A disastrous 2-8 start by the Cleveland Browns won't lead to firings during the bye week.
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam threw his support behind coach Mike Pettine and general manager Ray Farmer after Cleveland's ugly 30-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
"No change," Haslam told reporters, per The Plain Dealer, echoing his summertime promise not to blow up the machine if the season went south.
The campaign has done just that, with Pettine telling reporters after the game that Cleveland's coaching staff has been asked by Haslam to do some "soul searching" after losing 13 of their last 15 games.
Very little has gone well for a Browns team that spent the offseason promising a rugged run game and feisty defense. Instead, Cleveland ranks 28th on the ground and 30th in total D.
Veteran tackle Joe Thomas, though, stood behind Pettine after the game, saying: "You always look at the effort players are giving and from what I saw guys were playing extremely hard all the way to the end even when you are down a few scores so I don't see any loss of command or anything like that. I still see guys playing really hard for him."
Thomas brings tremendous perspective to Cleveland's current troubles after playing for five coaches in nine seasons. The Browns are opting for a dose of much-needed patience before making it No. 6.
