Mike Pettine

The Browns didn't wrap things up with Mike Pettine during their second interview on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Bill Wippert, File)

(Bill Wippert)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns interviewed Bills defensive coordinator Mike Pettine for their head coaching vacancy a second time Tuesday night in Mobile, Ala., but they left town without a deal and have another interview scheduled for Wednesday morning, a league source told cleveland.com.

The source described as premature a late-night tweet by a Buffalo News reporter saying he heard the deal with Pettine was close. But as anyone in Cleveland knows all too well, things can change on a dime in these coaching searches.

The meeting began at about 4 p.m. and lasted about four hours. It included Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, CEO Joe Banner, President Alec Scheiner and general manager Mike Lombardi.

The Browns were prepared to hire Pettine, 47, on the spot if things went well. He's represented by Creative Artists Agency's Trace Armstrong, who specializes in representing coaches.

It's not yet known who the Browns will interview Wednesday, but possible candidates include Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter and Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. A source said they have not reached out to 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman, a graduate of John Carroll University.

Alex Marvez of Fox Sports reported Tuesday that the Browns would interview Koetter, who helped lead the Falcons to the NFC Championship Game last year, but had a down year in 2013 thanks to receiver Julio Jones' season-ending foot injury and nagging injuries to receiver Roddy White. The Falcons finished 4-12.

The Browns have liked Quinn, their first interview, from the start, and are permitted a second meeting with him by Sunday. Quinn presides over the NFL's top-ranked defense and will face the Broncos in the Super Bowl Feb. 2. If the Browns like him, they'd have to wait until after the Super Bowl to hire him.

Pettine's second interview came hours after Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase -- who will face the Seahawks in the Super Bowl Feb. 2 -- called Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and pulled his name out of consideration for the job. A source said Gase chose to spend another season in Denver with Peyton Manning, who enjoyed the best season of his career this year under the first-year coordinator, with career highs in touchdown passes (55) and yards (5,477).

Gase, 35, also had concerns about his ability to hire a quality staff so late in the process, a source said. Another source told cleveland.com that the Browns made it clear they didn't want to wait until after the Super Bowl to interview Gase for the first time, and that he may have pulled out when he realized they weren't willing to wait. Gase, who was widely regarded as one of the Browns' top targets, declined initial requests to be interviewed by the Browns and Vikings, saying he wanted to focus on the playoffs.

The decision prevented the Browns from talking to Gase at all until at least Feb. 3, which essentially ruled him out. If he had talked to them early on, they could've interviewed him a second time by Sunday, a week before the Super Bowl.

Gase was the second premier offensive coordinator to take his name out of the running. The first was New England's Josh McDaniels, who opted out on Jan. 8, four days after interviewing. McDaniels said he wanted to remain in New England, and do what was best for his wife and four children. A source said McDaniels withdrew when told he wasn't the Browns frontrunner, although sources said the longtime favorite of Lombardi's was also very high on the Browns' list.

Another big-name offensive coordinator, Ken Whisenhunt, interviewed with the Browns and Lions, but opted for the Titans' head job instead.

If Pettine or Quinn are hired, it would buck the trend of NFL teams hiring offensive guys, including innovative college head coaches, to run their teams. Last season, for instance, most of the new hires were offensive-minded, including Philadelphia's Chip Kelly, Arizona's Bruce Arians, Buffalo's Doug Marrone and Kansas City's Andy Reid.

Pettine spent one season as the Bills' defensive coordinator and the previous four years as Jets defensive coordinator under Rex Ryan.

Pettine's 2013 Bills defense ranked 10th in total overall, fourth against the pass and 28th against the run. The Bills were also second in sacks (57) and interceptions (23). Pettine coached two Bills' players to double-digits sack seasons, including defensive end Mario Williams with a team-high 13 for second-most in his career and defensive end Kyle Williams with a career-high 10.5.

Pettine ran a 3-4 hybrid scheme in Buffalo, which is similar to what Ray Horton ran in Cleveland.

He served as Jets defensive coordinator under Rex Ryan from 2009-12, with his defenses finishing in the top 10 all four years, including a No. 1 ranking in 2009. Pettine was known as Ryan's righthand man in New York, and was well-liked by his players.

Previously, Pettine was a Ravens’ assistant from 2002-2008, including his last four as outside linebackers coach when Ryan was the Ravens' coordinator.

The Bills finished this season 6-10 in 2013, including a 37-24 loss to the Browns on Oct. 3. But the rare scoring outburst included a punt return for a TD and an interception return for a TD.