Pettine named new Browns coach

BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns on Thursday named Mike Pettine as the 15th full-time head coach in franchise history.

Pettine was the defensive coordinator for the Bills last season and spend the previous four seasons as the defensive coordinator for the New York Jets. Pettine has helped his units to a top 10 finish in total defense in all five of his seasons as a defensive coordinator.

“We are thrilled to announce Mike Pettine as the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns,” Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said. “Mike is the epitome of what we want the Browns to be — tough, aggressive and innovative — with a blue-collar, team-first mentality. He knows what’s necessary to beat teams in the AFC North. Most importantly, Mike has repeatedly shown the ability to lead his players to consistent improvement and success, clearly what we are striving for as he leads the Cleveland Browns moving forward.”

“We wanted to be thorough from the start,” said CEO Joe Banner, “and we interviewed as many people as we could. From that group, we hired the best individual for this job. Our players and fans are going to really enjoy Mike Pettine and his leadership style. We’re excited to have him out in front of our team, and we look forward to working closely with him.”

Pettine replaces Rob Chudzinski, who was fired last month after one season.

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