‘Fireable Offense,’ ‘Coaching Malpractice’ — NFL Fans Rip Kevin Stefanski Over Eye-Opening Admission on Shedeur Sanders

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Arguably the most highly anticipated debut of a fifth-round rookie in recent memory finally transpired in the Cleveland Browns’ 23-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11, when Shedeur Sanders took over for an injured Dillon Gabriel with 12:43 remaining in the third quarter.

Sanders’ 4-for-16, 47-yard, one-interception performance was about as ragged as those numbers imply. Head coach Kevin Stefanski’s postgame remarks offered some key insight into what have been the main source of the rookie signal-caller’s struggles, and many fans offered their unvarnished opinions.

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Kevin Stefanski Concedes First-Team Offense Was Uncharted Territory for Shedeur Sanders

Sanders’ rollercoaster of an NFL journey to date has been amply publicized. Projected as a first-round selection by many analysts and fans alike going into the 2025 NFL Draft, Sanders infamously tumbled all the way to the fifth round before the Browns finally put a stop to his freefall.

The adversity was far from over, however. Sanders then often found reps scarce during training camp and opened the season as the No. 3 quarterback behind Joe Flacco and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel.

Sanders eventually bumped up to No. 2 on the depth chart when Flacco was traded to the Bengals on Oct. 7 and Gabriel was announced as the new starter.

However, as Stefanski revealed in his postgame press conference following the loss to the Ravens, Sanders wasn’t given exactly prepped by the coaching staff for a job he was one play away from inheriting for the last month-plus.

Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reported that Stefanski conceded that Sanders’ snaps with the first-team offense Sunday were the first for the rookie since he was drafted.

That was a surprising admission to many, considering No. 2 quarterbacks often get at least a handful of starters reps on occasion in the event of emergency duty akin to that which Sanders handled against Baltimore.

Fans Don’t Mince Words Regarding Stefanski’s Revelation

The Browns’ 2-8 record already gives Cleveland’s typically passionate fanbase plenty of vitriol toward Stefanski and his coaching staff. The head coach seemed to only add fuel to that fire with Sunday’s comments.

One fan was ready for Browns owner Jimmy Haslam to hand Stefanski his walking papers immediately.

Another echoed the sentiment, expressing alarm over the lack of foresight he felt the coaching staff displayed.

A third kept the malpractice theme going by insinuating Stefanski had essentially hung his rookie quarterback out to dry with the lack of preparation.

Another made it a point to highlight how much opportunity there had been for Sanders to get even a modicum of exposure to the first-team offense.

Another observer went further back in his assessment, emphasizing the clock on Sanders’ opportunity started ticking months before the regular season.

Yet another made an intriguing observation that included a side-by-side comparison to the experiences of Gabriel and Sanders to this point in their nascent careers.

There were plenty more forceful opinions on the matter, including a fan who expressed his confusion by noting “I don’t get why he get no reps in training when they know injury is always possible that is just awful coaching.”

And, despite Stefanski’s reputation as an offensive guru, another cast skepticism on his credentials in light of Sanders’ situation: “Somebody hire up needs to be questioning Stefanski’s process for developing the teams young quarterbacks.”

Sanders’ Learning Curve Set To Accelerate

Irrespective of the missteps that may have been taken with Sanders’ development so far, the matter is now a moot point. The Colorado product has gotten the first live regular-season reps of his career under his belt, albeit in less than ideal circumstances.

Nevertheless, that baptism by fire should at least go a long way toward making up for lost time and practice reps. Additionally, the experience may pay considerable dividends as early as a week from his rocky debut.

Given Gabriel’s likely uphill battle to get medically cleared for a Week 12 road matchup against the Raiders, Sanders is likely in line for his first NFL start in that matchup, an assignment he’ll prepare for with those previously elusive first-team reps during the coming week.

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