Browns coach to be fired, reports say

Associated Press

CLEVELAND — As the losses mounted — nine of the last 10 games — the writing on the wall got easier to read.

Browns coach Mike Pettine was headed toward the same fate as Rob Chudzinski, Pat Shurmur and Eric Mangini before him.

Apparently, that fate has been sealed.

Owner Jimmy Haslam has decided to fire Pettine, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported this morning on the league’s in-house TV network. The official move should come tonight or tomorrow morning.

Rapoport reported general manager Ray Farmer is likely to be fired, as well.

Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase is considered a top candidate. Haslam knows him through fellow University of Tennessee alum Peyton Manning, and Gase was a candidate during Cleveland’s last search before taking himself out of the running. He was coordinator for the Broncos and wanted to concentrate on their Super Bowl run.

The Dolphins and Eagles are also reportedly interested in Gase, and they’ve already fired their coaches. The Bears won’t make the playoffs, so interviews with Gase could happen quickly.

Farmer and Pettine were hired early in 2014 and were first-timers in their respective roles. They couldn’t overcome the obvious growing pains, and the Browns (3-12) are 10-21 in their two years heading into today’s finale against the Steelers at FirstEnergy Stadium.

After a 7-4 start to last season, the Browns dropped five straight to drop out of playoff contention. The losing continued this season.

Pettine will be the fifth Browns coach fired since the end of the 2008 season, and Farmer the fifth general manager.

GM Phil Savage and coach Romeo Crennel were fired after 2008, GM George Kokinis during the 2009 season and Mangini after 2010. GM Tom Heckert and Shurmur were gone after 2012, and CEO Joe Banner, GM Michael Lombardi and Chudzinski a year later.

Haslam bought the team for $1 billion from Randy Lerner in 2012. Haslam has already changed regimes twice and is ready for a third overhaul.

Farmer’s tenure was doomed by missteps in talent acquisition, particularly four questionable first-round draft