Browns Coach Didn’t Hold Back on Offense Before Week 7 Win
The Cleveland Browns‘ offense has struggled all season long, and head coach Kevin Stefanski ripped into the offense.
The Browns were coming off a 23-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6, as Cleveland didn’t score a touchdown. It was a frustrating game, and following the offensive outburst in Week 7, Stefanksi confirmed he ripped into the team.
Stefanski wouldn’t reveal what he said, but the coach claimed his Philly came out as he wasn’t happy with the offensive production.
“There’s times when you message your football team – I should say this, I message the football team every single day. And there’s sometimes you use different tools to get their attention… The Philly comes out every once in a while,” Stefanski said on Monday.
In the Browns’ Week 7 win against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, the offense had a stellar game, despite some brutal weather conditions.
Rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw for just 116 yards, but he didn’t turn the ball over. Quinson Judkins, meanwhile, rushed for 84 yards and 3 touchdowns, to lead Cleveland to a blowout 31-6 win.
Although Stefanski wouldn’t confirm what he said to the offense, it appears the message worked.
Browns Coach Putting an Emphasis on Fixing the Defense
Although Stefanski was impressed with the Browns’ offense in Week 7, he knows the passing game has to be better.
Gabriel wasn’t able to push the ball down the field as expected, but Stefanski was still impressed with his play.
“I think bottom line, is you go into every game with a plan to try to attack the defense and wherever you feel like they may be vulnerable,” Stefanski said. “But we certainly want to grow in all aspects of our offensive attack, run game and pass game. And, I think with a young quarterback, obviously practice is very important. So how we work here is real important. Wednesday through Friday, getting those reps. I think you can make strides, certainly in all the work you’re putting in.”
As Stefanski said, Gabriel played a clean game and didn’t turn the ball over. But the coach is focusing on helping him take the offense to another level.
“So obviously, Dillon’s only three games into his career, and he’s had some unique challenges,” Stefanski said. “But to be able to play clean and take care of the football for this football team and obviously get his first win as a starting quarterback yesterday, I thought was good for him. Obviously, that’s something that you always remember.”
Stefanski Pleased With Gabriel’s Mobility
Although Gabriel hasn’t been able to push the ball downfield, he has made the smart throws.
Gabriel is also mobile in the pocket to avoid sacks, which Stefanski is happy about. The coach believes the rookie quarterback is going to continue to get better each week.
“Yeah, I think he’s done a nice job moving in the pocket. I thought the play to Jamari (Thrash) was really high level yesterday to break, contained to the left and have Jamari coming across the field – I think a 23-yard gain on third down. So those are the type of things that when you’re talking about scramble drill, it really does. It’s important for everybody to be on the same page. I thought it was good rep by both Dillon and Jamari yesterday,” Stefanski added.
But Gabriel and the Browns will have their hands full on Sunday when Cleveland takes on the New England Patriots on the road.
Capitals Tease Rebrand: Fans Asked to Choose Future Look
The Washington Capitals released a public survey on Monday, both on social media and email, focused on the team’s design identity.
“Share your feedback about the Screaming Eagle and current Capitals jerseys,” the Capitals implored followers on X. (You could also win a signed jersey.)
Days after releasing a new Screaming Eagle third jersey, the questions took stock on how Capitals fans felt with the current look and feel of the team as well as which logos they preferred most.
Some of the questions asked were focused on:
- The primary color you are drawn to when wearing Capitals gear
- Rating the Screaming Eagle, Weagle, Capitol Dome, Blue ‘W’, original, and primary Capitals wordmark logos
- Rating the team’s current jersey selection in comparison to other NHL teams
- Specifically rating the Red/White/Blue Screaming Eagle jersey, current white away jerseys, black Capitol Dome jerseys, 2018 Stadium Series jersey, 2023 Stadium Series jersey, original jerseys, the Blue ‘W’ jerseys, the current red home jersey, the 2015 Winter Classic jersey, and the black Screaming Eagle jersey
- Explaining why you liked or disliked jerseys
So what does it all mean? Some readers had a hunch and seemingly everyone appeared to appreciate having their voice heard.
“I think they’re planning for the next rebrand once Ovi hangs em up and getting rid of the current reds (which I personally don’t like),” Capitals fan Ryan D told us on X. “Primary logo, and which blue are they using, navy or royal.”
“To me, what they’re doing is trying to figure out whether or not they should retire the current primaries and make the new alternates our primaries after Ovi retires,” Adam said.
“I definitely think a rebrand is coming, when and how seems unsure,” Zach E. said. “But I do appreciate how in-depth it was and how much input they allowed. I went all in all the classic the Screagle & Dome, and emphasized how boring the word logo is.”
“It’s exciting to see that they’re potentially taking us seriously after we’ve been asking for a rebrand for years,” Kieran M. said. “Really looking forward to what that means going onward, the future is bright on all fronts at this point.”
The Capitals’ poll comes after two successful Reverse Retro releases featuring the Screaming Eagle logo, and the positive reception to their recent release featuring the Screagle — a red, white, and blue third jersey, that appears in part to pay homage to their original logo and jersey design. Not only have the Screaming Eagle jerseys been popular with fans, but also with players, especially with Alex Ovechkin who wore the logo during his first two years in the NHL.
“I think we should wear it a lot,” Dylan Strome said of the Screagle design last week.
Last season, the Capitals were also reportedly considering putting the Screaming Eagle logo in the regular rotation.
While the retro designs from the 90s have elicited good feelings, the Capitals wordmark logo has seemingly fallen out of fashion with many others. In a national poll conducted by hockey statistician and social media personality @JFreshHockey, the Capitals were rated to have the worst home jerseys in the NHL for a second consecutive year.
If you haven’t participated in the poll yet, a link to it is included in the embedded tweet above.
