Black Monday: Browns, As Expected, Clean House By Firing Pat Shurmur, Tom Heckert

The Browns fired coach Pat Shurmur and GM Tom Heckert Monday "following the completion of a 5-11 season," according to Jay Glazer of FOXSPORTS.com. The future of Shurmur and Heckert "came into question as soon as Jimmy Haslam purchased the Browns from Randy Lerner during the preseason." While Browns CEO Joe Banner worked with Shurmur and Heckert while with the Eagles, those ties "didn't help Shurmur or Heckert keep their jobs as Banner seeks to place his own fingerprints on the Browns." NFL Network's Mike Lombardi, who worked with the Browns from '87-95, "will likely draw strong consideration" for the GM position (FOXSPORTS.com, 12/31). In Cleveland, Mary Kay Cabot reports following yesterday’s loss to the Steelers, Shurmur “stepped up to the podium and admitted he's gotten the silent treatment” from Haslam and Banner for the past few weeks, which “should've told him all he needed to know” (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 12/31). Also in Cleveland, Terry Pluto noted the move marks the “sixth regime change” since the Browns returned to Cleveland in ’99. While there was “little fan support for keeping Shurmur, Heckert’s drafts have brought a sense of hope to at least some customers” (CLEVELAND.com, 12/30).

FRONT OFFICE MAKEOVER: In Akron, Ridenour & Ulrich report the Browns hired Padres Senior VP/Business Operations Brent Stehlik as Exec VP & Chief Revenue Officer. Stehlik, a Cleveland native, "oversaw all aspects of revenue generation and marketing" for the Padres. He and new Browns President Alec Scheiner worked together with the Cowboys -- Stehlik was Dir of Business Development before joining the Padres in '10, while Scheiner was Senior VP & General Counsel before joining the Browns earlier this month (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 12/31).