Head Coach Kevin Stefanski (6.2.25)
Opening statement:
“Okay. Excited to be out here. Obviously, this is a signature event for our Browns Foundation and everything that Dee and Jimmy (Haslam) are doing in the community. So this is an awesome day, obviously, as you guys see. Great weather. So we’re excited to be out here. Got a bunch of players out here, all our coaches are out here, so as you know, raising money for a good cause. So special day and then we’ll get back to work tomorrow. But with that, I’ll take any questions.”
Kevin, will we see anything different at OTA’s Wednesday in terms of quarterback rotation?
“Honestly, Tony (Grossi), every day is different. Every day we’re mixing and matching, if you will, giving guys different looks. I’ve told you before, it’s not going to be a 25% down the middle type thing, but we’re trying to expose the guys to different things.”
What have you learned about these guys, Kevin, that you’ve had them here outside for a while?
“Yeah, we’ve learned a lot, Jeff (Schudel). I think the big thing is, and we’ve talked about this is an all encompassing evaluation. So we were evaluating the guys during phase one, during phase two, and now finally phase three you get to go against your defense in some settings where our quarterbacks and our offense get to go against them in seven on seven and some team drills. So all of that adds up to reps for us to look at. And it’s not just looking at the result of a play, we’re looking really at everything with these guys.”
Kevin, for the quarterbacks and the offense as a whole, what should look better and better this week and next as opposed to last week, when you’re just getting started? “Yeah, I would say this – I think as you guys know, there’s only so much you can do based on the rules, the constraints that you have, whether it’s seven on seven and teams. So we try not to look into too much into the result, just black and white, if that makes sense. Because there’s things that our defense isn’t doing and things that our offense isn’t doing to gain advantages, if that makes sense. So really it becomes, are you doing what you’re asking you to do, Are you using the proper technique, are your decisions sound and then the accuracy of what you throw. So I’d say all of that adds up to really good work for our guys and this is definitely part of learning how to get ready to play a game too, because as much as we’re just working drills, ultimately you’re also getting ready for September as well.”
Kevin, how different have you noticed just Shedeur (Sanders) and Dillon (Gabriel) specifically in just a month’s time?
“Yeah, those guys are doing great. They are both wired to get in early, stay late, put in whatever work is required. They’re sponges in the meeting room, which I think is really fun for me. In my vantage point, I get to sit there and watch the two young guys look over and there’s Joe (Flacco), 40 years old, won a Super Bowl. There’s Kenny Pickett, just going into year four, but first round draft pick that’s been on a couple teams, won a Super Bowl last year. There’s Deshaun (Watson), had a ton of success in his career. They can kind of feed off of all those guys. So that’s the thing I’m really – it’s fun for me to watch them get better sometimes just by listening.”
Kevin, how important is it for some of these young players that have come in here, even guys that are maybe in their second or third year, to really pay attention to how the older players approach this time of year and as opposed to maybe expecting the older players to give the big speeches and things like that, just to have these young players, I guess, follow the example set by the old players.
“Yeah, I think that’s certainly something, Daryl (Ruiter), that I talk about with our young players. You know, we often talk about leadership, there’s also followership and the ability to find that guy that I want to follow. And sometimes it can just be from observation. As you know, there’s some great leaders that don’t say much, and that’s okay. I think if you find the right guy in your meeting room and see how he handles himself in the meeting room, see when he gets out on the field, what does he do when he’s out on the field, how does he prepare? I think all of that, certainly you can get in this time of year, but also that then goes to the season and as you get in your routine, really attaching yourself to a vet. Those guys that end up playing 10 years in this league, that’s simply not by accident.”
Kevin, how relieved were you when Joel (Bitonio) decided to come back?
“Yeah, very relieved. Obviously, I was hopeful that Joel would be back. He’s been here with me every step of the way. He’s been a huge part of what we do on the football field. He’s a huge part of who we are off the field. I think, you know, it was no small thing when we put that golf simulator in Berea. I think that certainly maybe tipped the scales in our favor, but he’s yeah, he’s a pros pro. I think he’s a future Hall of Famer, so I’m thrilled he’s back.”
Andrew (Berry) said he met with and evaluated (Kenny) Pickett during that draft. Pickett just said that you also met with him in that pre-draft process. What is it about him, his quarterbacking that suits what you’re going to do on offense?
“Yeah, well, I’d say we meet with everybody, so I bet you Kenny met with all 32 teams. But I like how Kenny’s wired. He’s a really tough kid. When we traded for him, Coach (Pat) Narduzzi called me right away and was thrilled because he just believes in who the young man is and how he goes about his business. He’s a gym rat. He’s another guy that works extremely hard at his craft. But we’re excited about his skill set. I’m excited about the things that he’s been exposed to in his young career already. And then, you know, he’s just got like he’s doing right now. He’s focusing on putting one good day on top of another.”
