Cleveland Browns Fire Head Coach Mike Pettine

Change has become so regular for the Cleveland Browns and that it’s almost expected at this point.  Team owner Jimmy Haslam took over the team in 2012 and in that span of time he has already fired two head coaches.  Some will argue it shows he refuses to accept losing, others that he has no patience to let a coach and his staff implement a system and roster they want.  Either way, the fact is the man has yet to field a head coach tenured longer than two seasons.

That held true when the Browns announced that they had fired head coach Mike Pettine.  Cleveland finished the season a disappointing 3-13 after a 7-9 mark the year before.  Beyond the inability to elevate what had been thought of as a pretty solid roster, there were constant hints and rumors that the coach could not find any sort of common ground with GM Ray Farmer and the front office, leading to an icy relationship that affected the team.

Pettine had worked the previous five seasons prior to taking over the Browns as a defensive coordinator for the Jets and Bills, a job he proved quite good at.  In fact none of his units finished outside the top 10 in yards allowed.  So it’s fair to say he’ll find work following this.  Cleveland will once again try to find somebody who can get this organization back on track from frankly being the laughing stock of the NFL.

Initial indications are they plan to pursue Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase, somebody Haslam has wanted dating back to 2013 when he was with the Denver Broncos.  It will be interesting to see how this change impacts the roster, particularly in regards to the future of quarterback Johnny Manziel.