Browns coach a cellar dweller during victory
Kevin Stefanski heard his kids celebrating the Browns’ first touchdown before Cleveland’s quarantined head coach saw it on his basement TV.
A positive coronavirus test had Stefanski isolated from both his team and family for the franchise’s first playoff game since 2002. And thanks to DVR, Stefanski’s feed was behind when the Browns recovered a bad Steelers snap in the end zone for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage.
“The funny part about that is I’m in the basement isolating from my family, and I guess my feed for whatever reason — I must have hit pause or something — was about 45 seconds b e h i n d ,” Stefanski, 38, said in a Zoom interview Monday. “So I heard my kids going crazy upstairs. So I had an inkling something good was gonna happen on that first play.”
Stefanski couldn’t communicate with his team within 90 minutes of kickoff or during the game. But once the Browns had eliminated the Steelers, 4837, Stefanski said wide receiver Jarvis Landry “Facetimed me immediately” on his way off the field, and then coaches reached out from the locker room.
Browns running back Nick Chubb, asked by NFL Network if Stefanski should stay in his basement to keep Cleveland’s luck going, joked: “I don’t know. It’s something we should think about, for sure.”
Stefanski smiled when asked about Chubb’s joke.
“Sorry, Nick. You’re stuck with me, buddy,” he said.
Stefanski said it sounds like he should be returning to in-person work with the team on Thursday in preparation for Sunday’s game against the reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs.
He assured that being on the sideline, especially after this, is “not something I take for granted.”
Stefanski said “I was doing a lot of pacing” watching the game but that he didn’t stress-eat or snack because there was no point.
“I can’t taste anything, so that wouldn’t have helped,” said Stefanski, who described his symptoms as “very, very mild.” “But I have a newfound respect for our fans and how they watch our games. I like it better when I have some control.”
He said he was “proud of the guys,” including both the players and the coaching staff led by interim head coach Mike Priefer.
Of offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, Stefanski raved: “Alex was absolutely outstanding.”
It was unusual for Stefanski to follow Van Pelt’s calls on offense and coordinator Joe Woods’ calls on defense, though, without being plugged in.
“It’s a strange feeling. It’s something I hope to not ever do again,” Stefanski said. “I tried to lock in, pay attention and see where AVP was going and Joe was going with some of the calls. And I just turned into a fan of the team, pulling for our guys like crazy. But it’s a very unique feeling not to be there with them. There was a ton of nervous energy that usually doesn’t exist on a sideline for whatever reason, but it existed for me last night.”
Stefanski said it was not lost on him how big of a win this was for Cleveland. In fact, during this week’s quarantine, in order to get out of the house on occasion, Stefanski said he’d “done a lot of driving around town,” and seeing all of the Browns’ banners, flags and hats on houses and people reminded him that his team was on everyone’s minds.
“Our players understand how big this is for our community,” he said, “and we have to keep it going.”