The NFL should immediately change its rules and let Kevin Stefanski coach remotely

The NFL is being dumb.

NFL rules won’t allow Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski to call plays from home during his team’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card of the playoffs on Sunday.

So… why not change the rules?

ESPN’s Mina Kimes aptly pointed out on “Around the Horn” that now — during a pandemic — is absolutely a moment when adjusting the rules is OK. These imaginary hurdles are senseless. The league put together a policy that prevents coaches, who are quarantined due to a COVID-19 exposure or a positive test, from contacting the rest of the staff on game day. That means Stefanski, the Browns’ offensive play-caller and, in all likelihood, the decision-maker on fourth downs and challenges, will not be able to contribute to the Browns’ first playoff appearance since 2001.

What a disappointment.

There’s precedent for the league sticking to its rule. In Week 16, the Lions were forced to go without their offensive and defensive play-callers, which put first-time play-callers into those positions. Detroit lost to the Buccaneers, 47-7. The Lions probably never stood a chance, but this game was over in the first quarter. If that’s the precedent, then the NFL should learn from it. Change the rule.

Unless the NFL finds Stefanski was reckless in contracting the virus, he should not be punished for falling sick in an outbreak that’s beyond his control. And unless he’s too sick to partake in coaching, he should be allowed to coach. The NFL’s policies on COVID have resulted in multiple outbreaks throughout the season — the Browns are hardly the only case. Cleveland is simply managing what has seemed inevitable, ever since the league decided to (mostly blindly and senselessly) power through a pandemic.

The fact that the league jeopardized its players’ safety is no surprise. The fact that the league jeopardized its coaches safety isn’t all surprising either. It is, surprising, however that they would not want to keep intact the quality of its product. That’s one thing the NFL does protect. But perhaps the demand for the NFL is so inelastic that the league doesn’t care anymore.

I recognize the quality of the game is hardly the most important part of the proceedings on Sunday. The safety of the participants should be priority No. 1. But allowing Stefanski to participate remotely would be a safe solution — one that practically every company is using during the pandemic — which the NFL should employ. Maybe they have a rule in place to prevent it. Maybe the NFL should simply change that rule. They’ve been altering rules — and probably should have altered more — this season. It’s not that complicated.

[vertical-gallery id=979762]