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Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, shown at training camp, knows how important stability can be in an NFL team, but coach Rob Chudzinski has been fired after one season.

(File photo)

PITTSBURGH -- The Browns’ season ended Sunday the way it did a year ago -- with a loss to the Steelers and a head coach trotting off Heinz Field amid speculation about his future with the organization.

Rob Chudzinski took the same path to the locker room following a 20-7 setback as Pat Shurmur did last December. And less than five hours after left tackle Joe Thomas said another coaching change would be “devastating,” the Browns confirmed they had fired Chudzinski.

Few NFL franchises have shown greater instability than the Browns in recent years. Chudzinski represented their fourth coach in the last six years. Only the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs have gone through as many coaches in that span without an interim in the mix, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Chudzinski becomes the sixth NFL coach fired after only one season since 2007 with the last being Mike Mularkey in 2012 after Jacksonville changed general managers.

Unlike the Browns recent firings, however, there was little speculation regarding Chudzinski’s future until Sunday. Thomas spoke Friday about how good it would be to run the same offense and defense for a second straight season next year. He was looking forward to the continuity despite the team’s 4-12 record.

High turnover

Teams with 4-plus coaches since 2008 (all of these teams had exactly 4):

49ers – Nolan, Singletary, Tomsula (interim), Harbaugh

Bills – Jauron, Fewell (interim), Gailey, Marrone

Broncos – Shanahan, McDaniels, Studesville (interim), Fox

Browns – Crennel, Mangini, Shurmur, Chudzinski

Chiefs – Edwards, Haley, Crennel, Reid

Jaguars – Del Rio, Tucker (interim), Mularkey, Bradley

Raiders – Kiffin, Cable, Jackson, Allen

Rams – Linehan, Haslett (interim), Spagnuolo, Fisher

One-and-dones

Last five one-and-dones before this season (not counting 2012 Saints when Sean Payton was suspended for season):

2012 – Mike Mularkey JAC

2011 – Hue Jackson OAK

2009 – Jim Mora SEA

2007 – Bobby Petrino ATL

2007 – Cam Cameron MIA

Source: Elias Sports Bureau

“That is the best strategy for any NFL franchise because blowing it up every couple years doesn’t work,” said Thomas, who’s played for Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, Shurmur and Chudzinski during his seven seasons.

Safety T.J. Ward was asked if he would be surprised if the Browns released Chudzinski after one year.

“Nothing surprises me,” the fourth-year player said. “I’ve been through three coaches.”

He made the statement while standing on the grounds where the Steelers have had just three coaches since 1969. That year, rookie coach Chuck Noll survived despite a 1-13 record.

“You look at the great franchises,” Thomas said. “They don’t fire your coach after the first season. You can’t do it.”

The Browns are the outlier in an AFC North that’s become a model of coaching continuity. Cincinnati’s Marvin Lewis is the second-longest tenured coach in the league behind New England’s Bill Belichick. Three of the eight longest-tenured NFL coaches – Lewis (11 seasons), Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin (seven seasons) and John Harbaugh (six seasons) – reside in the division.

A year ago, owner Jimmy Haslam spoke to Sports Illustrated about the need for stability in coaching.

“One thing I learned from watching the Steelers is the importance of consistency in coaching, and how much it sets you back when you're always making a change,” said Haslam, a former minority owner with the club. “When you change coaches, it can be a three- or four-year deal to get back.”

But a seven-game losing streak tested the patience of the organization’s decision makers. A source told cleveland.com that Haslam was upset with the Browns’ effort in last week’s 24-13 loss against the New York Jets and left Sunday’s game early.

Haslam’s legal issues with Pilot Flying J – his company remains the target of a federal fraud probe – only add to the uncertainty surrounding the organization.

Chudzinski was fired Sunday night after meeting with the team’s braintrust as he fought to keep his job.

Quarterback Jason Campbell, who’s witnessed his share of instability in Washington and Oakland, spoke of how disposable coaches and quarterbacks have become in the NFL.

“You look around the league, everyone’s searching for the instant answer,” Campbell said. “This isn’t something that just happens. It’s something you have to work at, something you have to build.

“If the quarterback or a coach doesn’t have instant results, you get rid of guys. Back in the day, guys like Troy Aikman and Peyton Manning, their first year in the league they were 1-15 or (3-13) and they turn out to be Hall of Fame quarterbacks. You can never base things off one play or one season because the first year’s the hardest year.”

But in a statement announcing Chudzinski’s firing, the Browns said: “Our fans deserve to see a consistently competitive team. We have high standards, and there's an urgency for success.”

This from a franchise that recorded its seventh 12th-loss season since 1999. This from a franchise that's run through six full-time head coaches and 20 starting quarterbacks in the past 14 seasons.

The revolving door in Berea keeps spinning.