Cleveland Browns: Guide for the next Front Office

Jan 3, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; A Cleveland Browns fan displays the names of the quarterbacks since 1999 on a mask during the fourth quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Steelers beat the Browns 28-12. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; A Cleveland Browns fan displays the names of the quarterbacks since 1999 on a mask during the fourth quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Steelers beat the Browns 28-12. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 30, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam talks with fans before the game between the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 30, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam talks with fans before the game between the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

Develop a Plan for the Front Office..

Should Mike Pettine have been fired this season? Yes and no. Yes because his team failed to live up to mediocre standards after what looked like a potential playoff team last year. No because a lot of things were out of his hand and he was forced to run a show he didn’t sign up for. Pettine had a lot of issues going for him before his first day on the job, one being that he was hired before his General Manager. Typically a company doesn’t hire in reverse of rank, but that’s not to say it can’t work.

In this case it didn’t work. The players that Pettine was given to work with were not guys that benefited his coaching style or the scheme that he was trying to run. He had an over-hyped quarterback thrown into his lap and was forced to play him based on pressure from the media and fans. The two years that Pettine endured in Cleveland were treacherous, he constantly fought to coach his game while being forced to coach another one. That can’t happen with the next front office.

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A plan needs to be setup that doesn’t involve a runaway train. It’s impossible to build a home without a foundation and as painful as it’s been for Browns fans, they’re going to need to be (uh-oh) patient. The next front office that steps in needs to be willing to build slowly from the ground up, rip out the roots and start shoveling the dirt. The communication up the chain needs to be more concrete than it has been the past couple years.

Numerous reports came out stating that other NFL teams had no idea who was in charge, a clear lack of structure within the office. That communication not only needs to be solid for those on the outside but on the inside as well. ‘Textgate’ was an unraveling of how little each front office employee trusted one another, sending texts to suggest personnel use and play calling was a bad look on the Browns and showed the rift between the coaches and upper management.

Building a team that works well together from day one is the start to success. If the GM is a fan of the coach then there’s a good thing going. Right now the Browns are searching for their head coach but hiring a General Manager before that decision is made may in fact be the most beneficial option for a team that has struggled for the better part of 16 years.

Next: Use the Off-Season to Improve