Mike Pettine, former head coach of the Cleveland Browns, has been fired again.
Pettine, 54, spent the last three seasons as the Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator.
After some major letdowns by the Packers defense in the 2020 season, Pettine’s firing did not come as a complete surprise.
Pettine was a holdover from the Mike McCarthy era.
He spent the last two seasons as Coach Matt LaFleur’s defensive coordinator.
2020 Packers Defense
Pettine’s job security was not only in jeopardy because of how the Packers played in the NFC Championship game.
The Packers’ defense did not fare well statistically during the 2020 season.
The defense had 11 interceptions in 2020.
That is middle of the road; the Texans were the lowest with 3, and the Steelers, Saints, Patriots, and Dolphins ranked highest with 18.
The Packers forced 12 fumbles and recovered 7 of them.
They also had one fumble recovery for a touchdown.
Rushing the passer seemed to be an issue for the Packers this season; the team netted 21 quarterback sacks; second lowest behind the Steelers who had 14.
NFC Championship
Then, there was this inexplicable play in the 2021 NFC Championship that had former player turned commentator Troy Aikman of Fox completely flummoxed.
This play probably sealed the deal for the Pettine firing.
BUCS PUT 7 MORE ON THE BOARD WITH 1SEC LEFT IN THE HALF!! 😱
Tom Brady connects with Scotty Miller for the score 🏴☠️
(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/Qv2AYHaexO
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 24, 2021
Packers Coach Matt LaFleur talked about this play after the game.
“It was man coverage. Definitely not the right call for the situation, and you can’t do stuff like that against a good football team and expect to win. When you look at it, there was 120 some-odd plays on both sides of the ball plus all the special teams. There were a lot of plays in that game that could have been made, that could have changed the outcome of the game.”
The Packers have unfortunately created a bad habit out of losing NFC Championship games.
Mike Pettine showed the Packers' defense film of last season's NFC Championship Game to tell them what NOT to do this time.
Instead, they're doing the exact same thing.
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) January 24, 2021
Since 2014, they have appeared in 4 out of the 7 championship games and have gone 0-4.
That’s almost impossible to fathom with Aaron Rodgers leading the Packers offense.
Pettine With The Browns
Mike Pettine was the Browns’ head coach for two seasons: 2014 and 2015.
The Browns jumped out to a great start under his leadership, the Browns went 7-4 in their first eleven games.
Then the Browns dropped the last five games of the season to go 7-9.
Things really unraveled in 2015.
The Browns went 3-13; they dropped 18 of their final 21 games under Pettine’s leadership.
He left the Browns with a 10-22 record.
Pettine joined the Seattle Seahawks as a consultant in the 2017 season before making the move to Green Bay.
Coach LaFleur is reportedly looking at internal and external candidates to fill the defensive coordinator position for the 2021 season.
Pettine served as defensive coordinator for the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills before becoming the Browns head coach in 2014.
As of now, it is unclear if he will find a new team or role for the 2021 season.
NEXT: 3 Most Valuable Browns Players From The 2020 Season
