Rob Chudzinski fired by Browns

The Browns decided to fire Chudzinski after just one 4-12 season in Cleveland.

by Scott Coleman

Dec 30, 2013, 2:44 AM UTC

Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY

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The Cleveland Browns have fired head coach Rob Chudzinski after just one season.

Initially the announcement was made via the team’s official Twitter account, but the announcement has since been erased.

So the Browns deleted the Chud fired tweet. Because ... Browns? (Here's what it said) pic.twitter.com/shbFUyZ8TO
— Brian Floyd (@BrianMFloyd) December 30, 2013

The Browns released a statement on Sunday night:

”We appreciate Chud’s passion for the Browns, and we have great respect for him both personally and professionally. We needed to see progress with this football team. We needed to see development and improvement as the season evolved, and unfortunately, we took a concerning step backward in the second half of the year. Our fans deserve to see a consistently competitive team. We have high standards, and there’s an urgency for success. When we believed we were not ositioned to achieve significant progress in 2014, we knew we had to admit that a change was needed, and move forward.
Browns fans are the most loyal and passionate supporters in the NFL. We’re fully committed to bringing them the winning football team they deserve.”

It was reported earlier on Sunday that the Browns could let Chudzinski go following their 20-7 loss to the Steelers. The loss was Cleveland's seventh in a row after heading into their bye week with a 4-5 record.

Chudzinski was hired by first-year general manager Michael Lombardi on Jan. 10, 2013. He worked as the Panthers' offensive coordinator from 2011-2012 before taking the job. Known as an offensive guru who helped develop Cam Newton in Carolina, Cleveland ranked 26th in the NFL this season in scoring offense.

It is unclear if the Browns have anyone targeted to be their next head coach at this time. With two first round picks in 2014, it could be an appealing job opening once the coaching search begins.