Pettine: 'Coach of the Year candidate to being Village Idiot Hall of Fame candidate'
BEREA, Ohio-- For a season that started with so much promise for the Browns, it went off the tracks quickly, as it has done in so many years in the recent past.
Most fans would have looked at 7-9 or 8-8 as a big improvement from the 4-12 fiasco of 2013 that led to the firing of Rob Chudzinski after just one season. After starting 6-3 and then 7-4, the Browns head into their season finale with the Baltimore Ravens Sunday trying to snap a four-game losing streak and finish at 8-8.
After the Browns rolled over the Cincinnati Bengals 24-3 on national television on Nov. 6 Mike Pettine was starting to get talk as NFL Coach of the Year candidate in his first year as a NFL head coach.
"I said it then, you're just a couple Sundays away from being a Coach of the Year candidate to being Village Idiot Hall of Fame candidate," Pettine said. "To me, it's been a roller-coaster ride, as expected. It's been tough because, as I said the other day, you're gauged ultimately on how do you finish? What's the end result? We've got a chance to get to 8-8. That's the best we can do.
"For us, that's disappointing because we know we left some wins out there," he said. "It's part of the learning process. We feel we're building this foundation the right way, and I referenced it before that we live in a society of it's, especially in sports, instant gratification. Everybody wants to win. Everybody wants to win right now. Nobody wants to hear anybody say, 'Well, it's going to take time. It's a rebuilding process.' Nobody wants to hear that. We don't want to hear it. We want to win, but at the same time, understand that we want long-term, sustained success. We need to make sure that we build it the right way and slowly and make sure that foundation is solid."
To finish .500 would be the best record the Browns have had since 2007 when they were 10-6 and the third-best record the team has had since the return in 1999. Even a 7-9 finish would seem to be an improvement, but Pettine doesn't agree as the Browns haven't won more than five games since '07.
"Yeah, I don't see it that way though," Pettine said. "Maybe it can be looked at that way on the outside. Just knowing the opportunities that we had and, to me, just how we finished . . . our November and December, even if we do win, it's still a disappointment anytime you have a month or stretch where you're losing consecutive games. What is it? Five of our last six, four in a row -- that's frustrating. We're going to do everything we can for it to end on a positive note, on an upswing, but it's frustrating to know that 8-8 is the best we can do when six weeks ago we were in a much better position."
The Browns as a franchise have not been able to play well at all to finish seasons -- to put it mildly. They are 3-20 in the months of December (3-18) and January (0-2) since 2010 and to close out the regular season. Currently, they've lost their last 11 games in December.
Pettine said there's a reason teams, in general, have struggled in late season.
"It's a lot of factors," Pettine said. "Number one is you've got to stay healthy. Injuries can just decimate a roster. In 2006, I was in Baltimore, and I think we were either 13-2 or 12-3. I think we had one starter miss four games to injury. It was some ridiculous number. Our starting lineup in Week 17 was the same as opening day.
"When you look around the league, unless you've just built incredible, incredible depth over time, that's rare that that happens," Pettine said. "I think it takes some luck. All of your support areas have to be on point whether it's your strength and conditioning, your training room to keep your team as healthy as you can, but when your guys are breaking legs, it is unfortunate.
"When you have a rash of injuries like that, it is hard to finish strong, but I think it's something that . . . mature teams. guys that can . . . they know how to take care of themselves, take care of their bodies, be professionals off the field because over long term when you get into late November, December, teams that are fresh and focused, those are the ones that can be successful," he said. "It's a lot of things with a little bit of luck mixed in -- finishing real well."
Pettine said that he and owner Jimmy Haslam are on the same page and feels good about the Browns moving forward, despite the late-season swoon in 2014.
"There's no doubt in my mind," he said. "I get together with Jimmy for a minimum of an hour every week. We're very much on the same page as far as our vision for the team today, our vision for the team this weekend, our vision for the team moving forward."
EXTRA POINTS
Hoyer Doubtful: QB Brian Hoyer (shoulder/bicep), DL Ahtyba Rubin (ankle), C Ryan Seymour (hamstring) did not practice on Friday. The Browns listed Hoyer as doubtful for the game and Rubin and Seymour were ruled out.
WR Andrew Hawkins (thumb) returned to practice. TE Gary Barnidge (rib), CB Joe Haden (shoulder), DL Desmond Bryant (thumb), WR Marlon Moore (knee), LB Jabaal Sheard (foot) and DB K'Waun Williams (hamstring) are officially listed as questionable.
