Browns false starts clarified, Stefanski says team has 'to adjust' despite recent confusion
The Cleveland Browns have a problem that ought to be fixed soon. The issue at hand is false starts, of which Browns center Ethan Pocic has collected his fair share in back-to-back weeks. Kevin Stefanski isn't a fan of the calls. So, after the Browns' 36-19 loss to the Rams, the head coach turned into […]
The Cleveland Browns have a problem that ought to be fixed soon.
The issue at hand is false starts, of which Browns center Ethan Pocic has collected his fair share in back-to-back weeks.
Kevin Stefanski isn't a fan of the calls. So, after the Browns' 36-19 loss to the Rams, the head coach turned into an investigator to get to the bottom of the recent development. What he found was that the league is putting more of an emphasis on pre-snap ball movements, and Pocic has been a victim of the letter of the law.
“I talked to the league, I’m not going to get into all the specifics," Stefanski said. "I would tell you, it’s definitely a point of emphasis for them right now. We’ve gone many years here with that not being called, but now that’s how they’re officiating it. We have to obviously abide by the rules to the ‘T,’ and we’re not trying to skirt any rules in these scenarios. We’re not trying at all to gain advantage, but we have to adjust based on how they’re calling it.”
The Browns will follow the letter of the law, but it is yet to be seen if that will make Pocic's life any easier.
Stefanski understands that each center has their pre-snap ritual, but he also knows the Browns' man in the middle will have to adjust to the letter of the law.
"I don’t know if that’s something that moving forward, they will do," Stefanski said. "I think that would be fair. In this instance, if you see it on a second-and-5, and you see a movement that you would deem illegal or false start, I think that would be fair.
"Ethan’s going to work hard to make sure that this doesn’t happen, and we’re going to coach it up as such.”
Ahead. of the Browns is a matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The game carries extra weight after Cleveland went on the road and dropped two winnable games.
If the Browns hope to defend home turf, it starts by focusing on the details, which Stefanski is more than willing to do.
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