Non-GMs and assembling a quality coaching staff

With the Browns making plenty of moves to their front office and coaching staff, I think it's time to make a few comments that can't be expressed in the 140 character-limited Twitter.

1. Hiring Mike Lombardi
Yes, yes, the big Browns story of the day is that Lombardi is the new General Manager VP Player Personnel. I'm sure I don't have to tell you about how he trashed the Browns drafting Brandon Weeden and Josh Gordon, Lombardi's own poor drafting record, and the fact that he's been a TV analyst for five years.

I saw 92.3 The Fan's Anthony Lima Tweet this earlier, but really the last person to come out of broadcasting to get back into the NFL was Matt Millen with the Detroit Lions in 2001. Sure that's a small sample size, and it's not a particularly apt comparison because Millen had no prior player-evaluating experience—something Lombardi does have, even if it isn't strong—but it still is a red flag.

The thing is—and I Tweeted this earlier today—there really wasn't a GM name out there that was going to knock my socks off for the Browns GM/Player Personnel position. I mean, the rumored front runner had been Kansas City's Ray Farmer. We all know the Chiefs have pretty much been as bad as the Browns the last couple of years. So I guess one of the reasons I'm not that upset about this hire is who else was there to pick?

Perhaps I'm reading too much into it, but Lombardi eat some crow today in saying that Gordon has "nothing to worry about." But when asked about Weeden, Lombardi said that he has to evaluate. Between the lines, that can't be great news for the 29-year old quarterback.

But irrespective of all this, Lombardi is now officially a member of the Browns organization and that means I'd like nothing more than for him to succeed.

2. Bringing in Ray Horton
If there's anything a first-time head coach in the NFL needs, it's quality coordinators. And it's hard to argue against the two Rob Chudzinski landed—Norv Turner (who we'll get to in a bit) and Ray Horton.

Horton comes to the Browns from Arizona, where he held the same position. It's been reported that the 52-year old was none too pleased about being passed over for the Cardinals HC job in favor of Bruce Arians, but Arizona's loss is Cleveland's gain.

Incredibly, the Horton-coached Arizona defense was ranked 12th overall in 2012—fifth against the pass but 28th against the run. The unit came in 17th in terms of points, but when you think about how dreadful the Arizona offense was—32nd overall and rushing, 28th passing—that's a pretty remarkable feat.

Before going to the Cardinals, Horton spent 2004-2010 with the Pittsburgh Steelers as the defensive backs coach. That's just one more advantage in my mind, because it means Horton knows the AFC North.

Of course, coming from the Steelers menas Horton is trained in Dick LeBeau's famed 3-4. However, Adam Kaplan Tweeted that Horton can coach both the 3-4 and the 4-3. I would very much like to see that "hybrid" look on the Browns, but either way I think Horton will be great.

Per this Tweet by Kyndra de St. Aubin, Horton will be paid $8 million over four years. That's big money for a defensive coordinator, so it's obvious the Browns were impressed in their interview with him for head coach.

There really isn't much—if anything—to dislike about this hire.

3. The Norv factor
I don't think I'm saying anything anyone else hasn't said when I say Norv Turner has been a failure as a head coach, but is a slam dunk hire for the Browns at offensive coordinator.

This might be an absurd comparison given how long ago it was, but Turner did coordinate the Dallas Cowboys offense from 1991-1993. In that time, the Cowboys ranked in the top-10 in total offense, passing, and rushing yards in all three years (okay, with the exception of 1991, when Dallas ranked 13th in rushing.) Those Dallas teams had three key players on offense—quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith, and wide receiver Michael Irvin. Who do the Browns have now? Brandon Weeden, Trent Richardson, and Josh Gordon.

Admittedly, Weeden doesn't seem to have nearly the same potential as Aikman. And with Lombardi at the helm of Player Personnel, it's also looking more likely that Weeden won't be the guy. But you have to think that Richardson and Gordon could be cornerstones to a great new offensive era for Turner and the Browns.

Of course, in today's NFL, a team is only as good as it's quarterback, so finding that right guy must be the priority. Still, just as I think with Horton, there really isn't anything to dislike about this hire as well.

Say what you want about the Browns hiring Lombardi, but by bringing in Turner and Horton, the Browns have set up Chudzinski much better than Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert set up Pat Shurmur two years ago.

Welcome back, Chud

Rob Chudzinski—the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns.

You want to talk about something I just didn't think would happen, this is it. Hiring Chudzinski definitely doesn't make the big "splash" pretty much everyone thought owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner would go for. But here we are, and this is what we've got.

And the more I think about it, the more I think I like it.

