Amid whispers of a rift between his head coach and general manager, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam told reporters Saturday that he has no plans to reboot the machine anytime soon in Cleveland.
"We're not going to blow things up," Haslam said, per Pat McManamon of ESPN.com.
With coach Mike Pettine coming off a 7-9 season and GM Ray Farmer facing a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's electronic device policy, plenty still wonder if Haslam might set the franchise on fire again if the Browns don't turn out a winner in 2015.
Haslam, though, went out of his way in March to praise Farmer for taking accountability for his mistakes -- he willingly turned his phone over to the league -- saying that "Ray has tremendous integrity and I know has great remorse for what occurred." Haslam on Saturday also "called Pettine and Farmer quality people, smart and hard-working," per McManamon.
In a week that saw the Steelers reward coach Mike Tomlin with an extension, it's another reminder how constant turnover and ever-changing philosophies have shipwrecked the Browns in one of the NFL's most consistent divisions. Farmer and Pettine both came out publicly this week to say that they enjoy working together, shooting down the idea of in-house chaos.
People aren't going to give Haslam or the Browns the benefit of the doubt until they win, but jumping into an NFL ownership position is tricky business. New England's Robert Kraft learned that right away through his internal battle with former coach Bill Parcells soon after taking over the Patriots.
With last year's seven wins serving as the most by a Browns squad since 2007, it's time for Cleveland to see their way through the haze. Haslam -- barring an outright disaster this autumn -- seems to finally understand that.
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