Stefanski out of basement, back to lead Browns
Coach missed Sunday’s playoff win after testing positive for COVID-19.
Browns coach CLEVELAND — Kevin Stefanski doesn’t plan a trip downstairs to his basement any time soon.
“Those walls were closing in on me,” he said.
Stefanski returned to the team’s facility Thursday, 10 days after the first-year coach tested positive with the coronavirus and after he missed Cleveland’s playoff win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
Instead of being on the sideline at Heinz Field, Stefanski was 135 miles away in his Ohio home, where he nervously paced in front of his TV as the Browns built an early 28-0 lead and held for a 48-37 victory — Cleveland’s first in the postseason in 26 years.
Stefanski will make his playoff debut on the sideline this week when the Browns play the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
“It’s great. He deserves to be back,” said special teams coordinator Mike Priefer, who filled in as acting coach against the Steelers. “Anytime your leader comes back to the building and he’s going to lead us into battle this weekend, it’s a great thing for our football team.”
There’s plenty of work to be done, but Stefanski was taking a moment to savor the company of his team and staff. He missed everything.
“On a professional level, just being around the coaches and players and then isolating from my family is no fun,” he said with a smile. “I should mention that.”
Stefanski is in his first season with the Browns after spending 13 years as an assistant in Minnesota. The 38-year-old’s steadiness has been credited in the team maneuvering around many issues tied to the pandemic as well as injuries.
“He never panicked at any point along our journey of this sea
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