The Cleveland Browns and owner Jimmy Haslam couldn't wait until Black Monday, the NFL's annual date for axing head coaches and excising unnecessary personnel men. Haslam and Co. got an early jump on their search for new leadership when they announced Sunday night that they had relieved head coach Mike Pettine and GM Ray Farmer of their duties.
"We greatly appreciate Ray and Mike's dedication and hard work while with the Cleveland Browns," Haslam said in a statement. "We've made this decision because we don't believe our football team is positioned well for the future. We are all disappointed with where we are and I 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."
That commitment hasn't resulted in wins for those faithful Browns fans though, and Pettine was just the latest in an ever-lengthening string of unsuccessful hires for Haslam. Since 2013, Haslam has fired Pat Shurmur, Rob Chudzinski, and now Pettine. In that same span, he's jettisoned GMs Tom Heckert, Mike Lombardi, and Farmer.
In Haslam's defense, Pettine's Browns did seem to be trending in the wrong direction. After starting 2014 with 7-4, things really fell apart for Cleveland Pettine. He ends his tenure with the franchise with a 10-22 record.
Of course, much will be discussed in coming days regarding whether there is an atmosphere conducive to success in Cleveland under Haslam. Reports from this past offseason suggested that a "toxic" culture had taken hold in Cleveland, thanks in large part to the meddling of Haslam.
The selection of quarterback Johnny Manziel, the one-time presumed signal-caller of the future, has been directly attributed to Haslam. Manziel, his season brought to an early close by a concussion, was reportedly spotted in Las Vegas on Saturday night ahead of the Browns season-closer.
Where the organization goes from here is anyone's guess. Cleveland has been linked to a number of candidates, including Chip Kelly and Adam Gase, the former of whom likely would come to town hoping for personnel control.
Peter King of SI reports that the first interview for Haslam will be former Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone.
