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    Progressing Past Pettine: Moving on from the 2015 Browns

    Progressing Past Pettine: Moving on from the 2015 Browns
    by Drew Pelto, AKA *censored*

    Just three days after the conclusion of the 2015 season, the dominoes continued falling at the Browns' offices in Berea. And instead of being replaced by other dominoes, Browns fans have seen them instead replaced by marbles, a bent paper clip, chewing gum, and some string in a MacGyver-style effort to turn a radioactive environment into something that resembles an NFL team.



    A live look in the Browns' front offices...

    Point out all you want that Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Baltimore have had the same coaches since Romeo Crennel was fired (the first in a string of five firings of Browns coaches since the last change to the others), but look at how John Harbaugh, Mike Tomlin, and Marvin Lewis did in their first few years with their teams. Mike Pettine went 10-21, losing 18 of his final 21 games. Lewis has had only three losing seasons in thirteen as head coach of the Bengals, taking over a squad that had lost double-digits in each of its previous five seasons. Harbaugh had his first ever losing season in 2015 with an injury-depleted squad that had the likes of Ryan Mallett, Terrance West, Crockett Gillmore, and Kamar Aiken replacing Pro Bowl caliber players at each offensive skill position. Tomlin, meanwhile, walked into a near-perfect situation, taking the helm of a Steelers team that was a year removed from a Super Bowl win over Seattle and having to do little more than hold the wheel, never finishing below 8-8.

    Continuity may appear to breed success, but only if there is potential. Mike Pettine never had that. It has been said that High School Mike was around 317th on the Browns' list of head coaches in 2014-- distantly trailing Adam Gace, Dan Quinn, Todd Bowles, Josh McDaniels, Ben McAdoo, Dirk Koetter, Rich Bisaccia, and Greg Schiano, the first five of whom wouldn't even interview for the position. This biggest mistake in all of this was firing Rob Chudzinski in the first place after the 2013 season.

    When you look at that AFC North Triumvirate Of Non-Suckage, you notice that each had potential coming into their job.

    Marvin Lewis had an incredible resume before being picked by the Bengals. He followed the typical trajectory of college positions coach (linebackers at three schools over eleven seasons), to NFL positions coach (linebackers with the 1992-95 Steelers, coaching in a Super Bowl), to defensive coordinator (Baltimore from 1996-2001 and Washington in 2002, winning a Super Bowl with the Ravens), to head coach. Baltimore's incredible defenses of the late 90's should be credited 100% to Lewis' work, starting with making the unrelated Ray Lewis into the NFL's premier middle linebacker very quickly.

    Harbaugh, though never anything higher than a Special Teams Coordinator, at least had been around for a long time, holding that position in Philadelphia for nine years before handling the defensive secondary. Baltimore's strong defense remained so under his watch as head coach. He coached in a Super Bowl with the Eagles, he won one with the Ravens, and I'm sure he learned a thing or two from his NFL quarterback brother.

    Mike Tomlin had the shortest resume of any, but at least he had been a college positions coach as far back as 1995, and an NFL one since 2001. He won a Super Bowl as part of Jon Gruden's coaching staff in Tampa. His defensive backs picked off five passes in that game.

    "Something something accountability something something."

    Pettine, meanwhile, never coached a day in college as anything but a Graduate Assistant, never reached a level of even a positions coach at the NFL level until 2005, and was a coordinator for the first time in 2009, taking a Jets' defense that was tops in the NFL in fewest yards and fewest points in his first season and dropping them to 8th and 20th respectively by the time he left. In his lone year with Buffalo they ranked 10th and 20th in those categories. While taking teams to back-to-back AFC Championship Games is nothing to sneeze at, that loss of defensive ability of those teams should have been noted. And in Buffalo, his defense handed the Browns their lone victory in which Brandon Weeden played a significant part. This should have been a huge red flag.

    Rob Chudzinski may not have been perfect, but he at least had potential. As a positions coach at Miami, followed by three years as offensive coordinator, he helped lead the Hurricanes to a National Championship win in 2002 and a narrow overtime loss in 2003. As a tight ends coach with San Diego he coached Antonio Gates to his first 1000-yard season. Taking the offensive reins in Cleveland, he helped the normally hapless (even at that point) Browns to a 10-6 record in 2007 and an offense that was eighth in the NFL in yards and points scored. He had a receiver and a tight end who put up the only 1000-yard seasons of their careers, a 1000-yard rusher, and Derek Anderson inexplicably throwing for 3700 yards. In Carolina as offensive coordinator, he discovered a tight end and brought him to Cleveland as a blocker with some upside. He didn't play much that year due to Jordan Cameron's 900-yard season. But two years after being fired, Gary Barnidge became the first tight end ever to receive over 1000 yards and not be named to a Pro Bowl. Players were shocked when he was fired, expressing embarrassment for the team and the fans. Chudzinski will be in play as a potential head coach again in the future. The Colts were quick to get him on their staff. I don't feel I can say the same about Mike Pettine.

    Looking back at the 2014 search that led to Pettine, the answer can be found: the team needs something, anything, to prove that it isn't the dumpster fire that it has been perceived as being to where it scares off every potential candidate. Dumping Joe Banner was a nice start, but they went from the frying pan and into the fire with Ray Farmer. Now Ray Farmer's firing and the restructuring of the front office over the past few days seems like a good start to get back on track. The Browns are taking a more analytical approach with the movement of former Jacksonville capologist Sashi Brown to a more hands-on role as well as the picking of sabermetric mastermind Paul DePodesta from the New York Mets.


    "So, Tommy, can you coach the offensive line?"

    Yes, Mets. Not Jets. Look out, we're crossing over sports. As a side note, Haslam apparently offered a front office job to former Indians' GM Mark Shapiro a few years ago as well.

    It's different, it features good minds if not necessarily football minds, and it seems to be setting things up to prevent the power struggle this organization has seen for several years between coach and GM. Team namesake Paul Brown was an innovator as coach. Jimmy Haslam is trying to think outside the box as owner. Analytically-minded coaches will love this. It may go completely off the rails, but what does he really have to lose at this point?
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