Browns Owner Jimmy Haslam III yesterday "emphatically stated ... he's sticking with first-year coach Mike Pettine and first-year general manager Ray Farmer" after the team finished the season 7-9, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER. Haslam said, "I think they've done a good job." Cabot notes Haslam spent "almost an hour talking to Farmer" prior to yesterday's game against the Ravens "on the team bench" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 12/29). FOXSPORTSOHIO.com's Zac Jackson noted yesterday's press conference was the "first time Haslam has met the media since July" (FOXSPORTSOHIO.com, 12/28). In Akron, Maria Ridenour writes "sanity prevailed in the Browns' boardroom," as Haslam "will avoid knee-jerk reactions." Ridenour: "But there is so much more to fix. There is so much more to learn from the Browns' seventh consecutive losing season. Farmer's questionable player evaluation should be at the top of the list" (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 12/29). In Cleveland, Terry Pluto notes most teams "don't have to ... tell the fans that a management team that has been in place for only a year is coming back." Pluto: "But the Browns are not most teams. They are a team that fired a coach, general manager and CEO after the 2012 season. And did it again after 2013. ... Sometimes, for things to change -- some things have to remain the same" (CLEVELAND.com, 12/29).
QUESTIONS REMAIN: Browns WR Josh Gordon was suspended for yesterday's season finale after missing practice Saturday and QB Johnny Manziel was fined for arriving late for injury treatment Saturday (Mult., 12/28). The MMQB's Peter King writes Haslam "must be wondering about the Browns' pre-draft investigating, both before and after he bought the team." Three of the 10 "most significant players for the franchise" -- Gordon, Manziel and CB Justin Gilbert -- ended a "hopeful season for the team having their work ethic and character questioned" (MMQB.SI.com, 12/29). NBC’s Tony Dungy said, “I would start with Manziel. I’d bring Josh Gordon in. I would bring all of those guys in one by one as the head coach and say, ‘Look. If we want to win a championship, here are the things you need to do as players. Here are the things you can’t do. This is the way it’s going to be run from here on out. If you don’t follow this blueprint, we’re going to get other players.’ You’ve got to let these guys know because they’ve got some talented guys there but you don’t win with talent. You win with a team that’s committed to each other” (“The Dan Patrick Show,” 12/29).
