Cleveland Browns (2008 Season)

[osugrad21]

ABJ

Browns' owner begins his search for a GM Patriots' executive with links to Cleveland ranks high on list. Selection of coach to come later
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sports writer

Published on Tuesday, Dec 30, 2008
BEREA: Browns owner Randy Lerner appears ready to give Scott Pioli the chance to step out of Bill Belichick's shadow.
Lerner has asked for and received permission to interview the New England Patriots' vice president for player personnel to replace General Manager Phil Savage, who was fired Saturday. Pioli would then head the search to replace Romeo Crennel, who was relieved of his duties as coach Monday.
Pioli, 43, got his start in the NFL as a Browns pro personnel assistant under Belichick in 1992. He has worked with Belichick for 16 years, including three with the New York Jets when Belichick was an assistant under Bill Parcells.
Lerner said Pioli's interview had not been scheduled. Presumably it will be this week because the Patriots did not make the playoffs.
Pioli became Lerner's target after former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher rebuffed Lerner's overture to lead his struggling franchise in a Saturday night meeting in New York. Lerner said Cowher ''made it very clear he did not anticipate coaching in '09'' and told Lerner not to include him on his list of candidates.
Lerner said he did not get the chance to present a formal financial package to Cowher, who is concluding his second season as a CBS analyst after
spending 15 years with the Steelers.
Cont...

 

[ulukinatme]

I'm guessing Cowher doesn't want to coach the Browns.
Can you blame him?

Na, it's nothing to do with not wanting to coach Cleveland, it's just bad timing. Family was a big reason he stepped down from Pittsburgh in the first place. The CBS job was a great way to continue to generate some income I'm guessing while spending time with the family. Give it 3-4 years, I say throw another unproven coach in there at Cleveland. If he does well, great. If not, Cowher's kids will be out of school and he'll be ready for the job

 

[LitlBuck]

Relax, the Browns will get it back together. Maybe not to the Superbowl, but they'll be back as a contender.
Today was proof of the intention of management to get it right, getting rid of those who couldn't make it work.
.

I only have so many years left on this earth and I would appreciate it if one of the Cleveland teams could win one more world championship since the one I witnessed in 1964. Please!

 

[LitlBuck]

While listening to a Browns talkshow yesterday evening, I've found it interesting that Josh McDaniels is the son-in-law of Mark Schapiro and then he graduated from John Carroll. There was also mentioned by the guys that Pioli is very good friends with not only Schapiro but also Danny Ferry.

Re:Cowher when he met with Lerner Saturday night in New York at Lerner's residence, B.C. told Lerner that he would not discuss any coaching job with any owner for 2009 but would not rule out 2010.

Also, Doug Dieken said that when he was on the field in Pittsburgh on Sunday talking to some of the Steelers that they mentioned Russ Grimm was going to take over as HC for St. Louis. I was wondering why Russ Grimm's name was not being brought up for the Browns job.

 

[LitlBuck]

PD

Patriots' Pioli said to be very interested in Browns' GM job
by Mary Kay Cabot
Monday December 29, 2008, 6:22 PM

Scott Pioli, Patriots vice president of player personnel, is believed to be very interested in the Browns' general manager job and is expected to interview for the position soon, multiple league sources told The Plain Dealer on Monday.

The Browns have been granted permission by the Patriots to interview Pioli and could talk to him as soon as today. Pioli also has been contacted by either the Kansas City Chiefs or Detroit Lions and will interview for one of those jobs as well, a source said.

The interviews will be the first Pioli has accepted since he joined the Patriots in 2000. He was granted permission to interview with two other teams, but he declined both. In 2005, the Seattle Seahawks, despite not formally interviewing Pioli, offered him a five-year, $15 million deal, which he turned down. He also declined a request to be interviewed by the New York Giants in January 2007.

Continued

 

[LitlBuck]

PD

After firing Crennel, Lerner turns attention to GM, coach candidates
by Tony Grossi
Monday December 29, 2008, 7:34 PM

The future of the Browns could be shaped by the end of the week when owner Randy Lerner hopes to land the club's next chief football executive.
Spurned by top choice Bill Cowher in a face-to-face meeting Saturday night, Lerner now turns his attention to trying to attract an experienced NFL executive to reshape his football operation.

Lerner fired General Manager Phil Savage by telephone Saturday and released Romeo Crennel as head coach in a meeting at Browns headquarters Monday.

Lerner has received permission to interview Scott Pioli, New England's vice president/player personnel. Lerner could meet with Pioli, a longtime protege of Bill Belichick, as soon as today.

Other possibilities, said a league source, include Rich McKay, president of the Atlanta Falcons, and Tom Heckert, Philadelphia general manager. But neither of those potential candidates can be approached until their teams are out of the playoffs.

THE CANDIDATES
Front office executive
SCOTT PIOLI, New England Patriots VP/player personnel
The son-in-law of Bill Parcells has been Bill Belichick's right-hand man for nine seasons, making them the longest-running personnel director-head coach tandem in the NFL. He got his start in Belichick's personnel department with the Browns in 1992. Pioli defers to Belichick with the Patriots, yet was named NFL Executive of the Year on two occasions. He assembled the scouting department in New England but never hired a coach.

