If the Cleveland Browns fire Joe Woods then the season really is over
By Chad Porto
The season is all but over if the Cleveland Browns fire Joe Woods
The Cleveland Browns are a poorly built team with bad schemes. Those are the issues at hand, not the coaching (though it could be much improved with Kevin Stefanski), it’s not the gameplay, and it’s not anything other than the fact the general manager and head coach have failed this team. People thought losing two top-rated defensive backs like Troy Hill and M.J. Stewart wasn’t going to affect the team but it did. The lack of any real success in the draft has hurt this team. The lack of spending any money on defensive tackles hurt this team.
Joe Woods isn’t the reason this team has issues, and firing him only confirms the season is lost. The Browns are 2-4, and rightfully should be 1-5. That’s due to Kevin Stefanski’s lack of faith in honest, good old fashion football having cost this team three wins. A referee oversight is the only reason they’re not dead last in the NFL in the record department. Yes, it’s fair to blame Stefanski and not Woods, but why?
Well, frankly, it’s Stefanski’s defense. He hired Woods to run this defense. The same defense that didn’t work in Minnesota but that’s beside the point. To blame Woods for Stefanski’s lack of oversight, insight, and flat-out ignorance of the defense is a foolish errand. If Stefanski isn’t happy with how the defense is performing, why isn’t he telling Woods what changes are to be made? After all, Woods is a glorified play-caller. He does little else when it comes to coaching the players individually. If he wants to keep his job, he needs to do as Stefanski says. It’s Stefanski’s team and Woods works for him.
Don’t doubt for one minute that Woods isn’t doing something that Stefanski didn’t ask for or approve of.
The defensive backs playing seven yards off, the lack of man schemes, and the lack of blitzing are on the philosophy that Stefanski wants the defense to be about. Yes, Stefanski. I know, it may surprise you, but Stefanski is actually the head coach of the entire team, he’s not the offensive coordinator. Although, with how little attention he seemingly gives the defense, you’d be forgiven if you forgot that.
Everything Woods is doing on defense is approved of by Stefanski. Woods doesn’t run the defense independently of Stefanski’s vision, he runs it as Stefanski wants it. Firing Woods doesn’t solve the problems the defense has. In fact, it makes the defense worse.
That’s because firing coordinators are usually the first sign of a team bottoming out.