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