Mike Vrabel blasts Kevin Stefanski’s play calling after Browns blowout

The Cleveland Browns were embarrassed by the New England Patriots in Foxborough on Sunday.

But it was Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, who spent last year with the Browns as an advisor, that rubbed additional salt in the wound.

For years, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has been able to masterfully script the opening drive to start each game. On Sunday, the Browns waltzed into the end zone for a touchdown on their first offensive series and struggled to move the ball after that.

“When their gimmick plays ran out, we played pretty good defense,” Vrabel said.

The Browns struggled to do anything positive offensively on Sunday – which has been the story of their season.

While a few big plays broke early, the Browns were unable to do much of anything with third-round rookie Dillon Gabriel at the helm.

Gabriel’s calling card has been that he takes care of the football. Through his first three starts, he did not throw an interception. Earlier in the week, Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez called out Gabriel, claiming that New England was coming for interceptions. And they did just that.

Nicknamed the super computer for his supposed quick processing abilities, Gabriel was completely confused when Patriots linebacker Robert Spillane caused the rookie to toss his first career interception. But that caused a snowball effect, as Gabriel tossed another one on a deep, inaccurate throw that was caught by Jaylinn Hawkins.

Gabriel and his receivers are never on the same page. The Browns only had two passes caught by a wide receiver. Jamari Thrash had two catches for 31 yards. Harold Fannin Jr. and David Njoku were the team’s leading receivers. Jerry Jeudy and Isaiah Bond did not record a single reception.

Unless something changes with Cleveland’s offense, this trend will continue for the Browns. Vrabel is one of the most respected coaches in the NFL. His comments are pretty telling about the state of this offense. When they do not have a trick play, jet sweep, or player catching a ball out of the backfield, they are hopeless.

With Gabriel under center, the Browns are not a threat to do anything down field. It makes the run game tremendously predictable. Stefanski noted after the game that they will take a look at everything, but expects Gabriel to remain the quarterback moving forward.

The Browns will have a much-needed bye week. Offensively, they need to regroup and exercise some demons. Up next, they travel to face the New York Jets on the road.