Ever since he bought the team earlier this year, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has said that he will hold off on making any decisions about the future of General Manager Tom Heckert or coach Pat Shurmur until after the season comes to an end.
Haslam stuck to that during an interview with Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, but he did offer a potential hint into where his head is at as the team prepares to make those decisions. Haslam pointed to a series of close losses in games that the Browns could’ve won in the fourth quarter as a sign that the team is close to doing bigger and better things.
“I think we have better players and we’re better coached (than last year). We’re 3-8, but if you went back through the season, I could make a case where we could easily be 6-5,” Haslam said. “Dallas, Philly, Indy are all games I think we should’ve won. If we win those three games, we’re 6-5 and in the hunt for the playoffs, right? We’re very close.”
You could argue that a team that’s “very close” should stick with what’s working in order to take the next step. You could also argue that bringing in a coach other than Shurmur could be the thing that takes them from being close to being where they want to be. We’ll have to wait another month or so to find out which why Haslam and the Browns choose to go.