Josh McDaniels agreed with the Browns. It wasn’t a great fit. Steve Doerschuk dives inside the interviews leading to the Browns hiring Kevin Stefanski.

Time will tell on Kevin Stefanski.

But then, given the way time spilled the beans on Joe Banner, Johnny Football, Ray Farmer, Mike Pettine, Alec Scheiner, Sashi Brown, Hue Jackson and a long-running list of additional characters/culprits, time is not on the side of the man who hired Coach Stefanski.

Plenty of people in what is left of the Browns' fan base (an incredibly large group, considering) hate the Stefanski hire.

As one put it to us on Twitter on Sunday, "Haslam has made me hate the Browns. I can’t root for another team, so I’m rooting against Cleveland. Makes me sick."

No one hates the new head coach. Most (even the above-mentioned Tweetist, we surmise) hope on some level Stefanski isn't the latest who will disappear a day before a grim billionaire says, basically, "We got the wrong guy again, but we're more determined than ever to get this right."

Coming down the stretch, when Cleveland was the last seeker still without a head coach, it struck us that Josh McDaniels was the candidate preferred by a majority in Browns Nation.

McDaniels wouldn't have been nearly as popular a hire a year ago, when the Browns were coming off a 5-3 finish, and the pilot actually picked looked better than a Freddie's milkshake. Those with a close view doubted McDaniels and John Dorsey were compatible personalities.

Johnny and Freddie? It might have been a song.

At that point, to his critics, McDaniels fit the New England image of smug and straight-laced. He would have entered a whoopdehell world where Coach Kitchens promised tons of fun.

The superficial aspects fell aside as 2019 went from bad to desperately hopeful to dismal even by expansion-era standards. McDaniels' meaty contributions to repeated Super Bowls, his background as a contrite but wisened former head coach and his steady ascent as a decision-maker in Camelot all seemed more appealing.

The interviewing came down the home stretch. Chatter as to Stefanski's experience, almost as limited as Kitchens', grew louder. McDaniels, who had been in confetti showers in February of 2017 and February of 2019, became something of a people's choice.

What follows is our belief about the elements of Stefanski's interview Thursday and McDaniels' interview Friday that left Stefanski as Haslam's seventh head coach since he bought the team in 2012.

Stefanski was familiar with the room, especially Jimmy Haslam and strategist Paul DePodesta. All got along well when Stefanski interviewed for the job last January.

The Vikings' offensive coordinator arrived at Thursday's interview tall and fit and steeped in the sense of urgency attending to being needed two days later at a playoff game in California.

At age 37, with a nice resume for his age but just one full season as a coordinator, Stefanski had to coach himself to come off as sufficiently authoritative. He has a fairly strong natural delivery but it is not commanding. In recent times, starting in 2013, he has been an assistant quarterbacks coach, a tight ends coach and a running backs coach.

By 2013, McDaniels, now 43, was four years removed from being hired as Denver's head coach.

Stefanski presented a detailed vision of how he will approach the head coaching job. He made it clear he was willing to yield to certain DePodesta standards, such as an analytics person with a head set and access to the coaching staff on game days, in addition to certain Haslam likes, such as hours-long, Monday-after, owner-coach meetings.

Stefanski returned to the Vikings (they lost 27-10 to the 49ers on Saturday) having improved on the impression he left last year. His willingness to work with coaching, analytics and ownership types in ways agreeable to DePodesta and Haslam were big selling points.

McDaniels arrived Friday, smartly dressed, Fitbit trim and in a better mindset than ever to address a crowd of important strangers with respect but conviction.

He appreciated all the amenities of an interview (the Browns are regarded as gracious hosts) but focused on a few cold, hard questions.

Would they take to him as a person and as a leader? There had been a sense he and DePodesta would get to know each other quickly and be kindred spirits. This is thought to have become the case.

Would the Browns show a willingness to applaud his detailed presentation on the sweeping makeover that would be needed for him to want the job? This is where the trouble with his candidacy came to a head.

The Browns were as detailed with him as to the parts of their system they want to keep, or expand, as he was with them as to necessary changes.

In the end, both came to a similar conclusion: It wasn't a great fit.

The Browns want to hang on to some of the ideas they still think can work. McDaniels had quite different ideas.

As Haslam launched into the search, he said, "We are looking for a strong leader. One, someone who is smart; two, has really good football acumen; three; will work within the organization ... it is not 'my way or the highway.'"

McDaniels understood the risk of offending in his specific plans to change systems, in some cases dramatically. He took care to present his requirements as "the right way" as opposed to "my way."

As for "highway," the Haslam regime has played out like the title of an AC/DC song you might have heard.

By now, everyone has heard. Stefanski is the man. The guess is that most of Browns Nation, whatever its predisposition, hopes he finds the road out of this mess.

Reach Steve at 330-580-8347 or steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com

On Twitter: @sdoerschukREP