Duo have put coaching prowess on display
As quarterback Ryan Tannehill took the final kneel-down of Tennessee’s 28-20 victory over the Jaguars on Sunday, the jubilation commenced. Not so much in Nashville, but it was a full go in Houston.
That result cemented the Texans’ AFC South title, the franchise’s first division crown since 2019 and seventh in its 22-year history.
The man leading the charge, coach DeMeco Ryans, was sitting on the couch at home with his family, watching the game like everyone else. He turned on the television late in the third quarter. When Jacksonville started making some plays, he began second-guessing.
Maybe I should turn this off, Ryans thought to himself as the Jaguars fought for their postseason lives.
But Ryans knew the anxiety would be fleeting, so he pressed on, with his team’s destiny resting fragilely in the hands of other players and coaches 800 miles away.
The payoff was immense. “I stayed with it, kept watching the game,” Ryans said. “Tennessee had played a really good game there and made some plays to win, and we were excited. I’m jumping up and down with my kids, excited that we were able to win the division, thanks to the Titans getting the win. Excited, man, jumping around. Just an exciting moment for me and my family to share that together.” It’s been well-earned. Ryans and C.J. Stroud are just the fifth rookie head coach-quarterback combo to make the playoffs in NFL history and the first to do it since the Colts’ Chuck Pagano and Andrew Luck in 2012.
They’re also the first such duo to win a division title.
Under Ryans’ leadership, Houston’s turnaround from 313-1 has been hasty, and the energetic 39-year-old has been in the discussion for the league’s coach of the year award throughout the season.
“I’ve said this before, but DeMeco’s always been the same guy,” Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said. “I get the feeling that even when he was here as a player and everyone called him ‘Cap,’ he was just the same guy back then. You can just tell the kind of person he is, how infectious his attitude is, how much he cares and, any time you’re having a conversation with him, how in the moment he is having that conversation with you.”
As the Texans (10-7) prepare for their wild-card matchup against the Browns, set for 3:30 p.m. Saturday at NRG Stadium, Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski and his players are hard at work, too.
Stefanski has also put on a coaching clinic this season, albeit in a different way than Ryans. That’s why he’s also a strong candidate for coach of the year, an honor he took home following his first year leading the Browns in 2020.
Stefanski, 41, was the offensive coordinator for the Vikings before Cleveland hired him to lead a reclamation project for the often-foundering franchise.
The Browns went 8-9 in 2021 and 7-10 last season, but Stefanski has righted the ship and has Cleveland back in the playoffs with an 11-6 mark.
“I think for all of us as coaches, every experience you’re trying to gain something from,” Stefanski said. “You learn from wins; you learn from losses. Games on the road, games in prime time, those type of things — I think all of them you learn from.”
The Browns have the No. 1 defense in the NFL. But what makes Stefanski’s coaching job impressive is what he’s accomplished with the offense. Cleveland has started five quarterbacks this season, including the high-priced Deshaun Watson, rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson, career journeymen Jeff Driskel and P.J. Walker, and 38year-old Joe Flacco.
“He’s awesome,” Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said of Stefanski. “I’ve enjoyed every second with him. His ability to adjust and adapt with a coolness, it’s just a consistency that he brings every day. He’s coached a lot of football, different schemes, and his ability to change on a dime based on who his starter is at quarterback, I thought, has been really remarkable. But (with) the message, the culture he’s built here over the last four years, I’m really proud to be on his staff.”
While Stefanski and his team earned a 36-22 victory over the Texans on Christmas Eve, the postseason offers a new opportunity. For Ryans, the message has been simple. He doesn’t want his players to be satisfied with just reaching the playoffs. He wants them to make some noise.
“Every team that starts the season, your expectations have to be to get into the playoffs and have an opportunity to win it all,” Ryans said. “That’s why you play the game. I don’t know any other expectations. When you’re a competitor, that’s why you compete. If we continue to do our best and continue to do things the right way, we’ll have an opportunity. That’s what our guys did, and we’re here with our opportunity now.”