Browns coaching search: Haslam pens letter to season ticket holders explaining tactic

Oct 3, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam on the sidelines during the second quarter against the Buffalo Bills at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

In light of perceptions and people worrying about the length of time it is taking to hire a head coach, Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam wrote a letter to season ticket holders explaining why the team is taking its time.  Essentially, the Browns are waiting for the playoff teams to finish up so they can interview those candidates, most notably Adam Gase, the offensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos, so they can make the best possible decision.  Haslam emphasized, rightly, how important this decision it is and how badly the Browns need to get it right.

With the Minnesota Vikings the only other team that has not hired a head coach but reportedly a heavy lean towards Mike Zimmer, the Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator, there is less pressure to rush.  Zimmer is not someone who the Browns have had any interest in hiring, so he has no impact on their list of candidates.

Additionally, according to Daryl Ruiter, the candidates that took their names out of consideration, Todd Bowles and Josh McDaniels, were informed they were not the top candidate before pulling out of the search.

Here is the letter:

"Fans,I thought it was important to take a little bit of time to update you on our head-coach search. We have had the opportunity to speak to a number of outstanding candidates. We have purposefully been very methodical in our approach. We believe it is very important to stay disciplined to this process and to interview all of the candidates on our list. We are strongly committed to finding the right person to coach the Cleveland Browns.We understood from the beginning that if we wanted to speak to all of the coaches on our list that we may need to wait until they have completed their participation in the playoffs. We are prepared to wait as long as necessary because this is a very important decision. Everyone in our organization is committed to finding the right leader for our team.We believe the head coach of the Cleveland Browns to be a very attractive position. We have one of the youngest teams in the League, a roster that includes five Pro Bowlers. In addition, we have more salary-cap room than all but one NFL team. We also have three of the top 35 picks in the upcoming draft and five of the top 83 selections.We are very much looking forward to adding a strong coach to our football team. On behalf of the Cleveland Browns, I cannot thank you enough for your valuable support and passion that you show for our team.We look forward to communicating with you again after the search process is complete. Thank you again for your phenomenal support and loyalty.[Signed by Jimmy Haslam]"