Decision time is approaching for Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, who must decide whether he will retain or release general manager Ray Farmer and coach Mike Pettine after a disastrous season that appears headed to a 3-13 finish.

We'll take a look Wednesday at the case for and against Farmer; Tuesday we presented some of the arguments related to Pettine.

Four reasons to keep Ray Farmer as Browns general manager:

1. Continuity. Same as the argument with Pettine. The Browns have a history of pulling the plug early and often, and all that does is lead the team to sputtering restarts. More change will set the team back two, maybe three years -- as players will have to learn new systems and coaches and approaches. If management believes that the guy in place is the right guy, one awful season should not shake that belief.

2. Patience. In the NFL, it usually pays off. Teams that stick with winning approaches and are patient usually are rewarded -- provided the talent is up to snuff. Cincinnati was patient with Marvin Lewis. Baltimore will be patient with John Harbaugh. Bill Belichick started 5-11 in New England. No GM hits on every player. Teams and organizations can turn around, provided they have the support and patience from ownership and management.

3. Farmer has discovered players. Contrary to popular belief, Farmer has found some players. Joel Bitonio is a sound offensive lineman. Nate Orchard has been improving at outside linebacker. K'Waun Williams went undrafted but is a very good nickel corner. Danny Shelton has the work ethic that should give him a chance. Farmer's batting average might not be as high as some would want, but he's not hitting .000.

4. The owner made a promise. Haslam already has earned the reputation of an impatient owner too quick to make a move. It has affected the perception of the team and led many to wonder what kind of coach the Browns can hire. In his tenure as owner, Haslam has had three president/CEOs, three general managers and three coaches. More change means he would add a fourth to the list -- and he took over in October 2012. Haslam made a vow in the preseason that he would not blow it up. No doubt he didn't see this season coming, but what's he supposed to say about that vow if he makes a move? Never mind?

Ray Farmer drafted both Justin Gilbert and Johnny Manziel, and neither has worked out as hoped yet. Are those decisions a reason the Browns GM should lose his job? AP Photo/Tony Dejak

Four reasons to fire Farmer:

1. Those four first-round draft choices. Given a golden opportunity to form the foundation of the team for a decade, Farmer instead filled the roster with question marks and concerns. Pettine shares the choice of Justin Gilbert, but Farmer is the man responsible for the roster, and the eighth overall pick is a regular on the inactive list. Johnny Manziel remains a polarizing potential problem with an uncertain future. Cameron Erving has been tossed around like worn-out shoes. Only Shelton seems to have progressed among the four. Those are misses that will set the team back years.

2. The general lack of playmakers. Farmer will forever be haunted by his statement that receivers affect the game only eight to 10 times per game. Never mind that the impact of each play can be huge. The GM declined to take a receiver in the best class in memory even though he knew Josh Gordon was facing a suspension. He then took a receiver who didn't make it out of the preseason when he knew Gordon would be gone for the year. The Brows' overall lack of playmakers is glaring. That falls on the man picking the personnel.

3. The suspension. Nobody knows what was in the infamous text messages in 2014, whether they were Farmer's or someone else's, whether they were harmless or subversive, whether Farmer was just answering texts or instigating conversations. The problem is they happened, and Farmer was suspended four games for sending them. He came clean, which was good. That it happened in the first place is concerning.

4. Dwayne Bowe. No one player better epitomizes the struggles of this regime. Bowe was probably the league's most overrated No. 1 receiver in Kansas City, and his production had fallen off the past three years. But Farmer had a relationship with him, and when Kansas City released him the Browns signed him. What was more shocking was that the Browns gave Bowe $9 million in guaranteed money. This decision alone might be enough to tip the scale.