A phrase that is almost as common as ‘Lake effect snow’, Browns fire (insert head coach here) after two seasons. It’s just one reason why the Browns coughed and wheezed their way to a 5-11 finish, because after just two seasons, they once again realized the coach they hired, was not the answer.
Pat Shurmur is looking for a new job today, after going 5-11, a one game improvement from his first season at 4-12.
He will join Chris Palmer and Eric Mangini as ex-Browns coaches who only held the job for two years before being shown the door.
Before Sunday’s game, the Browns ranked 23rd in the league in points scored, seven slots up from 2011 but still in the bottom 10 in the NFL. Defensively they ranked 19th in points allowed, down from 5th in 2011.
Many fans were counting down the seconds at the end of the game until Shurmur would no longer be with the organization and it won’t be long until rumors start circulating that Andy Reid, Jon Gruden or Chip Kelly are buying houses on the west side.
Word got out after the Eagles were demolished 42-7 to the New York Giants on Sunday, that Reid will be given his walking papers, Gruden is one of the most popular analysts on ESPN and Kelly is preparing his team to play in the Fiesta Bowl in a week.
ESPN said Sunday morning that it would be possible that the Browns could have a head coach in place by the end of this week. That eliminates any current head coach and probably any coordinator on a current playoff team.
Whoever winds up being the 17th person to coach the Cleveland Browns, new owner Jimmy Haslam had better be sure it’s the right one.
Haslam and new CEO, Joe Banner are clearing out the front office, sending GM Tom Heckert out the door in Berea with Shurmur.
Heckert’s most recent draft produced a number of starters this year and has helped build a core for the future. It will be a core he won’t the chance to add on, so bringing in another GM who can match or exceed what Heckert has done will be just as important as finding a new coach. Heckert likely won’t be unemployed for long, with Shurmur that’s a little more unclear, which says a lot about the Browns decision to start over yet again.
Romeo Crennel lasted four seasons with the Browns, the longest tenure since the team’s rebirth in 1999, largely because of his 10-6 2007 season. Other than that, no coach other than Butch Davis, fired near the end of his fourth season, has stuck around to gain any continuity with his roster.
The Browns loaded up on defensive lineman, most of them turning into solid contributors, begging the question of who will coach the defense next year. If Dick Jauron is not retained, the Browns could be looking at a coach or coordinator who runs the 3-4, again going against the current quality personnel that they have.
After 14 years, someone other than a member of the Lerner family is calling the shots for the Browns, and after spending most of the years the NFL’s doormat, Haslam and Banner need to take a long, hard look at what has plagued this franchise for years, the lack of stability. If rumors about naming a head coach by the end of the week are true, then it’s likely the reason Haslam and Banner had no contact with Shurmur the last few weeks were because they were busy talking to the next head coach. Hopefully all that time not communicating with the current people in charge was well spent on finding the right people who can celebrate more than one New Year in Cleveland.
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POSTED 12/31/2012 14:24
Lake County Sentinel
Haslam needs to stop revolving door in Berea
Opinion by Justin Lada
