Cleveland Browns Hot Seats: Hot, Hotter, Hottest

Nov 1, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine looks on during the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Cardinals won 34-20. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

This defensive guru has seen nothing but regression in defensive output since his first season as a defensive coordinator with the New York Jets.

Not to mention the fact that after finishing dead last in the league last season in run defense, where the only place to go is up, the Browns are currently on pace to finish 32nd again this year, even after the additions of Danny Shelton and Randy Starks to the defensive line.

An unnamed Browns player described the Browns defense to former team reporter Kevin Jones as, “An entire guessing game. Imagine trying to define mud.” If this is really the case, then it’s no surprise that the defense has had no success in any facet of the game.

Even in finishing 7-9 last season, defense aside, there were still multiple times that raised questions about what Pettine was doing as a head coach.

The first instance, and probably the one that is most divisive among Browns fans, was the extended, and currently continued wait, to make Johnny Manziel the starter. At this point it’s looking more and more as though Pettine has some sort of personal agenda against the former Heisman Trophy winner.

Whether he was on board with the decision to draft Manziel or not, he is on the team and is still the best chance this team has had since Colt McCoy to be a long-term answer at the quarterback position. No one knows if Manziel will be or could be though with Pettine keeping him on the bench.

The second thing Pettine did last season and still does this season is his horrendous clock management and decision-making. Perhaps most notably was his decision to go for two while leading against the Denver Broncos in Week 6 that ended up being the difference maker in a field goal loss in overtime.

At this point, there is little if anything Pettine can do to save his job. His best hope would be to pull out three or four big-name wins the rest of this season, with Manziel at the helm. With the schedule Cleveland has, though, he’d be better off to start packing now.

I was one of the biggest Pettine supporters when he was first brought on. After a 7-9 first season, I was ready to declare him coach of the year. While the sophomore-slump is most often seen from players in the NFL, Pettine has suffered his own slump and it will most likely do him in.

Next: Hotter: Defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil