Don’t be fool by Browns debate about who should call the plays – Terry Pluto

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Kevin Stefanski said he’ll continue to call the plays for the Browns offense.

No surprise there.

“I’m comfortable with the amount of collaboration we have right now on the headset and how we operate so that won’t change,” said the Browns coach. “But I do want to emphasize that … Number One … we’re constantly looking at things that we can do better. And Number Two … This is a collective effort from players and coaches to make sure that we are playing better on offense.”

Stefanski delivered the usual coach-speak you’d expect in this situation. Even if he planned to hand the play-calling for Sunday’s game in Philadelphia to Ken Dorsey, I wonder if Stefanski would make it public.

This is the NFL. Many of the coaches give the impression they would not confirm they play a game on Sunday for fear their opponent may use that information to create some type of competitive advantage.

Should Stefanski hand the play-calling duties to new Offensive Coordinator Ken Dorsey? After all, this is supposed to be Dorsey’s offense – at least to some extent.

The real problem

I have different questions beyond the debate about who calls the plays.

Just what is this offense?

What are the Browns trying to do? Why can’t the players get lined up properly? Why do they have a hard time putting the required 11 men on the field? Why have they looked disjoined and confused dating back to training camp?

The fact that these questions loom is the most alarming part of the 2024 Browns.

A stunning stat

Did Stefanski sacrifice some of his core beliefs about an offense to add some of Dorsey’s – and help Deshaun Watson?

Are Dorsey’s ideas not compatible with the current makeup of the Browns?

Does a little Stefanski, a little Dorsey and some Watson add up to absolutely nothing on the football field?

Why was the Browns offense better with Watson in Stefanski’s offense in 2023 than it is now?

How many points did the Browns average in the five full games played by Watson in 2023? The answer is … get this … 26!!!

That’s right, they changed the offense after it averaged 26 points in full games played by Watson.

A year ago, the Browns never scored fewer than 22 points in full games played by Watson. This season, they haven’t scored more than 18 points in any game.

I know there have been injuries. Yes, they lost premier offensive line coach Bill Callahan. But arew those the only reasons the Browns are scoring 10 fewer points per game this season than they did a year ago with Watson?

I don’t believe that.

Looking for easy fix

It’s easy to understand why many Browns fans want someone else to call the plays. Their 1-4 team has yet to score more than 18 points in a game. They rank near the bottom in nearly every category on offense.

It’s a mess.

The only way a change of play-callers would make a significant difference would be if the offense can become more simplified and focused.

I mention “simplified” because too often, the players look confused on blocking assignments, pass patterns, etc. Either they are being asked to do too much, or the teaching isn’t clear.

Could it be both?

No matter what, it’s a problem.

It’s also something we haven’t seen anywhere close to this extent during Stefanski’s first four years of coaching.

“We believe in Kevin,” Watson said at his Wednesday press conference. “Kevin’s been doing play calls for multiple years in this league. Two-time (NFL Coach of the Year) while doing the play-calling. So there’s no faith or love lost in Kevin calling plays. We think he’s the best player caller in the league.”

I have some doubts about Watson really believing Stefanski is the “best play-caller” in the NFL. I like Stefanski calling plays, but he’s not the best. Watson is supporting his coach just as his coach has been sticking with the QB under siege.

I favor Stefanski continuing to call plays. If he decides to let Dorsey do it, fine.

The bottom line is nothing changes until the Browns become more organized and coherent in their approach to offense.