Browns "reboot" coaching search

Browns: Ken Whisenhunt, Mike Zimmer get second interviews
Published: Thursday, January 10, 2013
By Jeff Schudel
JSchudel@News-Herald.com

The Browns, sharpening their focus for a new head coach, will interview Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer a second time Friday, one day after a second interview with Ken Whisenhunt, according to a source.

If all goes well, the Browns could introduce their sixth full-time head coach since 1999 at a news conference Monday or Tuesday.

Whisenhunt was fired as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals on Dec. 31, the same day Pat Shurmur was fired along with five other NFL coaches. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner interviewed Whisenhunt in Arizona last week and were impressed. Ironically, the Cardinals and Browns had identical 5-11 records in 2012.

Whisenhunt coached the Cardinals from 2007-2012. He was 8-8 in his first season. The Cardinals won the NFC West with a 9-7 record in 2009 and advanced to the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Steelers, 27-23.

Arizona had its best record under Whisenhunt in 2009, when the Cardinals finished 10-6. They were knocked out of the postseason by eventual Super Bowl champion New Orleans in a divisional playoff game. Kurt Warner retired at quarterback and the Cardinals were 5-11 in 2010, 8-8 in 2011 and 5-11 in 2012.

The Cardinals won their first four games in 2012 and then lost nine straight — their longest losing streak since World War II. It bottomed out with a 58-0 loss in Seattle. The Cardinals beat the Lions, 38-10, the following week, and then lost their last two games to close the season.

Since firing Shurmur, Haslam and Banner have interviewed college coaches Chip Kelly, Doug Marrone and Bill O’Brien, Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton, Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, Montreal Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman and Panthers offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski, plus Whisenhunt.

Whisenhunt is the only candidate known to have interviewed twice with the Browns. Zimmer will be the second.

Haslam says he wants a strong leader. Zimmer, infamous as a straight shooter, fits the description. For example, Zimmer had this to say to reporters in Cincinnati about the Bengals’ defense heading into the 2011 season:

“Everybody’s in danger. We were 4-12,” he said. “I’m in danger, they’re in danger. Trust me. It’s not scheme. It’s not personnel. It’s paying attention to detail. It’s doing things the proper way all the time. Not half the time. We were trying to become the ’85 Bears and not being the 2010 Cincinnati Bengals.”

And about linebacker Rey Maualuga in particular:

“He sure has to play a hell of a lot better than he did this year because he was extremely average,” Zimmer said. “He’s undisciplined. Half of our whole defensive team is undisciplined.”

Zimmer, 56, got his point across. The Bengals were seventh in the league defensively in 2011 and sixth in 2012. They made the playoffs both years.

The Browns are expected to meet with Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians before making a decision. The Colts won nine games with Arians serving as interim coach while Chuck Pagano was being treated for leukemia, but keep this in mind: The Colts’ coaching staff and everything was in place before Arians took control. He would have to convince a team he could build a staff and program from scratch.

Whisenhunt was the Browns’ special teams coach in 1999. He coached the Jets’ special teams coach in 2000 and then moved on as the Steelers’ tight ends coach for three years. He was the Steelers’ offensive coordinator from 2004-06 before being hired by the Cardinals. Arians took over as offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh.​