As senior vice president of football operations and general manager Andrew Berry reflected on the 2023 season, he identified several memorable occurrences.
A few came from Thursday Night Football, when the Browns defeated the Jets to clinch a playoff spot. However, one in particular came the following morning, on December 29, from Berry’s first NFL employer, Tom Telesco.
“So, Tom, he texted me, ‘Your team had every reason available to them to be a 10-loss team, and your players, coaches, and staff never flinched. Excellent work, and congratulations. And the reason that memory is so clear for me is twofold: one, it was similar to the no red pen moment from your first supervisor in the NFL,” Berry explained. “But the second part of it is, it was really cool to me to see that there were people externally that had sensed, saw, felt, what we all had internally on a week-to-week basis with this team.”
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This season, the Browns faced a slew of injury-related challenges. They battled despite the loss of stars and crucial players from the first week of the season until the finale. They started five quarterbacks this season and had players miss time on all three sides of the ball. They relied on younger players and backups to fill positions. Throughout it all, they won 11 games and qualified for the playoffs. They struggled in the Wild Card game against the Texans, making uncharacteristic blunders that proved costly and effectively destroyed their season.
“The thing that I’m most proud of with this group of players, coaches and staff is all the adversity that they overcame throughout the season,” Berry said in a statement. “The last time I was with you, I talked a lot about converting obstacles into opportunities for this organization. And I thought the men and women in the building, our players in the locker room, did an outstanding job of doing so throughout the season, always getting up off the mat, dealing with every challenge, and really accomplishing something noteworthy and special for the organization, our city, and our fan base.”
Berry reviewed numerous items on January 22 to conclude the 2023 season. So, let’s look at five key takeaways from Berry’s press conference.
As Berry thought on all of the problems that the Browns had during the 2023 season and how they overcame adversity as a team, he stated that the ability to do so began with head coach Kevin Stefanski.
“Kevin, the way that he was able to lead and manage through challenges in adversity this year was absolutely phenomenal,” Berry said in a statement. “And we have a brilliant, adaptive, emotionally intelligent leader who, to his surprise, is not even close to reaching his full potential. And this is a man who, in the coming month, should win his second Coach of the Year award in his first four years as a head coach. And I am confident that our organization is in very excellent hands with him, both now and in the future.”
Through all of the season’s variables, Stefanski guided the Browns to an 11-win season and a playoff berth. The 11 regular-season wins equaled for the second-most in team history, trailing only 1986, when the squad won 12 games. In addition, they won eight home games, setting a team record. And they made the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
Berry stated that one of the attributes they look for within the organization is people that have a growth mentality. Stefanski, according to him, possesses the traits of a lifelong learner who evolves. Berry stated that both inside and outside the organization, they have witnessed Stefanski grow and mature as a leader and coach.
“How he led and managed the year – this year where I don’t know how he wouldn’t win Coach of the Year – this year versus his first year were different,” Berry went on to say. “And I believe the second aspect is, as I always say, Kevin is the best of us on a human level. He truly represents the finest of us. And I believe that genuineness enables him to be an amazing leader for our organization. So, it’s really those two elements coupled that have me enthusiastic for the coming years.”
