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November 9, 2015The Cleveland Browns’ season is lost, but we’re still talking about it because they’re the Browns. This is an email conversation between Michael Bode and me regarding the Browns and some of the “hot topics” that are currently chasing the team through the media. Up next: Should the Cleveland Browns fire Mike Pettine?
Craig: I’m not completely positive yet, but it appears Mike Pettine might be getting “the look” about him. We know it all too well here in Cleveland as seasons go from being scary and out of control to sad and hopelessly depressing. We’ve seen it on Pat Shurmur’s face and also on Rob Chudzinski’s face. You know, that look before he became defiant after being fired? Yeah. That one. Mike Pettine is starting to get it, which you wouldn’t have thought possible a year ago when he was guiding the Browns in his first season. But here we are, and this is a legitimate conversation with the Browns sitting at only two wins with nary an end to the losing in sight. You know Jimmy Haslam is thinking about it, so we must ask the question as well. Where are you right now on Mike Pettine and his future, Michael?
Michael: You are seeing that Mike Pettine is frustrated and unhappy with how the season is going. Remember when I said Ray Farmer doesn’t win the press conferences? Well, Coach Pettine has no such issues. Here are a few snippets from his opening statement Friday after the loss to the Bengals: “Just as disappointed today as we were yesterday,” “We couldn’t get anything going and that is frustrating,” and “The brutal facts are that we are a 2-7 football team and that is not acceptable from our standpoint. We know we can be better. I am very confident in the staff. I am very confident in the team that we can show improvement in our performances moving forward.”
[Also See: Should the Cleveland Browns fire Ray Farmer?]
Extremely blunt and honest, but giving a bit of encouragement at the end as if the light at the end of the tunnel is not an oncoming train this time. (Hey, he’s only been in Cleveland for a couple years now.)
But I am biased. I love Mike Pettine. He looks like a football coach (not that it matters, but still), he acts like a football coach, and he talks like a football coach. And, his backstory does matter. He was born and raised on football, he took a chance on himself to coach in the NFL, and he succeeded at all stops before Cleveland. He has a definitive plan of action. It worked through 11 games in 2014, then fell apart. The new plan for 2015 has not worked at all. But when you listen to him, you can figure out what he is attempting to put in place. As of right now, I would definitely give him a third year.
Craig: It’s funny because my first instinct is not to fire him either. I’m also not necessarily interested in setting up ultimatums, but I would really like to have a conversation with him about his defense of coordinator Jim O’Neil. It’s obvious that the Browns can’t just stand pat year-over-year, but I’m not so sure that that means Mike Pettine has to lose his job.
Even with all that said and given my preference to keep things consistent, I’m concerned that Mike Pettine is another case like Pat Shurmur where the coach isn’t good at what he supposed to be good at. How concerned are you that our defensive-minded head coach can’t seem to put a dominant defense together even with all of the resources being dedicated towards that side of the ball?
Michael: Yeah, Pettine definitely owes Haslam an explanation on O’Neil. Last year’s defense was truly good against the pass and just as bad against the run. At least we could rationalize such a scheme in a pass-first league. But Pettine is now supposedly helping more on offense and less on defense, and that side of the ball is terrible against the run and pass. Like, near league-worst in many categories terrible. So, yeah, Pettine needs to answer the question of “What exactly is it that O’Neil does here?” rather persuasively to get more leash there. I think some hunting on whichever good defensive coordinators come loose behind the scenes should be done.
From a head coach, I’m more concerned if he can hire the correct people underneath him as coaches, use players to their strengths, not force-fit players into an end-all be-all system (using your Shurmur example), and help the coaches adjust their schemes as needed through the season. I really have no idea how good Pettine is at any of it. The fact that his area of focus (defense in 2014, offense in 2015) has been the relative strength (I said relative) of the team does lead me to think he’s helping to some degree. Really though, I’m watching and listening closely the rest of the year to see how he uses Manziel (with his recent words on making him a pocket quarterback), wide receivers (little ones in key blocking positions are scheme issues), and the defense (really need to start breaking down how we can possibly be as bad in all aspects as we are).
O’Neil takes the brunt of the criticism — for good reason — but I wouldn’t be opposed to sprinkling in some new coaches if we could find some good ones (it still makes me livid the Steelers hired Mike Munchak as their offensive line coach). Defensive backs and the offensive line are not quite as good this year as last to me. What about you? Are there specific position groups where you think better coaching is needed?
Craig: It’s harder for me to pick up which position groups need better coaching and which have untapped potential. When I look at the linebackers, despite how much I respect Karlos Dansby, that’s an aging veteran, and I consider that a personnel issue. When I look at Barkevious Mingo not developing, or maybe Paul Kruger not succeeding, I think that’s more than likely a coaching issue. Then again, it could be more personnel too. It’s just so hard as an outsider without an expert background like GMs and coaches are supposed to have. That’s why I like these kinds of conversations through email, because I don’t have to pretend like I know a bunch of things that I actually don’t.
Like you, I’ll be watching intently to see what Pettine does now that he knows just how bad a hand 2015 has turned out to be. He can use it to try and set himself up for the future or he can dig his own grave with that chin-first attitude — that he insists on dying by the sword rather than finding a way to live to fight another day. A lot of that will be his choice at quarterback. I really hope that he makes a decent enough case to keep his job though. I think it would be better for the Browns and everyone if Pettine is allowed to come back for a third year and look to clean up the things that he’s seen and helped created in his first two seasons as a head coach.
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Now’s your turn, fine WFNY readers. Should the Browns keep Mike Pettine or fire him? What is your confidence level in your conclusion? How much more and what do you need to see to make your decision?
51 Comments
This guy us truly over his head. I would put the feelers out to UD grad john gruden