Kevin Stefanski named NFL Coach of the Year by Sporting News, PFWA

By Mitch Spinell

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski on Thursday was named NFL's Coach of the Year by both The Sporting News and the Pro Football Writers of America.

Stefanski is the first Browns coach to receive the honor by the PFWA since Marty Schottenheimer won AFC Coach of the Year in 1986. The last Browns coach to win the Sporting News award was Paul Brown, back in 1956.

Stefanski led the Browns to an 11-5 regular-season finish - their best record since 1994 - and a playoff appearance in his first season as head coach. The Browns, who made the postseason for the first time since 2003, had a statement 48-37 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wild Card round before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs, 22-17, in the Divisional playoffs.

Stefanski, who took the Cleveland job last January after spending years in various positions with the Minnesota Vikings, was the only first-year head coach to notch 11 or more victories in 2020, marking the eleventh time since 1970 a first-year coach has accomplished such a feat. Stefanski was the only first-year coach to take his team to the playoffs this season.

Stefanski also was the offensive play-caller for the Browns, who racked up 408 total points (second-most in franchise history) and finished third among NFL teams in rushing, with an average of 148.4 yards per contest. Stefanski also helped the development of quarterback Baker Mayfield, who rebounded from a sophomore slump to throw for 3,563 passing yards and 26 touchdowns, with only eight interceptions.

With Stefanski at the helm, the Browns boasted three Pro Bowl players for the 2020 season: defensive end Myles Garrett, running back Nick Chubb, and left guard Joel Bitonio, as well as two All-Rookie players in tight end Harrison Bryant and left tackle Jedrick Wills.

"Looking back on the season, as we all do when the finality of this thing and it is over, I think we definitely achieved a lot," Stefanski said on Monday. "We did some things we set out to do, but ultimately, we came up short and there is a very real sense of disappointment there among our players and coaches right now. We can definitely look back and see some things that we accomplished and be proud of that."