With Browns out of Playoffs, Mike Pettine to Be Tested as Cleveland Head Coach

As a rookie head coach, there are plenty of challenges to face. Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine has performed well above expectations this season but will face a new test in the final two weeks. Can he keep a team interested and hungry when they have nothing left to play for?

The Browns' loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday eliminated them from contention for the AFC North and all but eliminated them from the wild card as well. At 7-7 and having lost four of their last five, the Browns are playing football reminiscent of the last decade in Cleveland. This is a far cry from the team that was 6-3 and coming off a prime-time victory in Cincinnati.

For most of the season, the Browns took on the personality of their coach. Pettine is serious and determined to prove everyone wrong. The players played that way as well. It was a positive sign and something that had rarely happened here since 1999.

The problem now is that all the incentive for the players has vanished. For 14 weeks, the Browns have been playing for the postseason. Every game was important and could have affected how the season played out. Unfortunately, most of those games turned into losses down the stretch.

One of the worries about Pettine thus far is that his team has not played well under pressure. Aside from the 24-3 beatdown they laid on Cincinnati the first time around, his team has struggled every time they needed a victory or had extra time to prepare.

In Week 1, with the Browns having weeks to prepare for the season opener, they came out flat and fell behind 27-3 in the first half. It was early in the season, so perhaps it could have been dismissed as a fluke if it had not turned into a theme throughout the season.

Sure, the Browns did not lose two games in a row until Week 13, but they also struggled to find consistency all season. After a huge win in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints, the Browns blew a winnable game against the Ravens at home. This was a division game that Baltimore desperately tried to hand them, but the Browns allowed six unanswered points late and lost 23-21.

Coming off of an early Week 4 bye, the Browns played a miserable half of football in Tennessee. If it weren’t for an injury at quarterback and the largest road comeback in NFL history, the Browns would have lost. They were down 28-3 until right before halftime to one of the worst teams in the league.

The Browns then played their most complete game of the season to that point against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it seemed as though they had arrived. The 31-10 domination of their hated rivals was a huge step in the right direction. They followed that up by laying an absolute egg in Jacksonville against a winless Jaguars team.

The next three games were the Browns' most impressive stretch of the season. They had to scrape by two bad teams in Oakland and Tampa Bay, but they still won. Then they had their most impressive win of the season and possibly since their return in 1999. The 24-3 win in Cincinnati on prime-time television put them in sole possession of first place.

Unfortunately, along with prosperity comes pressure, and the Browns couldn’t handle it. Before that game, the Browns were playing with house money and had nothing to lose. All of a sudden, they were the hunted instead of the hunter. That changed everything.

So as quarterback Brian Hoyer collapsed and the team did around him as well, the Browns slowly faded out of the playoff picture. On Sunday, the team looked like they were ready for the offseason after a 30-0 loss to the Bengals. That is not a good sign for Pettine.

If they played like that with the season on the line and their quarterback of the future finally on the field, then how will they get up for two weeks of football that mean nothing in the grand scheme of things? This is where coaches earn their salary.

Motivating a group of grown men who are already planning their vacations and have mentally checked out is an art form that very few ever master. Pettine’s “no one believes in us so let’s prove them wrong” approach only works if the games matter. Now he must deliver a completely different message. Now he must convey that the final two games are about money.

Because they are.

Fans do not want to hear it, but games like this are only good for making money or staying in the league. If a player can put some good film out there, he might get a better contract, avoid being cut or stay in the team’s game plan for the following season. If a player can’t find motivation from his livelihood, then they are probably a lost cause anyway.

There is no chance that Pettine gets fired after this season, but how the final two games unfold will tell the front office a lot about the type of coach it has. If he can get guys to understand they are playing for jobs and still compete, then he might be the type of guy you keep around for a long time. Remember, the Browns are not going to compete for 14 weeks every single season.

It’s this time of year that the injury report grows and guys suddenly have aches and pains that keep them out on Sunday. It’s just the way it works. If Pettine can keep the guys on the field and out of the trainer's room, then they just might ruin Carolina’s or Baltimore’s chances at the postseason.

It’s a tough job, but that’s why he gets paid the big bucks. Find a way to motivate your guys, or the front office might just start thinking about finding someone else who can.