If you don't remember, Chudzinski has ben in Cleveland with the Browns twice before—under Butch Davis in 2004 as the tight ends coach, and then under Romeo Crenel from 2007-2008 as the offensive coordinator.

Chudzinski's spent the past couple of years as the Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator, guiding Cam Newton to a then rookie-record 4,051 passing yards in 2011, along with 706 rushing yards. Obviously, having an elite talent like Newton helps you as a coach, but Chudzinski's offenses ranked seventh and 12th in 2011 and 2012, respectively. The guy also likes to run the ball, as they ranked third in 2011 and ninth in 2012 in that category. Good news for Trent Richardson, no?

I know I've seen some people on Twitter comparing this hire to that of Pat Shurmur, and I really don't see it that way. At least Chudzinski has been at the helm of top-10 offenses in his career—multiple times. Mike Holmgren hired Shurmur after two seasons of being offensive coordinator in St. Louis, where the offenses ranked 29th and 26th. So seriously, let's stop the Chudzinski-Shurmur comparisons.

Let's think about it—that offense in 2007 was excellent. The Browns ranked eighth in total offense—12th in passing and 10th in rushing. They also ranked eighth in points. Derek freaking Anderson made the Pro Bowl that year, throwing 29 touchdowns. Sixteen of those went to Braylon freaking Edwards. Kellen Winslow also set a franchise record for tight end receiving yards.  

So what else do we know about Chudzinski? Well, he's 44 years old, so that means he has plenty of time to grow as a coach. He also grew up in Toledo and was apparently a Browns fan. And the fact that he's already been in Berea two other times is certainly a plus.

Now additionally, reports are that Norv Turner is likely to be a part of Chudzinski's staff—presumably as the offensive coordinator. Chudzinski worked under Turner in San Diego, and apparently Turner's son, Scott Turner, was one of Chud's right-hand men in Carolina. The younger Turner is also likely to join the Browns staff.

I don't think anyone is a fan of Turner as a head coach, but as a coordinator Turner has been largely successful. He's had five top-15 offenses in seven years as coach, and has had four in the top-10. I really think bringing in Turner(s) would be a good thing.

What I'm a little more nervous about is the defense. If all the reports on Twitter are true and the Browns do, in fact, switch to a 3-4, then the defense is going to be significantly behind the offense. Let's face it—the Browns have pretty much one viable linebacker and his name is D'Qwell Jackson. James-Michael Johnson has some potential, but the fact is the Browns have a solid core of defensive linemen...for a 4-3. Though I do inherently prefer a 3-4, it's going to take maybe 2-3 years to adjust personnel.

I may be in the minority, but as I said, the more I think about it, the more I like this hire. Banner's hired a little-known coach before, and his name was Andy Reid. Ever heard of him?

Yes, the Browns have gone through so many different changes since 1999, and I don't want to just say "this time is different," but...yeah, I just won't say that.

I'll put it like this instead—the fact that Banner has put together a successful franchise before, and the fact that Haslam has run a successful business venture like Pilot, makes me feel pretty good about Chudzinski. Let's at least give him a chance, Browns fans.

No matter what, he can't be worse than Shurmur.

...right?

~MAS

"So this is what rejection feels like." — No Chip Kelly, and a plea for Bruce Arians

Looks like Chip Kelly's talents will be
staying in Oregon or heading to Philly.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

After Friday night's news that Chip Kelly was "very close" to becoming the next head coach of the Cleveland Browns came down, I got a post ready for when his hiring was officially announced.

Of course, the best laid plans are the ones that go awry, right?

Well, I'd bet that's probably what the Browns decision makers are thinking at this point.

As I'm sure you all know by now, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner are moving on from their pursuit of Oregon's Kelly. Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer cites "league sources" saying the Browns weren't sure if Kelly was 100% into the idea of leaving Oregon to coach in Cleveland, and that is the primary reason Haslam and Banner are moving on in their search. They want the coach they hire to be "all in" for coaching the Browns.

Okay, I do realize that this could be some kind of smoke screen from the Browns so that they look a little less foolish when they later say, "We wanted this guy all along," but at the same time you can't say that Kelly's process had nothing to do with it. In a lot of ways, the guy seems like the little boy who cried "wolf." You can't be surprised if he ends up going back to Oregon. And if he does, then he obviously was not 100% into the idea of coaching the Browns.

Don't get me wrong—I'm not saying that to validate the smoke screen. But whether it was Kelly or the Browns backing away, the fact is that it just wasn't going to work.

And now the Browns are left to "reboot" their coaching search...whatever that means.

One of the issues is that nobody knows who in the world the Browns might want to interview next. We know—not from the Browns themselves, mind you—that Haslam and Banner have interviewed former Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Wisenhunt, and Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton. But Doug Marrone was supposedly the next guy up for the Browns, and he agreed to coach the Buffalo Bills this morning.

