Cleveland Browns officially fire Head Coach Mike Pettine

After all the reports and rumors of his demise, the Cleveland Browns made it official on Sunday, firing Head Coach Mike Pettine after two seasons. The writing was on the wall for Pettine’s dismissal following the Browns season finale 28-12 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. That was apparently a full game longer than Ray Farmer was given, as he was reportedly told he was done before the game began. The Browns finished the season with a dismal 3-13 record, tied for the worst record in the league. It begins yet another coaching search in Cleveland, the third in four years for the Browns.

Pettine came into Cleveland touted as a defensive-minded coach who would make the team a physical hard-hitting unit, but the reality has been the exact opposite. The Browns defense has been a disaster in the two seasons under Pettine. Last season, the Browns defense ranked 23rd in total yards allowed and last in rushing yards allowed, but on the bright side, were ninth in fewest points allowed. Many had high hopes for the defense’s development during the last offseason. Despite the hopes of fans and coaches alike, this season the Browns defense went backwards.

Through 15 games, the Browns ranked 26th in total yards allowed, last in rushing yards allowed and 29th in points allowed. All three stats either worsened or stayed the same. There was no sign of improvement from the highest paid defense in the NFL. Even though the offense struggled under his tenure, it was the defense that likely led to his removal as head coach of the Cleveland Browns.

Over the last few weeks, there were rumors of in-fighting and dysfunction inside the Browns organization. Head Coach Mike Pettine seemed to be behind a lot of it, almost forcing Browns owner Jimmy Haslam to relieve him of his duties. Despite claims that they put transgressions like Farmer’s texting issues behind them, Pettine and general manager Ray Farmer seemed to continue to lack any kind of chemistry or working relationship.

Pettine finishes his coaching career in Cleveland with an overall record of 10-22 in two seasons. His resume is even worse when you look at his record over his last 21 games, notching a putrid 3-18 record. The tenure of Pettine seemed to deteriorate as it went on, ultimately leading to his removal.

As another regular season comes to a close, the Browns are in the all-too-familiar position looking for yet another head coach to lead the team. We will see if any coaches want to line up to work for a leadership team that is reportedly poised to take control including Alec Scheiner and Sashi Brown.

The Browns’ official statement on both Mike Pettine and Ray Farmer were sent out to media.

“We greatly appreciate Ray’s and Mike’s dedication and hard work while with the Cleveland Browns. We’ve made this decision because we don’t believe our football team was positioned well for the future. We are all disappointed with where we are and we take full responsibility. We will approach the search for our next football coach and executives to lead our football operations with a clear vision regarding what we need to do to build a successful organization. We will be methodical in looking for strong, smart leaders with high character who are relentlessly driven to improve our football team, willing to look at every resource possible to improve, and who embrace collaboration to ultimately make the best decisions for the Cleveland Browns. We are fully committed to bringing our fans the winning organization they so clearly deserve.”

Stay tuned for more after Jimmy Haslam’s media availability at 8 PM Sunday night.