Pettine, whose hire was first reported by Cleveland.com, is now the Browns' seventh coach since 1999. He just finished his fifth year as an NFL defensive coordinator, having held the role with the Bills and Jets. A coach's son and blue collar coach who climbed his way up with grit and skill, Pettine is well respected. Still, he was anything but a slam dunk for the Browns, who appeared to have their sights set on an offensive-minded coach.
New England Patriots' offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels interviewed for the job and four days later, withdrew his name from consideration. NFL.com's Albert Breer reports that this week, the Browns took another run at McDaniels, who again declined consideration. Broncos' offensive coordinator Adam Gase was then thought to be the prohibitive favorite, but this week he, too, pulled his name out of contention.
Gase had plenty of incentive to stay where he is. He has the benefit, after all, of working with Peyton Manning, who just came off the best year of any quarterback in NFL history.
Compare that to the Browns' quarterback situation this year: Three different players — Brandon Weeden, Jason Campbell and Brian Hoyer — all started games. All were injured at some point, with Hoyer sustaining a season-ending knee injury. Somehow, Browns' receiver Josh Gordon managed to be spectacular this season, but he couldn't win on his own. If the quarterback situation didn't stir up enough drama, the team traded running back Trent Richardson to the Indianapolis Colts for a first-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Considering Richardson's mediocre contribution to the Colts post-trade, and the chance the Browns now have to land a franchise-changing piece, it may be worth it. Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel and Clemson receiver Sammy Watkins may be the early favorites.
But, after going after offensive coordinators, the Browns landed on a defensive guy in Pettine. According to cleveland.com, Seattle Seahawks' defensive coordinator Dan Quinn was in contention all the way to the end. And as recently as Wednesday, the Browns reached out to Falcons' offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter and ex-Tampa Bay coach, Greg Schiano.
Pettine interviewed a second time with the Browns during the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., a session that cleveland.com reports lasted four hours. But after that, there still was no deal in place. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, CEO Joe Banner, team president Alec Scheiner and general manager Mike Lombardi were all there, the website reports.
On Wednesday night, he told reporters that he expected to hear something by the end of the night. It was a sign of enthusiasm and hope on his part. In Pettine, the Browns have found someone who really wants the job and even if he isn't who they most coveted, they have to be excited about that.
The leadership group is likely to describe the process as careful, thorough and diligent.
It will be perceived, however, as a classic bout of indecisiveness. Already, Haslam issued a plea via email to fans for their patience. Only time — and Pettine — will tell if they will be rewarded.
PETERSON HAS SURGERY
For the third straight offseason, Adrian Peterson will be recovering from surgery.
The Minnesota Vikings said their star running back had an operation Thursday to repair his adductor muscle, which is part of the groin. The team said Peterson was expected to be fully recovered in about six weeks, giving him plenty of time to heal before offseason workouts get going.
The procedure was performed by Dr. William Meyers at the Vincera Institute in Philadelphia.
Peterson rushed for 1,266 yards in 14 games, missing two in December due to a sprained right foot. The groin problem was lingering long before that, though, sapping him of some of his explosiveness. He acknowledged after a loss at Seattle Nov. 17 that the injury was bothering him "a lot." Peterson gained only 65 yards on 21 carries that afternoon, albeit against the league's best defense.
He still managed, two weeks later, to rush for 211 yards against Chicago, the fourth-highest total of his career. But then came the sprained foot in the snow Dec. 8 at Baltimore, and he played only once more, and not at full speed. He tallied 45 yards on 11 attempts at Cincinnati on Dec. 22 and said afterward he felt uncomfortable, a rare admission for one of the sport's most confident and determined players.
SMITH RECEIVES APOLOGY
Geno Smith and Virgin America airline might fly together again, after all.
The New York Jets quarterback received an apology from the airline Thursday following a dispute with a flight attendant.
In joint statements released by the Jets, Virgin America said it reviewed the incident that occurred last Friday at Los Angeles International Airport.
"We believe it was the result of a misunderstanding that regrettably escalated unnecessarily," Virgin America said. "We've apologized to Mr. Smith for his experience, which could have been better — and we'd welcome him back onboard any time. As an airline that prides itself on our guest service, we take incidents such as this one very seriously."
Neither statement included details on what happened.
Smith was on a flight scheduled to take off from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., when an attendant asked Smith to remove his headphones and an argument ensued, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no official report was filed to or by the airport. Smith, who recently completed his rookie season with the Jets, got up and asked to speak to a supervisor before leaving the plane on his own and talking with police at the gate before leaving.
"I really appreciate that Virgin America took this seriously, looked into this matter and followed up with me," Smith said in his statement. "I look forward to flying their airline again soon."
HARVIN READY FOR SUPER BOWL
Percy Harvin doesn't want to think about all the setbacks in his first season in Seattle with the chance of winning a Super Bowl title on the horizon.
Harvin said Thursday that while it's been a frustrating season, he's trying to get himself ready for next week's game against Denver.
Harvin returned to practice Wednesday after passing the league's concussion protocol. He was injured late in the first half of Seattle's divisional round win over New Orleans, then was stuck being a spectator last Sunday as the Seahawks beat San Francisco 23-17 to reach the second Super Bowl in franchise history.
Harvin said his past problems with migraines did not slow his recovery from the concussion.
RIVERA GETS 27 YEARS IN PRISON
The man who prosecutors say fired the shot that killed Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor during a botched 2007 burglary was sentenced Thursday to more than 57 years in state prison. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Dennis Murphy imposed the sentence on Eric Rivera, 23, one of five Fort Myers-area men charged with Taylor's death after they broke into his house looking to steal cash.
One has pleaded guilty and three others are still awaiting trial.
Rivera confessed to police on videotape that he shot Taylor after the NFL player confronted them at his bedroom door with a machete. In the confession, Rivera also said the group didn't realize Taylor would be home with a knee injury instead of playing a Redskins game against Tampa Bay.
"He lost his life defending and protecting his family," said Assistant State Attorney Reid Rubin in a closing statement. "They kicked the door in and they shot him and killed him, for no good reason."
Testifying in his own defense last fall, Rivera claimed the confession was false and improperly coerced, and that someone else in the group shot Taylor with a 9mm handgun. A jury convicted him of second-degree murder and armed burglary. He was originally charged with first-degree murder but was ineligible for the death penalty because he was 17 at the time of the killing.
In a brief statement, Rivera told members of Taylor's family he was sorry for the killing and that Taylor was "a good man."
Taylor, a first-round pick by the Redskins in the 2004 draft, was a hard-hitting Pro Bowl safety who had previously starred at the University of Miami. He was shot during the November 2007 confrontation in the upper thigh, damaging his femoral artery and leading to massive blood loss. Taylor was 24 when he died.
Contributors: Rana L. Cash, The Associated Press
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