The ripple effect from General Manager Ray Farmer’s text-messaging scandal put the Browns behind the eight ball before this dreadful season began, and they’ve never been able to recover.
Now they’re 3-11, tied with the Tennessee Titans for the worst record in the NFL with two games remaining, and no one should be the least bit surprised if owner Jimmy Haslam chooses to fire Farmer and coach Mike Pettine after the season finale on Jan. 3.
But there’s a case for why Pettine shouldn’t take the fall, and it stems from Farmer clashing with the coaching staff last season.
The friction between Farmer and the coaches, fueled by disagreements over personnel and the GM badgering members of the staff with impermissible in-game texts about how they should have been doing their jobs, led to offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan resigning on Jan. 8 with two years left on a three-year contract.
Forced to scramble for a new offensive coordinator, Pettine hired John DeFilippo on Jan. 21. Because DeFilippo would be a first-time NFL coordinator who had never called plays at the game’s highest level, Pettine decided to shift his focus from defense to offense.
Pettine is a defensive expert who spent five seasons as a coordinator on that side of the ball before the Browns hired him last year. When he decided to help DeFilippo by moving to offense, it left second-year defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil with more responsibility than he’s ever had. The maneuvering backfired.
The defense, the highest-paid unit in the league, has been a huge disappointment since Pettine decreased his involvement with it. It ranked 23rd in fewest yards allowed (366.1 per game) and ninth in fewest points allowed (21.1) last season. Now it’s 26th in fewest yards allowed (387.9) and 31st in fewest points allowed (27.6).
As for the offense, DeFilippo has gotten better production from the quarterback position than Shanahan did, and the improvement shouldn’t be discounted. But on the other hand, the running game disappeared for the vast majority of the season.
A few days after the Browns racked up 230 rushing yards Dec. 13 in a rare win over the San Francisco 49ers, All-Pro left tackle Joe Thomas admitted, “this being Flip’s first year, it’s probably taken us longer to figure out who we want to be running the ball than it should have.”
Offensive line coach Andy Moeller being suspended shortly before the season opener amid assault allegations from his fiancee and later leaving the organization further damaged DeFilippo’s chances of getting the running game on track. The Browns had the 17th-ranked rushing offense (108 yards per game) last season. Now they’re tied for 29th in rushing (86.5 yards).
Pettine had planned for the defense and running game to be the cornerstones of the team, but underachieving in those areas has left the Browns without an identity. Injuries have played a part in the failure to meet expectations, but the deeper issue is the coaching staff being discombobulated in the aftermath of Farmer’s texts playing a part in Shanahan’s departure.
Blame Pettine if you want. Although he began his tenure with the Browns 7-4, it’s hard to defend a coach who has lost 16 of his past 19 games, experienced problems with clock management and refrained from taking control of the defense earlier this year when something had to give.
But it’s also difficult to ignore the circumstances triggered by Farmer’s texts.
The masses are justified in ripping Farmer for his track record through two drafts, but those disappointing picks and some whiffs in free agency might not be his greatest sin. The league suspended Farmer for four games and fined the organization $250,000 because of his texting, though the Browns are still paying the price in other ways.
If Haslam blows it all up despite vowing on Aug. 1 not to hit the reset button, the vast majority of fans won’t complain after enduring a brutal season like this one. Perhaps he’ll hire a CEO to run the Browns and no one will survive because the new bigwig would want his handpicked people to coach the team and guide the personnel department.
But if Haslam is determined to keep either Farmer or Pettine and get rid of the other, the billionaire from Tennessee must consider the repercussions of Farmer’s texts.
Of course, Pettine shouldn’t be spared under any scenario unless he agrees to make some significant adjustments to his staff.
At minimum, he would need to hire an experienced offensive line coach who could serve as a running game coordinator and a respected senior offensive assistant capable of taking DeFilippo under his wing. Former head coaches or offensive coordinators would be preferable for those positions. Bolstering the staff around DeFilippo would allow Pettine to become much more hands-on with the defense like he was last season.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.