RICH McKAY, Atlanta Falcons president
The son of coaching legend John McKay, he has a wealth of experience in the NFL in executive positions with Tampa Bay and Atlanta and has served on the league's competition committee for 15 years. Was the architect of the Tampa Bay resurgence under former coach Tony Dungy. For four years, he held the dual role with Atlanta as general manager but separated this season to oversee all business operations.
TOM HECKERT, Philadelphia Eagles GM

Son of 1980s-era Browns scout Tom Heckert Sr., he was promoted to Eagles GM in 2006 after working his way up from scouting. Began as a scout with Miami. He defers to coach Andy Reid on all personnel matters and could have been the scapegoat had the Eagles not made NFC playoffs.

Head coach
ERIC MANGINI, former New York Jets coach
Fired on Monday as Jets coach after team lost four of last five games and missed AFC playoffs. Was 23-26 in three seasons and won 10 games twice.

JOSH McDANIELS, Patriots offensive coordinator
Canton native who has learned under Belichick's wing since 2001. His stock soared since succeeding Charlie Weis in 2005 as New England coordinator.

JASON GARRETT, Dallas Cowboys assistant head coach/offensive coordinator
Once seen as the heir apparent to Cowboys head coach job, his stock tumbled with the team's offensive decline this year. Was considered a candidate to be Browns coordinator in 2007, but was denied permission to interview by Miami and then was released to join the Cowboys.

STEVE SPAGNUOLO, New York Giants defensive coordinator
Considered a hot candidate for any vacancy, he has one Super Bowl win on his resume and could repeat in '08. Mentored for seven seasons under Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jim Johnson before breaking out on his own last year.

JIM SCHWARTZ, Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator
Yet another branch from the Belichick tree, he started as an entry-level scout with the Browns in 1993 and then moved with the team to Baltimore. He has been with the Titans for 10 seasons, the past eight as coordinator.

REX RYAN, Baltimore Ravens assistant head coach/defensive coordinator
Son of former NFL defensive guru Buddy Ryan, he has been with Ravens since 1999 and stayed on as coordinator after Brian Billick was fired. He arguably has had the most talent to work with among defensive coaches, and he has not failed to maximize it.

Lerner would not identify the executives on his radar other than Pioli.
Continued

 

[LitlBuck]

PD

Crennel would consider staying with Browns
by Mary Kay Cabot
Monday December 29, 2008, 10:06 PM

Romeo Crennel, fired by the Browns Monday morning, made it clear in a phone interview that there's only one way he'd consider remaining with the team: if the new head coach really wanted him.

"You don't want to get into a situation where somebody other than the head coach is hiring the coaches because now you've got a situation that might not work best," said Crennel. "And for this organization to move forward, they need key people on the same page, going in the same direction."

Crennel, of course, was stripped of his ability to hire most of his assistants after he made a mistake on offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon in 2005. He also didn't have much of a say in player acquisition, including his desire to bring in key veterans this season to plug gaping holes.

But despite the fact it was obvious that he and fired general manager Phil Savage weren't on the same page, Crennel refused to use that as an excuse.

"As it turned out, we were both held accountable, both Phil and myself for our record and we're both out of a job and that's the bottom line," said Crennel. "Whatever the reasons are, no one really cares. It's just like on Sunday -- did you win or lose? That you're playing with the fourth quarterback doesn't matter. We're both accountable and we have to answer for that."

Crennel said he told owner Randy Lerner that he'd be open to staying, but only under the right circumstances.

"You'd have to be careful about how it would be looked on by the new people coming in," he said. "They don't want anyone looking over their shoulder, particularly someone who was here before. Even though the position might not be one they're directly in charge of, human nature gets into this thing a little bit. If that's their perception, whether it's right or wrong, it might impact their judgement or impact the way they do things."

Crennel said he'd keep an open mind. Crennel has a great relationship with Patriots Vice President Scott Pioli, who's up for the GM job, and Pioli might want Crennel to stay.

Continued

 

[Bleed S & G]

Let the Shanahan rumors begin.

 

[3074326]

Let the Shanahan rumors begin.

The Browns would have a new fan (me) if they hired Shanahan.

Love the guy.

I think the GM that Denver fired a year or two ago is still on the market. He did a great job in Denver, and his firing was about as stupid as Shanahan's IMO. <- those statements are based on vague memory, could be wrong

 

[Bleed S & G]

The Browns would have a new fan (me) if they hired Shanahan.

Love the guy.

I think the GM that Denver fired a year or two ago is still on the market. He did a great job in Denver, and his firing was about as stupid as Shanahan's IMO. <- those statements are based on vague memory, could be wrong

Look dude. I really don't give a shit what you think.. add me to your friends list on PS3.

K. Thx. By.

 

[3074326]

Look dude. I really don't give a shit what you think.. add me to your friends list on PS3.

K. Thx. By.

 

[buckeyebri]

The Browns really need to be done with going the route of the great coordinator and get an experienced coach. It would be a nice fresh start for Shanahan and I think he could do a great job with the team.

 

[Buckeneye]

Nothing against Mangini, but I think Shanahan would be a far more solid hire...

 

[exhawg]

I doubt they are offering him the job, probably just talking to him to get a feel for what he's looking for.

 

[ysubuck]

I like the idea of a Mangini/Pioli team.

Mangini isn't the reason the Jets went in the tank this season. Favre stunk. Favre didn't like that he got called out in front of the team for poor play. Favre didn't like Mangini.

Hence Mangini is now available.

As a Browns fan I'll take Mangini in a heartbeat.