CLEVELAND – The Browns have fired coach Mike Pettine and general manager Ray Farmer following a 3-13 season.
Pettine went 10-22 in two years, dropping 18 of his final 21 games after a promising 7-4 start in 2014. The Browns the firings shortly after a 28-12 home loss to the rival Pittsburgh Steelers, who wiggled into the AFC playoffs.
Pettine’s job security had been in doubt for months, and not even owner Jimmy Haslam’s vow at the start of training camp not to “blow things up” could stop another regime change in Cleveland.
Pettine was the team’s seventh full-time coach since 1999.
A former defensive coordinator, Pettine’s ouster can be partly linked to the performance of his defense, which ranked at or near the bottom in the league in nearly every statistical category.
Farmer’s drafts doomed him. He selected quarterback Johnny Manziel and cornerback Justin Gilbert in the first round last year, but both have been major disappointments. Manziel has shown some progress in his two seasons, but continues to be a distraction. Gilbert spent most of the season inactive on game days.
Promoted by Haslam in 2014, Farmer was suspended by the NFL for the first four games this season for texting to the sideline during 2014 games.