The Cleveland Browns have fired Rob Chudzinski as head coach after less than a year in charge of the team.
Chudzinski saw his side lose their last seven matches of the season to fall to a 4-12 record for the campaign, leaving themselves bottom of the AFC North.
The final straw for the Browns came in last night's season-ending 20-7 defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers, a match that left the team without a win since November 3.
"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," read a statement released by the 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 positioned 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."
New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt are among the early candidates to replace Chudzinski.
Barney Corkhill
