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Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslams on Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski extensions
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- Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslams on Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski extensions
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Jimmy and Dee Haslam have owned the Cleveland Browns since 2012. They've seen five general managers and another five full-time head coaches come and go in that time.
The sixth to hold either of those jobs, however, have proven to be the charm . That's why the Haslams made sure general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski were rewarded for what they've done since being hired in 2020.
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Berry and Stefanski received extensions from the Haslams in early June. On the third day of the fifth training camp with the duo in those roles, the Browns owners made sure to prove them with some verbal flowers as well.
"Well, they're just really great men, first of all, and really good leaders," Dee Haslam said Saturday at The Greenbrier. "I think the players really respect them and the entire staff works really well with them. They know how to get everybody to come together with the same goals. So, it really does make a difference."
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It's not just been during the Haslams' ownership of the team that continuity has been an issue. The last time the Browns had the same general manager and head coach combination for five consecutive years was 1978-84, when Peter Hadhazy was the general manager and Sam Rutigliano was the head coach.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski, owner Jimmy Haslam, and GM Andrew Barry keep an eye on a joint practice against the Giants on Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021, in Berea.
Berry has become the first general manager to get a fifth year with the Browns since Ernie Accorsi held the position from 1985-91. Stefanski is the first Browns head coach to reach his fifth year since Bill Belichick served in that spot the final five seasons of the original franchise from 1991-95.
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"Well, I guess you would say it's relief that they performed well, and Dee said it well," Jimmy Haslam said. "I mean, they're not only a good GM and a good coach, but they're really good people. They're very young. I think oftentimes we forget how young they are, and I think potentially very high ceiling for both of them. So, as Dee said, they're good at their job and they're good people to work with."
There's also no small part of it being that the duo has also provided the Browns with their most successful four-year run since the franchise returned as an expansion team in 1999. The Browns have gone, regular season and playoffs combined, 38-32 since the two were hired, with two playoff appearances.
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This past season, the Browns went 11-6 in the regular season and qualified for the playoffs for just the third time in the expansion era. They lost to the Houston Texans in the AFC wild card round.
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Stefanski won his second NFL Coach of the Year award from the Associated Press for the season. He also won the award for their 11-5 playoff season in 2020.
Berry, meanwhile, was responsible for helping stock that playoff roster both initially through free-agent signings — defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson and safety Rodney McLeod among the best — and throughout a season when injuries seemed to almost weekly crop up and bite the Browns. That includes injuries to starting quarterback Deshaun Watson , which led to them starting five total quarterbacks during the regular season, while Joe Flacco — signed in late November — emerged over the final month of the regular season to stabilize the position.
"Let's face it, we faced as much adversity as you can face, right," Jimmy Haslam said, "Devastated by injuries with (tackle) Jack (Conklin) the first game, then (running back) Nick (Chubb), then Deshaun, then all three tackles, et cetera, et cetera, and yet still managed to finish 11-6 and make the playoffs."
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns owners believe in Andrew Berry, Kevin Stefanski after new deals
