Browns Land Without Making a Chud

Rob Chudzinski is out of Cleveland, and the football world is still wondering why. Including me. This was a horrible decision in my mind. Coach Chud made some really sound decisions, had a really good supportive staff with him, and had a lot of fan support. Oh, and he grew up in Ohio as a true Browns fan. This was his dream job.

I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to leave my dream job.

He wasn't listed among the greats yet, but few up-and-comers are. He hadn't really gotten his chance to shine. He made a great move by playing Hoyer ahead of Campbell, and once Hoyer got injured, made a great move by playing Campbell ahead of Weeden. He was one of the guys to solidify the defense in the draft last year when it turns out we had 4 pro-bowl players on offense. He was the first coach that was part of the new regime; a new start, a fresh face.

None of this really mattered, though, to Jimmy Haslam and the front office. I feel good about not understanding this move because nobody else seems to, either. I am worried that players won't respond well to the short-lived stint, especially because so many guys bought in to everything this year when they hadn't in previous years. Even Joe Thomas publicly rebuked the move, as well he should have.

I also really liked Norv Turner and Ray Horton. Turner gets a pass due to all the QB turnover. He did well with Hoyer and Campbell, I hope the Browns keep those two and sign a young, franchise QB with their 4th pick. Horton took some heat this year because of the Browns inability to stop late drives. Some of those are on the officials; some of those are on Horton, but a lot of it was probably due to the Browns being in a downward spiral once Hoyer went down. Players don't want to play to their ability if they have nothing to play for. This is the same defense that held AP to under 100 yards on 25 carries. How many times does that happen? Every game this year that AP had 25 or more carries (5 games), he got at least 100 yards. The Browns defense is stout, and will get better next year with free agency and the draft. That is unless the Browns organization keeps doing things that don't make sense.

Okay, so I really don't agree with the move of firing Chud, but I have agreed with so many of the things that Haslam has done that I still think he will be a great owner for the Browns. First and foremost, he does care about winning. The firing of Chud I suspect was more CEO Joe Banner or GM Mike Lombardi than Haslam. In the press conference this week, it was brought out that the last week of the season was really when they started to consider letting Chud go.

Here are some of the choices the Browns hope to land:

• Gus Malzahn from Auburn
• Josh McDaniels, OC at New England (interviews this Saturday)
• Todd Bowles, DC at Arizona
• Dan Quinn, DC at Seattle
• Adam Gase, OC at Denver

Aside from possibly Josh McDaniels, I don't think any of these are an upgrade. I like Gus, my best friend is an Auburn fan so I follow them a little bit. But I don't know if he's ready to make the jump to NFL coach. Todd Bowles coached the DB's in the early 2000's for the Browns. He's a good choice, but is unproven as a head coach just like Chud was last year. Quinn is considered one of the best DC's in the league and has the stats to make his case. Adam Gase was the first one linked to the Browns, although I think he's enjoying being the OC to Peyton Manning. How much do you really need to do besides say, "yes Peyton, that's a great idea...let's do that."

Horton and Turner have also been given the opportunity to interview. I love Turner as an OC, not a head coach. I'm intrigued by Horton and would consider him one of my top 3 choices. McDaniels is interesting, too. He's an Ohio guy, went to John Carroll. He didn't get a chance to work with Hoyer but probably was involved with drafting him. That means for me, he's 1 for 2 on drafting QB's (Tebow). He's familiar with the NE system, though, and that would be good for Hoyer if the Browns start him next year which they should.

Along with Horton and McDaniels, I'd throw Jay Gruden (Bengals OC) in the mix of my top three choices now that Lovie Smith is off the market. Jay has done a lot to improve that offense while still limited to Andy Dalton. He can grab a good, young QB (with some inside help from his brother, John, who everyone wants to coach their team) in the draft and develop him. I don't care if Hoyer is the franchise QB going forward or we draft one, but let's actually get one this year!

So even though I disagree with the firing of Chud, it's time to move on. I still support Haslam and the ownership, but this is a huge black mark on their resume. The team is still a ton better off right now than this time last year. Let's keep that perspective and see how the Browns use their plethora of draft picks and who they get in free agency. Browns fans and local media members love to throw around the 'same old Browns' mantra, but if we are being honest with ourselves, these aren't the same old Browns. Two linemen, Thomas and Mack, are pro-bowl level with an all-division RT in Schwartz. Jordan Cameron and Josh Gordon, two guys I relied on heavily in my fantasy leagues, are a dynamic duo. Both pro-bowlers, Gordon is very similar to Calvin Johnson and maybe a little faster while Cameron emulates the new, modern definition of a TE that Jimmy Graham, Rob Gronkowski, and Vernon Davis all fit. That's a great group to be in.

On the defensive side, Joe Haden is possibly the best CB in football: pro-bowler. All-division DT Phil Taylor anchors a line that is really good and getting better with young talent around it. Jackson is a stud at LB.

So do the Browns have some holes? Of course, every 4-win team has holes. But now we actually have really good pieces. Kansas City had a ton of pro-bowlers last year when they finished with the worst record in football. The Browns do, too. My worry would be the Browns won 4 games WITH their franchise QB. Once Hoyer is healthy and/or we get a young, franchise QB in there, we will be a playoff-contending team.

Despite recent events, these aren't the same old Browns. On our way to becoming a playoff team, there will be some slip-ups. Firing Chud was definitely one of them.