Mike Pettine, who was head coach of the Cleveland Browns during one of the most irritating periods in franchise history, is retiring from the NFL.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell broke the
news on Tuesday during his end-of-season press conference. Pettine has spent the past four seasons with the Vikings, serving as assistant head coach and outside linebackers coach.
Pettine was named head coach of the Browns in 2014 after spending 12 seasons as an assistant coach with the Baltimore Ravens (2002 to 2008), New York Jets (where he was defensive coordinator from 2009 to 2012), and Buffalo Bills (2013).
That was the same season that general manager Ray Farmer made the ill-fated decision to use a pair of first-round draft picks on cornerback Justin Gilbert and quarterback Johnny Manziel, still arguably the worst draft pick in franchise history.
Despite that, Pettine had the Browns battling for first place in the AFC North Division and sitting at 7-4 following a comeback win against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 12. But the Browns lost the next two games as quarterback Brian Hoyer struggled, and Pettine gave in to pressure from Farmer to start Manziel in Week 15 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Predictably for a player who cared not for practice, the playbook, or anything related to what it takes to be a starting quarterback in the NFL, Manziel was a disaster, finishing 10-of-18 for 80 yards, throwing two interceptions and taking three sacks, as the Browns lost 30-0.
That defeat was part of a five-game losing streak to close out the season, and things did not get any better in 2015 as the Browns bounced between quarterbacks Josh McCown, Manziel, and Austin Davis, won just once in the final 11 weeks of the season, and closed out the year at 3-13.
Pettine was fired shortly after the season ended, giving way to the Hue Jackson era, and we all know how well that went.
In the end, Pettine’s downfall was being saddled with an incompent general manager in Farmer, and his blind loyalty to defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil, who followed Pettine to Cleveland from the Jets and Bills, but had never been a defensive coordinator at the pro level and it showed as the Browns allowed an average of 24 points per game with O’Neil running the defense.
Following his time in Cleveland, Pettine spent three years as defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers before closing out his NFL coaching career with the Vikings.
