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Flashback Friday: 5 coaches the Cleveland Browns should not have fired

By Elliot Kennel

CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 08: Head coach Freddie Kitchens talks with defensive tackle Devaroe Lawrence #99 of the Cleveland Browns during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 08, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Titans defeated the Browns 43-13. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 08: Head coach Freddie Kitchens talks with defensive tackle Devaroe Lawrence #99 of the Cleveland Browns during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 08, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Titans defeated the Browns 43-13. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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FOXBORO, MA – DECEMBER 8: Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots shakes hands with Rob Chudzinski of the Cleveland Browns after their game at Gillette Stadium on December 8, 2013 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
FOXBORO, MA – DECEMBER 8: Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots shakes hands with Rob Chudzinski of the Cleveland Browns after their game at Gillette Stadium on December 8, 2013 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) /

With current Cleveland Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens being on the hot seat, here’s a look at five former Browns head coaches who should not have been fired.

It is a time honored tradition to fire the head coach of the Cleveland Browns. Now that it is getting close to Halloween, the villagers are getting their pitchforks and torches ready to storm the stadium. Fans and media are openly questioning whether the team made the right decision in hiring Freddie Kitchens.

Maybe the critics are right. Definitely the Browns have underachieved in their first year under Kitchens, especially after looking so good during the second half of the 2018 season with Kitchens as the offensive coordinator. Then after adding superstar Odell Beckham, Jr., it looked like the sky was the limit for this team. So far, it just has not happened.

On the other hand, there are plenty of examples of coaches who started their careers with bad records. Some time back, the Steelers had a coach who went 1-13 his first year with the Pittsburgh Steelers. So how do you fix a bad team? Draft a quarterback in the first round, of course. So they did, and the hotshot rookie quarterback completed only 38.1 percent of his passes and the team went only 5-9.  Nevertheless, the Steelers stuck with head coach Chuck Noll and quarterback Terry Bradshaw, and they both wound up in the Hall of Fame.

Jimmie Johnson guided the Cowboys to a putrid 1-15 record his first year. That is downright Hue-Jackson-ish. But two years later they made the Super Bowl.

This is not to say that Freddie Kitchens is a Hall of Fame coach, only that others have had worse starts and ultimately worked out.

The record shows that the Browns ownership and front office have often made bad decisions, hiring coaches who should never have been hired. There have also been some very good coaches who have been fired from the Browns, including some of the best coaches in history.

Here is a look at some of the coaches who were fired, but who should not have been. This is not to say Kitchens is necessarily as good as these coaches, nor that he should not be fired. But it is worth thinking about before pulling trigger too early and possibly regretting it.

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