Welcome to Cleveland, Jimmy Haslam

For those of you who read this blog often, you know that I'm a huge football fan.

And right now, my beloved Cleveland Browns are going through a period of transition and I couldn't be happier about it.

Maybe I'm being an impressionable and naïve fan, but from everything I've seen, read, and heard from Jimmy Haslam III, I think we're about to usher in a fantastic new era of football in Cleveland, Ohio.

Once the sale becomes official—either in October or a at a special NFL commissioned meeting—Haslam will become the fifth owner in Browns history. The first, obviously, was Paul Brown, followed by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Al Lerner was awarded the expansion franchise that began playing in 1999, and once he passed away his son Randy took over.

And I've heard some people talk about this, but the way Randy Lerner just didn't seem to love owning a football team is somewhat baffling. I mean really, can you imagine owning anything better than a football team?

To me, that's one of the best things about Jimmy Haslam. He came out to practice today dressed in Browns t-shirt and shorts to see his team practice. And throughout the morning session, he talked with both President Mike Holmgren and GM Tom Heckert, asking questions about the way things are run on and off the field.

Isn't it a beautiful thing to see the owner actually taking an interest in the franchise?

And that's not to speak too ill of Randy Lerner, but everybody knows he was the epitome of an absentee owner. Mike Holmgren had been attending the NFL Owners Meetings for him for the past couple of years, so what does that tell you?

I will say this for Lerner, though—he was never afraid to spend money. He threw tens of millions of dollars at people so that they would just go away—Romeo Crenel, Eric Mangini, Carmen Policy, Phil Savage, the list goes on and on and on.

But now, the Haslam family from Tennessee is coming in and I believe we're going to see a new period of stability. If Holmgren is right and the team does take "A pretty big jump" this year, I don't see Haslam cleaning house as some have reported he will.

Seriously, if this team wins six games and looks good doing it, why in the world would you blow it up?

This team finally seems to have a direction. It finally seems to have a purpose. It has an offensive and defensive philosophy. We have a premier running back—seriously, if you haven't seen Trent Richardson in person in Berea, just wait until next Friday's first preseason game. The new quarterback might be older, but he looks like a winner as well.

Now you add an owner to this equation who is passionate, driven, and committed to making this team successful here in Cleveland—what's not to like?

I may have drank that Brown and Orange kool-aid too quickly, but man is Jimmy Haslam an impressive man.

And I'd be shocked if he didn't bring winning back to Cleveland.

Here we go Brownies, here we go!
~MAS