Kevin Stefanski is 21.

This does not mean that he just turned legal, as it were. He’s been legal for a long time.

Rather, 21 is not his age, but instead, it is his ranking among NFL head coaches heading into this season, according to sportsillustrated.com.

That’s not very good. In fact, it’s horrible.

Stefanski is ranked in the bottom one-third of the league’s 32 head coaches. There are guys ahead of him on that list who might not be able to coach a youth team. But, in the eyes of si.com, they are better head coaches than Stefanski.

That’s absurd. However, it’s what happens when you don’t win.

Stefanski had a tremendous first year in Cleveland, guiding the 2020 Browns to their first playoff appearance in 18 seasons. Since then, though, he has had two straight losing seasons, and a combined record of 15-19. In the demanding, win-now-or-else world of the NFL, “that just ain’t gonna cut it,” as they say.

So, how can Stefanski change that narrative? How does he improve his ranking among the media types, including those of the dismissive si.com?

Simply win, that’s all, and keep winning.

And it starts on Sunday against the highly-rated Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns Stadium in the regular-season opener.

By Steve King