Cleveland Browns: 4 Benefits of hiring Freddie Kitchens as head coach

3. Good coaching tree

Freddie Kitchens may have never been a head coach before, but he comes from a good tree.

He played quarterback for Gene Stallings at Alabama and coached a little in college before getting his NFL break with Bill Parcells and the Dallas Cowboys as their tight ends coach in 2006.

From there he went on to Arizona in 2007 and was the tight ends coach on the 2008 Cardinals team that lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl under Ken Whisenhunt.

He stayed on with the Cardinals as quarterbacks coach after Bruce Arians was hired and rode that wave to the NFC title game a few years back.

There’s a million reasons to like Kitchens’ hire, but it doesn’t take away the fact he’s never been responsible for being THE man on the sidelines. Oftentimes, the task becomes too monumental and many have failed.

You’ve got to wonder what it is about Stefanski that made him so intriguing to the Browns. He must’ve aced his interview to even become a finalist.

If you listed to talk radio leading through the process, Stefanski’s name was thrown around like a joke.

He should’ve been taken more seriously, because now, his career will be watched closely by Browns fans who will certainly look back to this fork in the road if things don’t work out.