View the Slideshow >>
(Gallery by cleveland.com)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The brief Pat Shurmur tenure is officially over. The Browns this morning announced that Shurmur has been fired after two years as head coach and also that General Manager Tom Heckert is out after three years.
Shurmur, hired by Heckert and former team president Mike Holmgren, leaves with a 9-23 record as an NFL coach.
“We felt that these moves were in the best interests of the Cleveland Browns and our future,” Browns Owner Jimmy Haslam said in a team release. “I enjoyed getting to know Tom and Pat over the past several months, and want to thank them, not just for their contributions to the Browns, but also the insight they were able to provide. They are both fine men and hope they have the best of success as they move forward with their careers.”
“This decision was not an easy one because of my relationship with Tom and Pat and the fact that they are both quality people,” said Browns CEO Joe Banner. “Ultimately our objective is to put together an organization that will be the best at everything we do. On the field, our only goal is trying to win championships. I have a great deal of respect for Tom and Pat, and I want to wish them and their families nothing but the best.”
Both Shurmur and Heckert are expected to have other opportunities before too long. Shurmur might be a candidate for the Minnesota Vikings' offensive coordinator job, according to CBS Sports' Jason LaCanfora. Heckert is expected to draw interest from several teams with general manager vacancies.
One or both might also have a chance to be reunited with Andy Reid, who was fired this morning by the Eagles. Reid reportedly has already been calling around to assemble his staff and has his sights set on the San Diego job, according to profootballtalk.com.
“I am extremely proud of the players on this team, who I felt made tremendous strides and helped to make the Cleveland Browns relevant again,” Shurmur said in the release. “I want to thank them, as well as my entire coaching staff for making the past two years enjoyable. My coaches are outstanding teachers and even better men. They helped me lead these players through a unique time of transition. This group of players will achieve success soon, and there will be a part of me that will feel very good when that happens.
"I want to thank Randy Lerner, Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert for bringing me in and having the faith in me to lead this football team. I am disappointed that we did not win more games, but I do know the Browns are on their way to becoming a consistent winner. I appreciated the time spent with Jimmy [Haslam] and Joe [Banner], and wish them all the best as they provide a new vision for the Cleveland Browns.”
Both Shurmur and Heckert had known for a while that the ax was likely to fall right after the season.
"Listen, I get this,'' Shurmur said on Thursday. "We have not won enough football games and I know that’s the way this things works, but in our situation I see improvement and I’ll leave it at that.''
Shurmur stressed that he and his staff had to play with a young roster -- 26 players with less than two years' experience -- and that the team was built for the long haul, not necessarily to contend this year.
"We came into a less-than-ideal situation when we got here,'' said Shurmur. "I’m proud of the work that the guys that I hired did in terms of inspiring the players to improve. It’s a little different thought process when you’re working with so many young ones. There are certain things you’ve got to keep hammering home that when you’ve got a veteran crew, you know you talk about other things.''
Heckert said the hardest part for him is all the players he brought here for what was supposed to be the long-term.
"If things don’t work out, it changes people’s lives,'' Heckert said in a quasi-farewell news conference Dec. 14. "And I’ve been on the other end. You don’t blame anybody. It’s hard. I’ve got a scouting staff that’s really young, and we’ve got people that are having babies. It’s tough on those guys. But we signed up for it.”
The Browns will quickly begin interviewing candidates for both vacancies. One of the names they'll pursue, according to sources, is Oregon head coach Chip Kelly, who is reportedly being sought by a number of NFL clubs, including the Eagles and Panthers. Kelly, the offensive genius behind the high-octane Ducks, is 45-7 in four years at Oregon.
Also on the Browns' short list, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, is Penn State's Bill O'Brien, who may be heavily pursued by the Eagles. Banner could be competing with his former team for two of the biggest names in this year's coaching derby.
Other names expected to be on the Browns' radar are the following NFL offensive coordinators: Josh McDaniels (Patriots), Greg Roman (49ers), Bruce Arians (Colts), Mike McCoy (Broncos), Dirk Koetter (Falcons), Jay Gruden (Bengals) and Kyle Shanahan (Redskins).
On the defensive side, former Browns assistant and Cleveland native Mel Tucker of the Jaguars is expected to draw interest, along with Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and Cardinals coordinator Ray Horton.
Then there are always the big-name candidates, such as former Bucs and Raiders coach Jon Gruden and former Steelers coach Bill Cowher, both of whom have ties to Haslam. Alabama coach Nick Saban has been linked to the Browns, but sources have told The Plain Dealer that he's staying put.
From a GM standpoint, multiple reports have linked Banner to former Browns personnel executive and current NFL Network analyst Mike Lombardi, who worked here with Bill Belichick. Others have said Lombardi might have an opportunity with another team.
Other GM candidates could include the Falcons' David Caldwell, the Bills' Doug Whaley, the Chiefs' Ray Farmer, the Cardinals' Steve Keim and Jason Licht, and the Seahawks' John Idzik.
Heckert acknowledged it will be tough not to finish what he started.
"Yeah, you know it’s going to be disappointing,'' he said. "But I do get it. I can’t just sit around and pout about it, I’ve got to go try to do it somewhere else.''
Heckert infused the roster with young talent, including defensive starters Joe Haden, T.J. Ward, Phil Taylor and Jabaal Sheard. He also drafted or signed young backups Billy Winn, Craig Robertson, Buster Skrine and Tashaun Gipson. On offense, he brought in five contributors this season in Trent Richardson, Brandon Weeden, Josh Gordon, Travis Benjamin and Mitchell Schwartz.
"We were told, when I first came here, that you’ve got five years to fix this thing,'' said Heckert. "Things change. You’ve just got to roll with it. It’s something you’ll think about, but there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Heckert also complimented Shurmur for getting all the young players ready to compete this season.
"He should get the credit because he's done a heck of a job,'' said Heckert. "Times were tough. There's some mistakes made during the games and it's tough on those coaches. I think he's done a phenomenal job with that. The offense this year, that's a lot of young guys to throw in there. I think the staff's done a great job.''
Shurmur, who got the job after spending two seasons as the Rams' offensive coordinator, admitted earlier this month that one of his mistakes was not hiring an offensive coordinator in his first season, especially after the 2011 lockout. Shurmur was also criticized for game-day decisions, such as handing off to Alex Smith last season in a loss to the Rams and not going for it this year on fourth-and-1 in Indianapolis.
"Pat was dealt a tough hand,'' said one insider. "He had the lockout his first year, and then the team was sold in his second season. Not many coaches have to deal with huge obstacles like that.''
It's not yet known which, if any, members of the coaching or personnel staffs will survive the purge.