The Cleveland Browns couldn't convince Nick Saban or Chip Kelly to jump from the college ranks, but it appears as if the team has found their next head coach.
The Browns have hired Rob Chudzinski to replace Pat Shurmur, who was fired following the 2012 season after finishing 5-11. According to ESPN.com, a Browns spokesman confirmed Chudzinski's hiring Thursday night and said he will be introduced at a news conference on Friday.
It will be the first head coaching job for Chudzinski, who grew up in Toledo and was a fan of the team. He interviewed for the job on Wednesday with new team owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner and impressed them with his knowledge and football philosophy. The Browns previously interviewed several college coaches as well as former Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt, who looked like he was the frontrunner, before deciding on Chudzinski.
The Browns have had a high amount of coaching turnover since becoming a franchise again in 1999, with Chudzinski being the 14th head coach. Chudzinski has spent the past two seasons with the Carolina Panthers as offensive coordinator and previously worked with the Browns as an assistant coach.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, over the past two seasons, Chudzinski Panthers have outgained the Browns in nearly every offensive category, including in points and yards per game as well as total touchdowns.
Chudzinski helped nurture quarterback Cam Newton and coached him during his record-setting rookie season. Newton had another successful year in the system, throwing for 3,869 yards and 19 touchdowns along with 741 yards and eight rushing scores. The Panthers ranked fifth in total offense in 2011 and 12th this past season, gaining over 130 rushing yards per game.
The team had struggles early in the season and suffered through a five game losing streak, but Newton and the offense turned things around down the stretch, winning the last four games of the season, including a 44-38 win over New Orleans in Week 17. The Browns ranked in the bottom-10 in the league in scoring with 18 points per game and ranked just 24th in the league in rushing, averaging just 99 yards per game.
Chudzinski is the offensive-minded guy that the Browns ownership group was looking to hire after firing Shurmur. Chudzinski will look to hire Norv Turner, the former head coach of the San Diego Chargers, to run the offense, according to sources that spoke to ESPN.com.
Chudzinski was tight ends coach in San Diego with Pro Bowler Antonio Gates and directed a Cleveland offense in 2007 that won 10 games following four straight losing seasons. The team struggled in 2008 and went just 4-12, suffering through a six game losing streak which resulted in the firing of Romeo Crennel, who ironically was just fired from the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Browns have only gone to the playoffs once in the past 14 years and hasn't finished over .500 since 2007, when the team went 10-6 and finished second in the AFC North. This season the Browns lost their first five games before defeating the Bengals 34-24, but then lost three of the nest four games.
Cleveland looked impressive in three straight wins against the Steelers, Raiders and Chiefs, but the team took a step back and lost the final three games of the regular season. The Browns are a young team, but there are a number of talented players on the roster, including quarterback Brandon Weeden and running back Trent Richardson, who were both drafted in the first round last year.
