Pettine says Farmer not being present during interviews was "overblown"
When the recent Browns front office shakeup initially took place, many wondered what it meant for newly hired coach Mike Pettine.
Ray Farmer, who took over as Browns GM on Monday, wasn't involved in the decision to hire Pettine and the two have never worked together.
The Browns, however, made it a point to address the matter in the statement announcing the dismissal of CEO Joe Banner and GM Mike Lombardi, which said "[Farmer] embraces his partnership with Mike Pettine, which is critical in helping build the right team."
Despite having no indication that changes were coming, Pettine said he's on board with the decisions made by owner Jimmy Haslam and that it won't affect him or the task at hand.
"I can already tell we're going to have a tremendous relationship," Pettine said during a community event at the Browns' facility. "From the moment that I met him, I think it was very natural, our conversations, our philosophy about football, the draft, free agency, how to build a team. He and I are going to be in lockstep from here on out.
"The fact that he wasn't in on the interview process I think was a little bit overblown. I know he was involved from afar. But from the moment I met him, we've clicked and I'm looking forward to a long and successful relationship with Ray."
Pettine also admitted the departure of Banner and Lombardi was bittersweet, but said he believes in Haslam's commitment to turning the franchise around.
"He realized there were some issues and wanted to make things right," Pettine said of Haslam. "As controversial and shocking as it was, I think he's a believer and he wasn't going to let things stay the way they were."
With so many reports of a severely fractured relationship between Banner and Lombardi in the months leading up to their dismissal, it's important for Haslam, Farmer and Pettine to assure that they're all on the same page moving forward. If not, the future of the Browns will... remain the same.
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