, but if you turn on tape from 30 years ago, you’re going to notice some stark difference. You turn it on from 15 years ago, you’re going to notice some difference. Not going to be as stark, maybe. So the game is moving and that position – players are making different types of plays from that position, I guess is probably one way of putting it. So we’re always trying to study that and then also understand that the players that are coming into the league are going to be different because of that.”
Stability at quarterback has been a detriment and has held you guys back, obviously it’s something that’s out of your control, but I guess what role are you playing in trying to help AB and the front office try and find a stable solution at that position so you guys can get this thing where you want?
“Yeah, I wouldn’t single out any position. I would just tell you, we as coaches, myself, with the personnel staff, with AB, with everybody, you’re always trying to find ways to improve your football team. Whether it’s through the draft, through free agency. We enjoy late round, college, free agency, that portion of it. The first round, second round – everybody does all the work on those type of players. So I think we’re heavily involved as a group in all those processes, if you will. But we work very hard together on this, but it’s not to one position. I think you just have to trust in your evaluations and then also hope to add a bunch of good players at a bunch of different positions, which I think ultimately will make you a better football team.”
This might be a better question for AB, but he’s not here.
“I’ll pass it on to him.”
Is (Jim) Schwartz involved at all in evaluating quarterbacks?
“Yeah, we do involve Coach Schwartz in that, and that’s something that he’s done. He did that back in Philadelphia as well, where you have somebody with the defensive eye, defensive perspective that you trust to look at the quarterbacks.”
If you guys go non-QB such as Hunter at two…what makes you feel really good about a quarterback position if you don’t end up with the quarterback until a later pick?
“Yeah, I’m open. Obviously, we’ll see how it all shakes out. You know, it goes back to the original question about that room and that position. We’re going to compete in that room. If we’re able to add another guy to the mix to compete, I think I view that as a positive. And if we don’t, we really like the guys that are competing right now.”
Can you talk about veteran leadership on the team?
“Yeah, I think guys showing up and doing their job is a great example for young players at all positions. You know, I can think of just on our team, some of the leaders maybe aren’t the most vocal, but we tell those rookies, like, ‘Hey, go attach yourself to that guy. Maybe not literally, but see when he’s getting in the building, see what he does when he gets on the field. What type of notes is he taking? What’s his process before game? I think leadership – it kind of goes back to your original question, leadership and followership. I think young players have to be really good observers of these veterans. And if the veterans are able to impart that knowledge, you know, explicitly, that’s great. But I think there’s so much you can pick up just by being a great observer in the building and out of the building as well.”
Flacco has such an overwhelming presence here amongst the fan what impact might that have on the quarterback position?
“Yeah, I mean, it’s a competition in that room. Those guys will push each other. Like I mentioned before, Mary Kay, I think there’s a way to support your teammates by pushing your teammates. And I think when you’re competing for a job that has one guy that can go out there on the field, although maybe we play with two – I think there’s value in bringing out the best in each one of your players and your teammates. Outside of that room and this building, I don’t think you can take much more into that equation.”
With this group of quarterbacks, how much do you rely on Tommy (Rees) and his quarterback expertise?
“Yeah, a lot. He’s got a very big voice in this evaluation, as does Bill Musgrave and myself. And that’s the fun part of this is, you really watch all these guys separately before you compare notes, so you get to have differing of opinions and how people see people is different. But that being said, we rely very heavily on those guys.”
How hard of quarterback class was this to evaluate?
“Not hard. Yeah, I mean, to me, that’s the fun part of evaluations. You see players, you find their redeemable traits, qualities that you feel like you can work with. Listen, it’s in the eye of the beholder. I get that when it comes to evaluation, but I think it’s an exciting group of players.”
What goes into the decision of choosing a quarterback?
“Yeah, that’s a good question, Jeremy (Fowler). I mean, it can really vary. Obviously, you put accuracy and decision making up there pretty high, but then there’s guys that have other traits that really, if, even if they didn’t have one of those can really propel them. And I think you look at the league and you see guys that are playing that position and excelling at that position. It can come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, styles, if you will.”
Kevin, you talked a lot last year about taking care of the football. That’s the number one job. How much can a player who maybe had trouble with interceptions and turnovers in college, can that be something that is coached out or, you know, how much does that weigh into, you know, kind of weigh into your evaluation?
“I think it certainly you talk about decision making that factors into how you see a player’s decision making in the profile and the evaluation, but you would hope, if you know that as coaches, we improve a player’s footwork, improve a player’s ball handling, improve a player’s accuracy, improve a player’s decision making. That’s our job, to give them tools where they can improve.”
You mentioned the redeeming problem. So how do you balance those versus weaknesses? Like, do you focus more on, okay, this is what this kid can do versus others?
“Well, I think you’re look at every position – not just quarterback – you’re looking for dominant traits. You’re looking for things that they’re really, really good at because when you have that as coaches, you can play to those strengths. And then every player, every coach, every player has weaknesses or things that they’re maybe not as good at or improving at. So, you try to minimize those as best you can, but you certainly want to look at it from the positive lens and say, okay, what can this guy do really well and how can we use that?”
Denzel mentioned that Travis wanted to work out together and he offered up the invitation. Just to a see a guy so proactive at a young age, how much do you value that?
“Well, Denzel (Ward) has been pining to play offense for a long time. Yeah, all these players. Ashley (Bastock) – I think the fun part for me in getting to know these young men and how they’re wired is the fun part of the guys that want to get better. And that’s who this class is. A bunch of guys that they are not finished products. They’re all going to improve. And it’s our job to be resources for them to help them improve. And when they’re committed to that, obviously, then you have a chance.”
How important is it to watch tape on each of these players?
“Gosh, I think it’s all important. I think the tape is your resume, the tape is the most important. But then as you’re watching tape, you don’t know anything about how the player thinks. You don’t know what type of teammate he is. you know, that type of thing. So, then you start doing your homework and you then meet with the player, you bring the players here and find out how you would get the best out of them in terms of how to coach them. So all that factors into an all-encompassing evaluation. But ultimately, I do think the tape is most important.
Can you speak to Flacco’s longevity in the NFL?
“Good question. God’s graced him with the ability to still perform at a high level at his age, but, good question.”
What outcome do you want this weekend?
“Yeah. Selfishly, I want what is best for the Cleveland Browns. And the good news is all these guys you’re talking about are good for the Cleveland Browns. There are lot of good players in this draft. That’s the beauty of this weekend. We’re going to be able to add some really good football players to our team. But kind of back to the question I think that Scott had, when you’re looking at these guys through that positive lens, there are some really special players that can help you win.”
On a player being able to play both offense and defense
“Yeah, I do think football intelligence varies by player. Obviously, the ability to play both sides, you have to be looking at the game through a different lens based on where you are. So the ability to quickly change your mentality based on what position you’re playing in that portion of the game, I think is rare. And he’s someone that has done it. And again, that’s why he’s a special football player, because he’s done it at a high level where he’s able to change from one position to the next.”
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