CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The hire of Kevin Stefanski a year ago once again rekindled annual hope that he would be the one to lead the Browns out of the NFL’s outhouse.
Andrew Berry returned to Cleveland as executive vice president of football operations and general manager following a year away with the Philadelphia Eagles a few weeks later.
Then COVID-19 shut everything down in March.
Through it all, Stefanski and the Browns have shocked the world and find themselves playing in the divisional playoffs this weekend.
Some would say the Browns are ahead of schedule under Stefanski, but not Berry.
“I would not say that at all,” Berry said. “We had high expectations for ourselves coming into the year. We thought that we had the right individuals within our organization where we could have success this year, but it always has to come together. You have to come together as a team. That is the case year over year, regardless of how players carry over.
“We had high expectations internally, but we also realized that we really had to do the work and stay focus on a week-to-week basis, and if that part of the process could be taken care of, we thought that the results would come.”
The key word: focus, which comes from Stefanski.
“Kevin is unflappable,” Berry said. “Obviously, very, very bright and strategic. but he is unflappable. He is the same person every day.
Even-keeled demeanor. Fantastic with people. You need that steady hand within your organization with the inevitable ups and downs and adversity that hits in any NFL season, let alone this one specifically. I can’t say enough kind and positive words about the job that Kevin and his staff have done.”
The Browns have had that focus through injuries, COVID and tight games as they finished 11-5 in the regular season, the best for the franchise since 1994, that saw them avoid losing back-to-back games for the first time since 2007.
Overcoming a virtual offseason program is one thing but having to prepare for your first playoff game virtually for two of the three days knowing Stefanski and four assistants would be unavailable come Sunday is another matter.
No matter how difficult things got, Stefanski remained resolved and steady while pushing the right buttons to get the most out of his staff and team.
“Two things stick out,” Berry said. “No. 1, we heard how even-keeled, measured and how mature he is. Seeing it up close every day in-person, especially with the circumstances that we dealt with over the first year of our group working together, you just get that much of a stronger appreciation for it living with it day by day. The other thing – I think I told you guys this before – it really is his sense of humor. I actually think that is probably a little bit undersold. He is a really, really funny guy. You probably do not see it quite as much in your interactions, but he is a very funny guy.”
Sustaining success – The Browns won’t be able to sneak up on anyone next year after ending their playoff drought and then knocking off the Steelers on Wild Card weekend.
In 2003 and 2008, the Browns were unable to carry over success from the previous season and the franchise struggled to regain its footing.
“Obviously, we are very optimistic with the group that we have in place, and we have seen a lot of positive steps with our young players and our veterans,” Berry said. “Each year is unique and different. Even among the best teams, there is turnover. There is high turnover year over year in the NFL, but we think that we do have a pretty strong foundation in place with young players. That is something that we are looking forward to talking about and fortifying as we get into the offseason.”
No complaints – Berry did not have an issue with how the NFL handled their COVID situation late in the season.
The Browns lost to the Jets at New York minus their top four receivers as well as a pair of key rotational linebackers drawing criticism from fans and some media.
“We were OK with the way they handled the situation. I would not classify it as unfair,” Berry said. “My focus and where we pushed the league was just making sure that everything was safe from a medical standpoint because health and safety – not just players and coaches but really the whole staff and their families – was our primary concern based on what we had experienced the previous weeks.
“We all knew the rules coming into the season where they told us for roster-related reasons that no games were going to moved or anything along those lines. That is why we have bigger practice squads and that is why we have to be prepared for contingencies at a moment’s notice. For medical reasons, that is obviously a different circumstance. Once we felt good and we were at the point where we felt good that we were not putting people in harm’s way, we were ready to go because we realized that those were the circumstances of the season. We had dealt with them before, and we were ready to deal with them again.”
Berry conceded it was an uneasy time for him.
“I am not going to lie, it was a long week,” Berry said. “I think quite honestly since we first heard the word ‘global pandemic’ in March, I have probably been numb to any type of adversity or challenge at this point because it is kind of like at this point, you have learned not to be surprised by anything. We were fortunate in the sense that we had dealt with a number of these issues throughout the previous weeks so we kind of knew how to pivot and adjust, whether it was with the roster, with the coaching staff, working with the leagues medical staff or working with the league office, to make sure that we were prepared as possible going into the Wild Card week. It was a week of very little sleep, just from all that we had to do to make sure that everybody was as safe as possible and then ultimately prepared for the game. Ultimately, it was very rewarding.”
Strong class – Berry has been pleased with the contributions he’s seen from his first NFL Draft class.
Aside from linebacker and second round pick Grant Delpit, sidelined with a torn ACL suffered during camp, the entire class has contributed this season from first round pick Jedrick Wills at left tackle to sixth rounder Donovan Peoples-Jones at receiver.
“I think the class has done well,” Berry said. “All of those guys have been contributors at points during the year. It is still too early to call and truly assess really any rookie class. We do say that it usually takes three years, but the early returns certainly have been positive. Those guys have worked hard. They have responded when their numbers have been called.
“It is good to see the guys be prepared in a year where it is not as typical for rookie players across the league. Still a lot of work to do with that young group, and I know they continue to be hungry and they continue to work hard. We are looking forward to seeing them continue to improve as they are with us over the next few years.”