OK, Browns fans, think it can’t get any worse than what has happened this nightmarish season?

 

Well, yes, it can. An even bigger nightmare would be for the Browns to keep half of their football decision-makers, that is, retain the services of one Ray Farmer, the general manager.

 

Let’s say Pettine gets fired at the end of the season, which not only should happen, but must happen. However, what is Farmer stays?

 

Now that you’ve come to after being administered smelling salts, don’t faint on us again when I say that it just might happen.

 

Should it happen? No, of course not. Farmer needs to go 10 times worse than Pettine, and the coach absolutely must be sent packing. Farmer’s draft record, especially when it comes to first-rounders the last two years, is the worst in Browns history. He had to work harder being that bad than he would have to be good. Three of the four players appear to be complete busts, and the jury is still out on Johnny Manziel.

 

That culmination of top-tier misfires has set the franchise back years. The Browns will feel the effect of Farmer’s errors for a long, long time.

 

But even with all that, there’s something in the air that just doesn’t smell right. And in a season in which everything stinks, for something to permeate that stench is not only noteworthy. In this case, it’s alarming.

 

There appears to be – strongly so – a close relationship between team owner Jimmy Haslam and Farmer, whereas there seems to be no real connection between Haslam and Pettine.

 

When Farmer got into hot water over Textgate, Haslam quickly, unabashedly and completely came to his defense, possibly because the owner told his GM to do it. But as the noose around Pettine’s neck has gotten tighter with nearly each passing week, Haslam has said nothing, preferring instead to let the coach dangle.

 

But it gets even worse than that. Let’s say that Farmer stays – again, don’t faint on us – and, to make sure that his GM and head coach are on the same page this time around, Haslam lets Farmer select the coach.

 

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that someone who has been the poster child of incompetence in his own job performance would likely consider only incompetent coaching candidates before eventually hiring one of them.

 

Hopefully, it won’t come to that, and again, it might not come to that.

 

But there’s no guarantee.

 

OK, Browns fans, go ahead and faint now. We’ll wake you up when – or if – it’s safe.