The Cleveland Browns, coming out of their Week 9 bye and the trade deadline, are undergoing a significant change. But, it's not in the way of a personnel change or a trade, it's at the play-caller spot.
For the second straight season, head coach Kevin Stefanski is giving up play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. It's an interesting switch, as the offense could see changes in the second half of the season.
But, during his press conference, when asked about the play-calling duties for Rees, Stefanski made an odd connection to Madden and the responsibilities of being a play-caller in the NFL.
Kevin Stefanski compares NFL play-calling to Madden play-calling
As 92.3 The Fan shares, Stefanski said, "If you've played Madden, you've called plays."
#Browns HC Kevin Stefanski: "If you've played Madden, you've called plays."
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) November 7, 2025
Calling plays in the NFL is a hard task, but Stefanski is diminishing the difficulty with this quote. With Rees getting his first chance as a play caller for the Browns in Week 10 against the New York Jets, his head coach is downplaying the need for experience in such a role.
While Stefanski is defending Rees's lack of experience in such a role by making the comparison to Madden, all it does is further embolden fans to believe they could be better play-callers than coaches in the NFL.
Calling plays in the NFL is different than calling plays on Madden, but Stefanski is trying to say that gap isn't nearly that big.
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Anyone who's played Madden has called plays in Stefanski's mind, and while there's some truth to it, as players have to call offensive and defensive plays in the game, the nuance at the NFL level is vastly different.
There are levels to play-calling in Madden, evident by professional leagues and rankings. But Stefanski, amid a defense of first-time play-calling Tommy Rees, is downplaying the difficulty of calling plays in the NFL.
The Jets defense lost Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams in trades at the deadline, but it still won't be an easy first game for Rees as the new Browns' playcaller.
This comment from Stefanski is an odd one to make, as it only opens the door to criticism of Rees if he struggles in Week 10 against the Jets.
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