BEREA, Ohio, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- Cleveland Browns head Coach Rob Chudzinski was fired Sunday after just one season at the helm of the NFL club.
The Browns announced Chudzinski's dismissal after Cleveland's 20-7 loss to Pittsburgh, wrapping up a disappointing 4-12 season with a seventh straight defeat.
"We appreciate Chud's passion for the Browns, and we have great respect for him both personally and professionally," the team said in a statement.
"We needed to see progress with this football 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," the statement continued.
"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."
Chudzinski was hired Jan. 11 in the wake of the firing of previous Coach Pat Shurmur, who went 9-23 in his two seasons with the Browns.
