Brian Spurlock – USA TODAY Sports
Black Monday has officially come for NFL coaches. There have been numerous firings throughout the day on Monday, and one of the less surprising vacancies has come from the Cleveland Browns. The Browns elected to part ways with their head coach Mike Pettine after just two seasons, and they will now be looking for a replacement. One coach who would be a great fit with the Browns is Chuck Pagano, the current head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.
Pagano’s future with the Colts is uncertain at the best right now. Many reports had said that Pagano would be let go unless the Colts made the playoffs, but he has not been released by the team as of yet. Still, it seems more likely than not that owner Jim Irsay may get impatient and elect to get rid of Pagano at some point in the next couple of days.
If he does become available, the Browns should be heavily interested in Pagano for a multitude of reasons. The first is that Pagano has experience coaching in the AFC North, as he was the defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens back in 2011. The Ravens had a great defense that year, and that’s part of what led to Pagano being hired by the Colts. Bringing him back to the division and getting him to work with the Browns’ defense could get them some more wins right off the bat, especially since the Browns’ defense is stronger than their offense.
Pagano was also able to win quite a few games as the head coach of the Colts. In fact, in each of his first three seasons as head coach Pagano’s squad went 11-5. And each year in the playoffs, they kept advancing one step further, up until they made the 2015 AFC Championship Game before losing to the New England Patriots in the famed Deflategate game.
The fact of the matter is that Pagano was able to turn around the Colts very quickly with star quarterback Andrew Luck. If Pagano had a better general manager than Ryan Grigson, the team would probably be in much better shape. Pagano has done a lot with a very weak roster, and the only reason the team missed the playoffs this year was because of the many injuries they suffered. He deserves credit for being able to get to .500 this year.
With Cleveland, Pagano would be in a different situation, but there are building blocks in place. He could draft a quarterback like Paxton Lynch or Jared Goff, get some receiving weapons and coach up the young defensive talent that the team already has. It may take a couple of years, but Pagano could get the Browns back to the playoffs.
If the Colts part ways with Pagano, the Browns have to make an aggressive effort to hire him. He is simply a very solid head coach who would be a steal for the Browns if he becomes available. Pagano will be coaching in the NFL somewhere next year, but Cleveland is where he would do the most good.
Jacob Camenker is an NFL Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. You can like him on Facebook here, follow him on Twitter @jacobyhorse, or add him to your network on Google.