If you're keeping the speculative score, that means the Browns have been shafted by their first (Nick Saban), second (Kelly), and third (Marrone) choices. You could probably throw Bill O'Brien into that mix somewhere as well, since the Browns did interview him before he decided to remain at Penn State.

Four coaches, four swings and misses.

Obviously, at some point in the next few weeks, the Browns are going to hire a coach. And I sincerely hope that this "reboot" begins and ends with one man—Bruce Arians.

Sure, there are other names out there like Wisenhunt and Lovie Smith, but I just really feel Arians is the perfect fit. He was Butch Davis' offensive coordinator the only time the Browns made it to the playoffs since 1999—meaning he coached (my favorite "modern era" Brown) Kelly Holcomb to that (incredible) 429 yard, three-touchdown performance against the Steelers. And he also coached Andrew Luck to a rookie record for passing yards this season. That's in addition to him taking over for Chuck Pagano after he was diagnosed with cancer, meaning he does, in fact, have some type of head coaching experience.

Furthermore, after Davis fired him, Arians spent the next eight seasons with the Steelers, meaning he knows the division. In the AFC North—almost always one of the toughest divisions in the NFL—that kind of knowledge is invaluable. Who knows, maybe Arians' offense could be exactly what Brandon Weeden needs to be effective?

So hopefully Arians' bout with the flu that landed him in the hospital instead of on the sideline for the Colts' playoff game in Baltimore is not serious so that the Browns can set up an interview with him as soon as possible. Mike Carins of WEWS tweeted that Arians really did want the job in Cleveland, and now that it's up for grabs again, this job should fall right into his lap.

The Cleveland Browns: Never a dull moment.

~MAS

"Strong Leadership"

Browns owner Jimmy Haslam wants "strong leadership" in
his next head coach, and that's a good thing.

As we all know, yesterday was was a very Black Monday around the NFL with seven head coaches and five general managers losing their jobs—Pat Shurmur and Tom Heckert among them.

This, of course, was no surprise, including to at least Heckert himself. I'm not going to re-hash everything that's gone on with the Mike Holmgren-Heckert-Shurmur triangle, because in the end it doesn't matter. When Jimmy Haslam decided to spend a billion dollars to buy the Browns in August, those three never had a real chance to keep their jobs.

And it makes sense. I'm sure I've said this before—and I'll probably say it again—but when you spend a billion dollars to buy something, you get to do whatever you want with it. And I've never been that big of a fan of Shurmur anyway, so to me he's no big loss.

What's important now is to find the right man to lead the Browns on the field. And that's what leads me to to title of this post: Strong leadership.

When asked the qualities he's looking for in a head coach, Haslam gave that two-word answer. That's after being a part of Steelers ownership the past few years, and then watching Shurmur throughout the season. And it's also after doing a lot of research with CEO Joe Banner over the past few months.

So what might "strong leadership" mean a little more specifically?

Well, in my opinion, it certainly doesn't mean Shurmur. I know Holmgren basically set up Shurmur to fail—a first time head coach with no offseason and no offensive coordinator was a horrendous strategy—but if you just look at the guy and compare him with coaches that have won recent Super Bowls, Shurmur just doesn't stack up.

I'm talking about coaches like Tom Coughlin, Mike Tomlin, Mike McCarthy, Sean Payton, Tony Dungey, Bill Cowher, Bill Bellichick, and Jon Gruden—those are the coaches who have won Super Bowls in the past 10 years. There aren't necessarily tangible reasons for this, but you can say that all of those men are strong leaders. Each one of them passes the "eyeball test" for that. They're all accountable for decisions they make—whether good or bad—and they're not surly or condescending to the media (...well, with the exception of Bellichick for that one). But they certainly don't look like they're cluelessly sleep walking through the game on the sideline.

Because Super Bowls have only been won by these types of men in the last 10 years, I think it makes sense that Haslam and Banner want to find a coach first and then go after a GM or Director of Player Personnel. Yes, finding players is important, but coaching up those players and creating schemes that put those players in positions to win is arguably even more vital to success.

What I don't think, though, is that "strong leader" is code for "Nick Saban" or "Chip Kelly." Sure, those men have had good success at Alabama and Oregon, respectively, but I feel Haslam is talking more about an "it" factor than anything else. Whatever "it" happens to be, it's the same factor that has led all the aforementioned coaches to winning the Super Bowl.

