Browns fire five more assistant coaches

By MARY KAY CABOT

Cleveland.com

CLEVELAND

New Browns defensive coordinator Gregg Williams suddenly has four vacancies on his staff that he can fill.

The Browns announced Tuesday that they’ve fired five assistant coaches, including four on defense. The shakeup on defense was expected after the Browns fired Ray Horton on Sunday and replaced him with the former Rams’ defensive coordinator.

Associate head coach/offense Pep Hamilton left Monday to take over as assistant head coach/passing game coordinator at Michigan.

On Tuesday, the Browns let go Louie Cioffi (defensive backs), Johnny Holland (inside linebackers), Hal Hunter (offensive line), Cannon Matthews (assistant defensive backs) and Ryan Slowik (outside linebackers).

More firings are unlikely, meaning running back coordinator Kirby Wilson, special teams coordinator Chris Tabor and senior offensive assistant Al Saunders are expected to stay. Defensive line coach Robert Nunn was also spared.

Jackson acknowledged Sunday that Williams would be given the leeway to add some defensive assistants, and some will be hired soon.

“I don’t think you can expect a whole new defensive staff, but I’m going to allow him to bring some guys who I think are going to help sell the message of what we are trying to create on defense,” Jackson said. “He’s going to interview guys, and we’re going to kind of go from there. Will there be changes? Yeah, there will probably be some changes. That’s all part of it, too.”

Cioffi, who was brought here from Tennessee by Horton and also coached for him here in 2013, was part of a defense that surrendered a league-high 36 touchdown passes.

Hunter coached an offensive line that lost key starters for much of the season in left guard Joel Bitonio (Lisfranc surgery), right guard John Greco (Lisfranc surgery), and center Austin Reiter (torn ACL).

Jackson stressed Sunday that he was taking a hard look at wholesale changes in an effort to turn around the 1-15 season.

“I’m still looking at everything to be very honest with you,” he said. “I’m not done [evaluating]. This is a thorough evaluation of our staff. I’m going to do this brick by brick. Everybody kind of knows where they are and where I am. There could potentially be more changes. There could be more changes because guys have better opportunities. There could be more changes because I think something is going to improve us and make us better.”

Jackson acknowledged that he’s agonized over these decisions and that he’s also pointed the finger back at himself for the dismal campaign.

“When I set out to take this job, I told you my expectation was I was going to win here, and I am going to win here,” he said. “In order to do that, we have to and I have to make some tough decisions as we move forward as to what is best for our football team. It’s not personal. This is the business side of it. I’ve been through it before as an assistant coach and as a head coach so I know what that is like.

“It’s about winning. You have to have vision, you have to have support when you get ready to make decisions and then you have to execute the decisions you have decided to make. These decisions need to come out right. Those are the decisions and the chances you have to take in this profession.”

He also thought long and hard about the Browns appearing unstable once again.

“Wow, it was huge,” he said. “I know what it looks like and I know what it feels like for everybody here - ‘Here are the Browns again changing out’ - but it is not about that,” he said. “It’s about trying to be the best we can be everywhere.

“I think everybody would be disappointed in me if I did not as the leader make tough decisions. You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. I don’t worry about that.”