Browns head coach Mike Pettine hinted at some discord between the front office and coaching staff a week ago, but just how bad has it gotten?
Per NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport, the coaching staff does not think the scouting department provided them with nearly enough ammo to run the game plan. The scouting department, on the other hand, does not think the coaching staff is making enough in-game changes to utilize the players properly.
The result?
Per Rapoport, it is "unfathomable" to think both Pettine and general manager Ray Farmer will be back together next year.
If there is this much pent up anger between both sides, it would be almost impossible to reach a consensus and with a draft right around the corner, the time should be now to make a move. This team almost had another two first-round picks, but could still very well end up with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft. These are crucial, irreversible decisions that will impact the franchise for decades.
Nobody is without fault here. On the field, Pettine's teams have lost 15 of their last 17 games. His on-field decisions have been puzzling at times and the hard-nosed, defensive mentality he promised the fans of Cleveland has yet to arrive. A rotating cast of promising power backs have come and gone, many of whom are backing up on other teams at the moment. Farmer signed the draft card on Justin Gilbert. At the the moment, he appears to have blown two consecutive drafts with two first-round picks, an unbelievable opportunity for a general manager to turn around the fate of the franchise. Instead of having Khalil Mack or Derek Carr or Sammy Watkins or Odell Beckham or, really, anyone from the first round of that loaded draft, the Browns have very little.
If the coach and general manager can't agree philosophically on the team's direction, someone -- or both -- have got to go.
