Browns fire Jackson, Haley in staff shakeup; owner bemoans 'internal discord'
The Cleveland Browns made sweeping changes to their staff Monday, dismissing head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley.
Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has been handed head coaching duties on an interim basis while running backs coach Freddie Kitchens was promoted to offensive coordinator and will take over the play-calling.
The Browns' offense has produced duds almost every week this season. Owner Jimmy Haslam seemingly confirmed reports that Jackson and Haley were at odds throughout the campaign.
"I think the message today is we are not going to put up with internal discord," Haslam said at a press conference to announce the shakeup. "We want people who are collaborative and work together."
Related: Browns fire Hue Jackson
Jackson lasted two-and-a-half years in Cleveland, posting a 3-36-1 record. The optimism surrounding the Browns entering the 2018 campaign slowly withered as the losses once again started to pile up.
Haley served the Browns for just eight games. He was hired to Jackson's staff on the heels of a six-year tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Incidentally, he was terminated after losing to his former club.
"We had some concerns going into the game," Haslam said. "Obviously, yesterday's performance was disappointing. We had several of our key people involved in this conversation last night and this morning and did what we think is best for the organization."
Related: Browns fire Todd Haley
General manager John Dorsey said he isn't worried about the lack of continuity for rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield - even if blowing up the offensive staff midway through the season isn't ideal.
"I think that the whole scheme is the same," he said. "The quarterbacks coach is the same. I think he has a great familiarity with Freddie there. I think it is a personal relationship that he may have had with Todd, but I think the everyday relationship that he has with his quarterback coach is really big in the development of it, and he and Gregg (Williams) have a fairly good relationship, too."