The Atlanta Falcons hired Kevin Stefanski to take over as their next head coach and, for the most part, it's a hire that the fanbase feels pretty good about. Stefanski had success as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns of all teams but, after back-to-back disappointing seasons, it was time for a fresh start for Stefanski. The Falcons hired him and now here's to hoping the move pans out.
When asked which head coaching hire he believed to be the best this offseason, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated initially said that John Harbaugh was the easy answer. He did, however, say that Stefanski joining the Falcons would be up there as well and his reasoning is something that Falcons fans will want to hear.
"I am fascinated to see Kevin Stefanski in Atlanta because of everything that he dealt with in Cleveland, and I think he's a much better coach than people realize," Breer said on The Dan Patrick Show on Monday. "I think when you look at him, like how there was a groundswell of teams coming after him, right? And the Giants were in on him, and Tennessee was in on him, and Miami was in on him... I'm just telling you, like the pursuit of him, it wasn't quite what it was with Harbaugh, but it was not far off, and that tells you what the league thinks of him, you know?"
Albert Breer says Falcons landed one of the best coaching hires of the offseason
Harbaugh was definitely the most popular head coaching candidate this offseason but, as Breer noted, Stefanski wasn't far behind. The fact that Atlanta managed to land the second-best option on the head coaching market should make Falcons fans feel good about this hire and what Stefanski can do for this franchise.
Stefanski spent six years as the head coach of the Browns and went 45-56 during that span. Going 11 games under .500 in a six-year span might not be looked at as a great accomplishment but doing that with the Browns and leading them to the playoffs on two separate occasions, especially doing so with Joe Flacco as the quarterback one year, is pretty dang impressive. Stefanski deserves a ton of props for that.
Considering how weak the NFC South is, there shouldn't be any doubt about Stefanski coming into Atlanta. This roster is loaded and, while the quarterback position is still a massive question mark moving forward, Stefanski's proven that he can win even when the odds are stacked against him in that department.
Let's hope that, years from now when we look back on this hire, Breer's comments age well and that this is indeed the best hire from this coaching cycle.