CLEVELAND A NFL team never looks as bad as it does when it fires a head coach after one season.

But keeping him and firing him in his third season after hes jumped in the lake to pay off a betwe can say from experienceisnt exactly a reputation saver either.

The Haslams still dont appear to have any earthly idea how to build an organization, but theyre closer Monday than they were Sunday to at least not letting one wallow in the shallow hope that continuity alone is the answer.

So maybe there was residual value to the Hue Jackson mistake, mainly a realization that the biggest blunder was keeping him for as long as they did.

Freddie Kitchens wont get a second year not because the Haslams are suddenly smarter about what they want in a coach. We dont have that answer yet, and if they throw this decision open and create a power struggle between GM John Dorsey and VP Paul DePodesta we may not get the answer then, either.

But they recognized Kitchens wasnt what they hoped for, and wasnt going to become what this team needs just because he was likable inside the building.

Conclusions are never hard and fast in Berea, partly because the shifting seat of power belongs to whomever was not proven wrong most recently (In this competition, DePodesta might have an edge).

But for now, moving on from Kitchens passes for progress.

Firing him Sunday wasnt nearly the stretch hiring him based on a three-month apprenticeship as offensive coordinator was last year. They thought it made sense to put him in charge of a team ready to win, even though he wasnt prepared to do anything more than give Baker Mayfield confidence operating the offense.

When that even failed to materialize, when Mayfield significantly regressed, there wasnt much to recommend the Kitchens hire.

The offense and quarterback were worse than last year despite far better talent (offensive line excluded) in the huddle. Kitchens didnt exactly impress as a CEO or as a game manager.

What else did that leave? Not enough.

Cleveland Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens answers questions during a news conference after the Bengals defeated the Cleveland Browns 33-23 in an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019, in Cincinnati.

Bryan Woolston/AP

His Browns were undisciplined, sometimes unprepared. It couldnt have helped that so late in the season they took a delay of game penalty after an Arizona kickoff three weeks ago, melted down at halftime against Baltimore and then allowed a Cincinnati rushing touchdown with only 10 defenders on the field Sunday.

The statement the Haslams' released carried telling words about the need for a "strong head coach" and an "exceptional leader." Kitchens might be inclined to throw those words right back at the Haslams, who blow with the wind as owners and dont stand for anything identifiable all these years later.

But its hard to argue with the line in the statement about the belief Kitchens didnt offer "opportunities for improvement."

If this first head coaching job was about a learning curve, we wouldve seen more sustained improvement, however small. Other than special teams and a mid-season stretch of reduced penalties, there wasnt much else.

Better game management as the season went along wouldve helped his case. A player-coach dynamic that didnt make him look as if he were herding cats wouldnt have hurt either.

A change was necessary. If players dont say it, that doesnt mean they dont believe it.

What happens next is a guess. Since its Berea, throw in some prayers just to be safe.

The Haslams were right to admit a mistake.

The hard part for them, though, never changes: Fixing it.

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Cleveland Browns ownership admits a mistake, & thats what passes for progress in BereaBud Shaws Sports Spin - WKYC.com