Congratulations are in order for Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski. The first-year coach was named the NFL’s coach of the year by the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA).
Stefanski won the award in his rookie season as a head coach. He is the first Browns coach to win the award since Marty Schottenheimer captured it back in 1986.
The Browns finished 11-5 and advanced to the postseason for the first time since 2002, a year after a disappointing 6-10 finish. Stefanski also guided the team to its first postseason victory since the 1994 season, beating the Steelers in the wild-card round. He managed to do all of that despite no preseason games and several key players missing important games due to injuries and COVID-19.
In full disclosure, I am a PFWA member and voted for Stefanski.