Are We There Yet? Browns – Steelers Preview
January 2, 2016Johnny Be Gone? John Clayton says Manziel’s time in Cleveland is likely over
January 3, 2016Nothing says January in Berea like a slew of reports surrounding the fate of a general manager-head coaching tandem of the Cleveland Browns. While reports were circulating last month stating the potential safety of head coach Mike Pettine, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports early Sunday that the Browns will in fact fire head coach Pettine and his GM, Ray Farmer, may not be far behind.
According to Rapoport:
The Titans said goodbye to Ken Whisenhunt early. The Dolphins did the same with Joe Philbin after a brutal London trip. Recently, the Eagles pulled the plug on Chip Kelly.
There should be more moves Sunday, immediately after the regular season ends. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has already made the decision to fire coach Mike Pettine, multiple sources say, and it is likely general manager Ray Farmer will be shown the door, as well. Pettine leaves after just two seasons full of quarterback movement and a woeful defense. Farmer likely will leave despite never hiring his own head coach.
Haslam has already laid the groundwork for the move, doing work on potential candidates and seeing who will be available to him.
Rapoport took to Twitter to cite multiple examples of the head coach faltering, many of which were in the last several weeks.
#Browns coach Mike Pettine lost Jimmy Haslam's confidence. Example: To players losing to KC, he guaranteed victory. They rolled their eyes
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 3, 2016
Another Pettine example: Before 2nd #Bengals game, he told players Saturday night he might be getting fired & they hadn't done their part.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 3, 2016
#Browns coach Mike Pettine asked Jimmy Haslam Fri. if he'd be kept. Haslam didn't say. But Haslam had already made calls to begin the search
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 3, 2016
Regarding Farmer, the belief may be that he had multiple draft picks forced upon him during his first year at the helm—Justin Gilbert is forever linked to Pettine while many tie quarterback Johnny Manziel to Haslam.
When discussing potential replacements, a slew of old names are back in the mix as the Browns are expected to interview Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase for the head-coaching job. Browns fans may recall Gase who was rumored to be a potential Browns head coach two years ago before he withdrew his name from consideration. The Eagles and Dolphins are also expected to show interest in the former Broncos offensive coordinator.
As of this report, neither Farmer nor Pettine have been made aware of their fate which should be an interesting day in Cleveland. Don’t fret, though, fans—I’m sure we’ll be told it’s different this time around.
7 Comments
I know people hate Kelly, but I really think this may end with the ol’ Chipster in Cleveland. Haslam loved him last time around, and now that he is tainted goods I think his options are limited. Further, given that there are going to be like 8 other openings, top candidates like Gase, Payton, Pagano, etc. are unlikely to choose Cleveland.
Chip Kelly is coming. I am calling it!
I actually think Pettine is a good coach. He may not have been ready to be a HC yet. But anything to get rid of farmer’s moronic face. He wants to reinvent the wheel. But square tires don’t work, Ray.
I’d love it if they let Manziel make the phone call: “Hi Mike, it’s Johnny. Go F*ck yourself in the unemployment line. I’ll leave you 2 for next season’s Dallas games.”
And then I’d love for someone to leave John Boy his own going away message!
http://www.reactiongifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/naked-gun-facepalm.gif
Not a huge fan of Pettine, but the notion that Gilbert was on him is idiotic. We should stop recirculating this idiocy too. He may have wanted a corner or the top corner, but the talent evaluation and call was on Farmer.
The Browns as an organization have shown time and time again that:
A. They have no idea how to recognize talent.
B. They have no idea how to land talent.
C. They have no idea how to use talent when they land it by accident.
D. They have no idea how to keep their fanbase happy.
About the only skill the Browns leadership has ever really demonstrated is getting the taxpayers of Cleveland to foot the bills for their stadium.
This isn’t just about the W-L record. The Cavs have gone through periods when they were lousy, and have made mistakes, sometimes big ones (Shaq?, Christian Eyenga?, Mike Brown redux?, and so on) but never shown the complete incompetence that the Browns have continued to show for now almost 20 years.