Kevin, has Shedeur (Sanders) taken some 11-on-11 reps when we’re not out there and do you think that we will see some of those on Wednesday when we do come out again?
“Yes. And I would say there’s a lot of work that gets done when you guys aren’t out there, believe it or not. And I say that Mary Kay (Cabot), even in a meeting or in a walkthrough, just our guys are getting exposed to a lot.”
I know a day on the golf course is probably fun and obviously for a good cause, but how much do you look forward to this, having so much of the team getting together outside of the building? ‘
“Yeah, it’s a big part of it, Cam (Justice). Just as you come together as a team, you want to spend time with each other, whether you’re going out to get dinner or lunch or spending time over the weekend with each other. So this will be fun. I’ll make sure that whoever captures some of these swings, I’ll include them in the team meeting tomorrow. But the guys, they enjoy being out together. And we do have a few guys that enjoy the game of golf. So you’ll see a few of them, they’ve been around town playing and this is just another way for them to be around their teammates.”
Kevin, you talk so much about the division. I was wondering what you thought about that proposal. I know it didn’t pass, but to not, you know, to recede when it comes to the playoffs. Do you think that kind of takes away from the emphasis you like to put on the division?
“I do. I understand both sides of that argument, but I think winning your division really should be the primary goal of every team, and it should mean something where you get to host a playoff game. I understand some of the things that were brought up at the league meetings. We’ll see if that gets revisited next year, which I would assume it does. But we know our division. We know how tough it is. We beat up on each other, and we feel like there should be something, some type of reward for that.”
It seems like the compromise would be to recede after the first round. So you would still get your first break in, but if you were like a 9 and 18, you’d go down. Are you approached with that?
“Yeah, I would love to see a little bit more of the information on that, Tony (Grossi). I think that’s something that will come up next season and in the owners meetings and in the league meetings as they talk about those things. Those are the type of discussions we have not had yet. I’ve seen that proposal, but we haven’t – we have not discussed that one at length.”
Because we’re on a golf course. At practice the other day, I saw a Trackman you guys had set up. What do you guys track with that?
“The kickers use that. What’s really important about that one, Scott (Petrak), is the height of the ball when it crosses the line of scrimmage. So you can kind of tell, make sure that the ball – you can get lulled to sleep as a kicker if you’re just driving the ball and realizing that there’s going to be guys like Myles Garrett put their hands up at some point.”
It seems like a lot of conclusions were drawn or have been drawn about where things sort of already stand in the quarterback competition, based in part one OTA that was open to the media. So my question is, are those accurate, possible evaluations at this point?
“I know in our day and age, one clip or one day or one practice can be all that gets out there to the public. I would tell you the guys are working extremely hard. They’re doing everything that we ask of them, and we’re very excited about all of our guys. I know a lot of attention goes to that quarterback room. I get it. That’s the most important position in football. But I’m really proud of all the guys for how hard they’re working really throughout this offseason.”
Kevin, along those lines, you’ve told us not to read too much in anything. Fans, hopefully trying to get that message too, but we know naturally that’ll happen. And along those lines, you talked about how this time of year is maybe better suited for like, the quarterbacks, the DBs, the receivers. So as a whole, though, like, what is the main thing, the main goal that you’re hoping to get out of, like the OTA settings versus something like mandatory minicamp or even training camp?
“Sure. I think that offseason program, you’re really building a foundation, and that’s for the players. You’re building a foundational understanding of scheme. You’re building a foundation of the culture, like Cam (Justice) was talking about earlier, just being around your teammates. So that’s really what we’re doing right now. When we get to training camp, we’ll build on top of that foundation. But so much of what we’re doing right now is just making sure the guys understand who we are, what it means when we say Cleveland Browns, what it means when we say offense, defense, special teams, how we play. Because, you know, we’re different than the other teams in our division. Just like they’re different than us. We want to make sure that we have an identity that’s unique to us. So a lot of that is building that foundation now so that when you get to training camp, you can build upon that.”
Do you expect to see Diontae Johnson?
“You guys are out there tomorrow, right?”
Wednesday.
“Oh, see you Wednesday.”
It seems like those guys do a fairly good job of shutting out that. That external noise, I guess. Like, why do you think that is? The quarterback room, specifically with the competition?
“Yeah, I think external noise is nothing new in pro sports and whatever the noise may be. And that’s kind of our job. That’s the fun part for me is I get to go into work and pull in and close the door and get to work and not focus very much on that. We understand that exists. We understand that there’s a great interest in our sport. That’s what keeps us going, is our fans level of interest in our sport. So I completely get that part. But it doesn’t factor into our day to day. We have a lot of work to do and don’t really pay much attention to what’s going on outside, with all due respect.”
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