Surprise: Browns fire another coach

Well, the Browns' front office has gone and done it again. On cue, it fired its coach, Rob Chudzinski, just as we learned to spell his name.  And so the high command once again displayed its uncommon expertise in running an employment office for seasonal temps.  The announcement that Chud was gone arrived within  minutes after the  team ended another undistinguished season by getting thumped by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

I should remind you  that I am a  native of Western Pennsylvania and a rabid Steelers fan.  But in the end I was feeling a tad sorry for the Browns  fans after the players walked from the field Sunday, easily defeated by what appeared to be a bored Pittsburgh team.

But Chud's departure was foreordained when he was hired. You need only look at the record of comings and goings of coaches and quarterbacks to understand this alleged pro football franchise  that is perennially at its worst. In contrast, the Steelers under the seamless guidance of the Rooney family, have had no more  than three  coaches in 44 years. And there was something to be learned from their  tolerance of a losing season.  When Chuck Noll arrived in 1969, his team baptized the  new coach with a 1-13 record.  After that, Noll went on to coach four Super Bowl  victories.  

When Chud entered the dismal scene, the Beacon Journal reported "he's eager to bring excitement back to the lakefront". Didn't happen.  Nor will it next year as the Browns hunt for a replacement by a wary successor  who shouldn't count on buying a  house in Cleveland.  They may be forced to check out the mentor of a boarding school's intermural team.

When will the neckties who dwell on awful decisions ever learn? .  Until somebody can prove me wrong, never.  It recalls the moment when a fellow spotted a miserable guy bouncing his head against a wall.  "If it is so painful, why do you do it?"  the witness asked..

The reply: "It feels so good when I stop."

The Browns' deep thinkers aren't close to stopping.