Browns Don’t Buy Into Palmer, so They Buy Him Out

Despite five shutouts, 27 losses and being outscored by 478 points in two years, Chris Palmer truly believed he and the Cleveland Browns were headed in the right direction.

His boss disagreed.

Palmer was fired Thursday as coach of the Browns after winning only five games in two turbulent seasons since he was selected to lead Cleveland back into the NFL.

“We do have a problem. We are not on the right track,” Brown President Carmen Policy said. “It’s my belief our players are not buying into the program. They didn’t point fingers at the coach, but they are not sold on the project.

“I don’t believe he lost the team, but they lost faith in his ability to take them to the promised land. It’s not the way we wanted things to go.”

The Browns went 2-14 and 3-13 under Palmer, who didn’t have any pro head coaching experience when the Browns hired him. Policy indicated Palmer would be paid for the remaining three years of his contract.

The club didn’t live up to high expectations in its first year, and finished the season ranked last statistically in total offense and defense. In 2000, injuries to key players stifled the Browns from getting any better.

“It’s a tough business,” said quarterback Tim Couch, who sat out nine games because of a broken thumb. “It’s probably not fair, but you’re judged by wins and losses in this league.”

Policy, who guaranteed Palmer’s job was safe for at least another year in November, said the decision to reverse direction was made after a series of postseason meetings. Guaranteeing Palmer’s job was “a mistake,” Policy said.

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Carl Peterson’s fondest wish was to have his old buddy coach the Kansas City Chiefs. Now, with one of the NFL’s richest coaching contracts, Peterson finally has his man--Dick Vermeil.

“This is, in my opinion, the premier head football coach in the National Football League,” Peterson, the Chiefs’ president and general manager, said shortly after Commissioner Paul Tagliabue decided what compensation was due Vermeil’s old team, the St. Louis Rams. “He’s not only a consummate football coach, but he’s a great person.”

Vermeil, whose friendship with Peterson goes back 25 years to their days as assistant coaches at UCLA, will not come cheap. His contract will call for him to be paid about $10 million over three years. The Chiefs scheduled a news conference for today.

The contract would be among the biggest for an NFL coach. Mike Holmgren of Seattle makes $4 million a year, and Minnesota’s Dennis Green makes $3 million. Both have formal front-office responsibilities in addition to on-the-field coaching.

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The New York Jets acted quickly to replace Bill Parcells, hiring Kansas City’s Terry Bradway as their general manager. Bradway spent nine years with the Chiefs, the last as vice president of player personnel, overseeing Kansas City’s professional and college scouting operations. . . . A day after Corey Dillon’s agent said he had rejected an eight-year, $60-million contract offer, the running back informed the team that he has fired agent David Levine. Dillon’s change of heart Thursday left the Bengals unsure of where they stand with their most valuable player. . . . Denver Bronco strong safety Billy Jenkins was fined $7,500 by the NFL for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Baltimore Raven quarterback Trent Dilfer. . . . Tight end Chris Gedney, who battled back from serious injury and major colon surgery to return to the NFL, has been told by the Arizona Cardinals he won’t be invited back next season.