Mike Pettine holds a press conference after being named the Cleveland Browns newest head coach
The Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Mike Pettine is now the newest Cleveland Browns head coach. Mike Pettine was officially hired either late morning or early afternoon on Thursday January 23, 2014.
Pettine while being the coach the Cleveland Browns finally settled wasn't their first choice. After the Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase turned down the Browns on Tuesday, the front office had to look at other options. Later Tuesday night they met with Pettine again at the Senior Bowl. It was reported that the interview went on for nearly four hours but no offer was made. Then on Wednesday it was reported that Pettine was flying to Cleveland to meet with the Browns front office for a third time. Then at 3:40 PM on January 23 it was confirmed that Mike Pettine was the new browns head coach.
Pettine has a very good career already as an defensive coordinator. In Pettine's first year with the Buffalo Bills, he lead the Bills defense to be the 10th ranked defense in the NFL. Previous to Pettine's year with the Bills he also was the defensive coordinator of the New York Jets from 2009-2012 under head coach Rex Ryan. During those years, Mike Pettine's defense ranked 1st, 3rd, 5th and 8th. While Mike Pettine has had great success coaching defenses, he now has the challenge of coaching a Browns offense which ranked 17th in the NFL.
Pettine needs to help himself by hiring a good offensive coordinator and with Pettine being the last head coach hired in the NFL the pickings are very slim. The Browns have expressed extreme interest in the Houston Texans former head coach Gary Kubiak. Kubiak is known for his success creating great offensive schemes. Kubiak has not expressed his feelings toward being the Browns new offensive coordinator but would be a great hire for the Browns, who are looking to go all in on offensive players in this years draft.
Gary Kubiak is at the top of the Cleveland Browns very short list for the new offensive coordinator
While not as big of a deal as hiring a new offensive coordinator, the Browns still need to hire a new defensive coordinator. Mike Pettine and the Browns have requested an interview with Bills Linebacker coach Jim O'Neil to discuss him being the new defensive coordinator. Mike Pettine likely has requested an interview with O'Neil is because O'Neil is use to Pettine's 4-3 attack style defense.
While Mike Pettine was not the Cleveland Browns first choice, he can be a good hire to help coach a young talented defense that ranked 9th overall in the NFL. While he can greatly help the defense, only time will tell how he does with the team overall.