So far, reports have surfaced that Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone and Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton will interview for the Browns job. And, of course, everybody thinks Chip Kelly and Nick Saban are on the short list. I agree with Terry Pluto, though, in that I'd like Colts offensive coordinator/interim head coach Bruce Arians to at least get an interview, and I also wouldn't mind seeing Penn State head coach Bill O'Brien get a look.

But in the end, I just want Haslam and Banner to get it right. It's not about pleasing me or any other fan. As Haslam said yesterday, "If we win, [the coach will] be embraced."

He couldn't be more right.

Start Me Up: 2012 Cleveland Browns Season

If you ask me, the Browns season hopes are tied
to how well this guy can run the ball.

The return of Start Me Up posts can only mean one thing...

The Browns are back, baby!

This 2012 season is obviously going to be a big one for four men: Jimmy Haslam, Mike Holmgren, Tom Heckert, and Pat Shurmur.

As someone who just bought a franchise for a billion dollas, Haslam has earned the right to do whatever he wants with the Browns. And based on everything I've learned about him in the last month or so, I think he's going to do what it takes to win football games here in Cleveland. Not only is he an extreme lover of football, he's a shrewd businessman. The Browns will be a hobby for him. It's not that owning an NFL franchise won't make him richer, but it also won't be his only source of income.

That's the way I want an owner to operate.

Still, though, this season could—and probably should—be defining for Holmgren, Heckert, and Shurmur's careers in Cleveland. Holmgren is already expected to be packing his bags for Seattle as former Philadelphia Eagles President Joe Banner is presumably going to fill that same role in Cleveland once the sale is finally approved in October.

But for Heckert and Shurmur, things could be different. If the team plays well and shows that what they've begun building over the last few years is making tangible progress, I believe there's a very good chance that both could stay. I can't give a number for wins on that, but if they go 6-10, I think there's more than a reasonable argument that progress has been made.

If they go 1-15 as some "experts" have been predicting...well, let's not even go down that road.

When you think about it, though, the keys to the season pretty much rest in the hands of the supremely young Browns offense.

Obviously the Browns hope Trent Richardson and Brandon Weeden can become stable backfield fixtures in Cleveland for the foreseeable future, but if the season goes south only one of those guys realistically has a chance to be here when a new regime takes over. And his name isn't Brandon Weeden.

To me, if Richardson is healthy and productive, the Browns will have a realistic shot at winning each and every game they play. Yes, I know the NFL has little by little shifted into a passing league, but a running back with speed, power, and agility still has a place in the league—just ask the Texans. I'm not going to pretend it's all about the running back—since I firmly believe Houston lost to the Ravens in the divisional round last year because they were playing their third quarterback in TJ Yates—but if you have a top-notch running game and can control the ball and the clock, you will have a chance to win.

Plus, now opposing defenses have at least one guy that they must gameplan to stop. You literally could not say that about one Browns offensive player last year. As weeks go on, we might even prove to have two or three guys like that—Greg Little has reportedly made some strides, and Josh Gordon is just a supreme physical talent. Hell, maybe even Weeden will progress enough to scare some defenses as well.

For now, we all have to hope that Holmgren's bold prediction that the team will take a "big jump" this year holds true. Will it? I'm not sure. There are just so many unknowns on this team. The lack of depth at the linebacker position scares me—and it should scare you too. At some point, Joe Haden might be out for four games, and that would be terrible. And losing Phil Taylor for half the season at one of the DT spots certainly isn't that good either...

But when it comes down to it, who cares? It's football season yet again, and as of this writing the Browns are undefeated!

And because this is a Start Me Up post, of course we have some predictions to make...

The Season Prediction: 5-11, Fourth Place, AFC North.

I just don't see how the Browns are going to win more than five games with their schedule. I want to be wrong—meaning I want them to win more games—but there are just too many question marks. Like I said, if Richardson is healthy and productive, the Browns will have the ability to be in every game. It's just going to be a matter of making sure those games turn into Ws, and I'm just not sure they have the ability to do it.

And now for today...

The Prediction: Eagles 28 - Browns 17

Okay, here's a bold prediction—the Browns will come out and score a touchdown on their first drive of the season. Trent Richardson will surprise us all and come out looking like a man on a mission, allowing the Browns to run the ball down Philly's throat while Weeden comes up with some big time throws. And then the Eagles will remember that they're playing a worthy opponent, and all the wind will be sucked out of the Browns sails. But I really don't think it's going to be as bad as it looked like it could be in that preseason game just a couple of weeks ago.

For all of you loyal blog followers out there, unfortunately there won't be any halftime blurb today as I've got too many meetings to go to, so I probably won't even see most of the game. But at some point, I'll do what I can to see what I can and there will be a Final Word. So all three of you, don't you worry about a thing.

Enjoy the day, Browns fans!
~MAS

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