Browns fire coach Pat Shurmur, GM Tom Heckert

• Shurmur was 9-23 in two seasons
• Team's solid foundation could be attractive to prospective replacement candidates
• Heckert had worked for Joe Banner in Philadelphia

Regime change has been a fact of life in Cleveland for months, and it reached the coaching staff Monday. Head coach Pat Shurmur was fired after going 9-23 in two seasons on the sideline including a 5-11 effort this year.

"I am extremely proud of the players on this team, who I felt made tremendous strides and helped to make the Cleveland Browns relevant again," Shurmur said in a statement released by the team.

"I am disappointed that we did not win more games, but I do know the Browns are on their way to becoming a consistent winner."

General Manager Tom Heckert was also let go after a three-season tenure.

New owner Jimmy Haslam, who took the franchise's reins midseason and quickly replaced Mike Holmgren with Joe Banner in the front office, is expected to make a splashy coaching hire for a team that's had just two winning seasons and one playoff appearance since returning to the NFL in 1999 after a four-year hiatus.

Cleveland could actually be an attractive job given the young talent amassed by Holmgren and Heckert with running back Trent Richardson and cornerback Joe Haden headlining a group that also includes wideout Josh Gordon, tackle Mitchell Schwartz, safety T.J. Ward and defensive linemen Phil Taylor and Jabaal Sheard. Veterans Joe Thomas, Alex Mack, D'Qwell Jackson and Ahtyba Rubin are part of a solid core.

"I leave the Browns feeling very good about many of the things we accomplished here and the direction in which I believe this team is headed," Heckert said.

However Brandon Weeden, 29, may yet have to prove he's the quarterback of the future on the heels of an inconsistent season that paled in comparison to fellow rookies Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Russell Wilson.