Cleveland Browns (2013 Season)

[jlb1705]

According to the article below the NFL is going to leave Haslam alone until the indictment comes down but there are some NFL owners that are not very happy.
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2013/04/nfl_jimmy_haslam_step_down_inv.html#incart_river

So the NFL is going to look the other way while another owner puts another iteration of the Browns in peril through financial irresponsibility/misdeeds. I see where this is headed - they'll let their boy Haslam bleed the franchise dry, and then he'll take a bailout to move them to L.A.

At least Browns fans don't love this group of losers like they did the last group of losers. Maybe in ver. 3.0 we'll get something that fans can be proud of again.

 

[exhawg]

So the NFL is going to look the other way while another owner puts another iteration of the Browns in peril through financial irresponsibility/misdeeds. I see where this is headed - they'll let their boy Haslam bleed the franchise dry, and then he'll take a bailout to move them to L.A.

At least Browns fans don't love this group of losers like they did the last group of losers. Maybe in ver. 3.0 we'll get something that fans can be proud of again.

The Haslams have enough money that I don't think they'd gain anything by bleeding the franchise dry. Hell if he is forced to keep the Browns finances completely separate from his own they will be fine. The NFL is a very different place than it was in the 80's and 90's when Modell had trouble. IIRC NFL teams make enough money to cover the salary cap off the TV deals alone.

 

[jlb1705]

The Haslams have enough money that I don't think they'd gain anything by bleeding the franchise dry. Hell if he is forced to keep the Browns finances completely separate from his own they will be fine. The NFL is a very different place than it was in the 80's and 90's when Modell had trouble. IIRC NFL teams make enough money to cover the salary cap off the TV deals alone.

If he's willing to dick over trucking companies for as little as a couple hundred thousand dollars despite already being filthy rich, then I don't see any reason why he wouldn't dick over Cleveland one way or another as well. Maybe he doesn't take money out of the Browns, but I wouldn't bet against him selling out to L.A. to recoup some of his personal losses. Somebody who is willing to commit the kind of fraud he's accused of is probably also the type who would hang himself before becoming reduced to just a common millionaire. Once this is settled, the Browns are going to be the best way he has left to get a cash infusion unless he's forced to sell to somebody with an interest in keeping the Browns in place.

Given the fact that the NFL's safeguards have already failed to keep this shyster from owning a team in the first place, I don't trust whatever safeguards they have in place to keep the Browns from being harmed by him.

 

[bigdog3300]

The Haslams have enough money that I don't think they'd gain anything by bleeding the franchise dry. Hell if he is forced to keep the Browns finances completely separate from his own they will be fine. The NFL is a very different place than it was in the 80's and 90's when Modell had trouble. IIRC NFL teams make enough money to cover the salary cap off the TV deals alone.

This is pretty much true - in 2010 they made $118 mill alone and that was before the Sunday Ticket deal expired and went from $700 mill to $1 bill so I'd guess each team rakes in close to $150 mill a year alone from TV rev.

 

[Bucklion]

The Haslams have enough money that I don't think they'd gain anything by bleeding the franchise dry. Hell if he is forced to keep the Browns finances completely separate from his own they will be fine. The NFL is a very different place than it was in the 80's and 90's when Modell had trouble. IIRC NFL teams make enough money to cover the salary cap off the TV deals alone.

This assumes the NFL is more motivated to keep a team in Cleveland than they are to move it to LA. Not sure that's entirely true.

 

[LitlBuck]

This assumes the NFL is more motivated to keep a team in Cleveland than they are to move it to LA. Not sure that's entirely true.

You really think they would move an owner less team to LA… Nevermind

 

[tsteele316]

This assumes the NFL is more motivated to keep a team in Cleveland than they are to move it to LA. Not sure that's entirely true.

Except for the fact that the Brown's have a lease with the city through 2029 that makes it virtually impossible for the browns to move. Not even Rachel Phelps and Roger Dorn can pull that off.

 

[NorthCoastKid]

Tony Pauline from DraftInsider.net was just on CBS Sports Radio and said he thinks that if the Browns stay at 6, they'll target Milliner but he's also been hearing that they'll consider Ziggy Ansah. From what Pauline has heard, the Browns would use Ansah as an OLB. If the Browns trade down and stay in the top 12, Pauline thinks they'll target Mingo.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

Tony Pauline from DraftInsider.net was just on CBS Sports Radio and said he thinks that if the Browns stay at 6, they'll target Milliner but he's also been hearing that they'll consider Ziggy Ansah. From what Pauline has heard, the Browns would use Ansah as an OLB. If the Browns trade down and stay in the top 12, Pauline thinks they'll target Mingo.

Read that on OBR...I don't want Ansah or Mingo...I want Milliner or a trade down for Trufant...Who knows what will happen come Thursday night...

 

[Buckeneye]

Milliner or bust...

 

[AuTX Buckeye]

Milliner or bust...

Happened to get into the car when Mike and Mike were talking to Schefuestrewtahoeguhewovwoeifrnter (sp? :)) Said the "browns were the only team he sees that could take Geno Smith in the top 20" ..... I think its a forgone conclusion... the browns will draft Geno at 6.... everyone just prepare..

 

[Bucklion]

Except for the fact that the Brown's have a lease with the city through 2029 that makes it virtually impossible for the browns to move. Not even Rachel Phelps and Roger Dorn can pull that off.

Keep an eye on the sin tax, which expires in 2015. If the voters don't renew it, things could get interesting, because then the money would have to come directly out of the city budget. It may be "virtually" impossible, but circumstances could change, and the NFL could "help" them to change if they really wanted to. Won't be this year. But never say never.

 

[Bucklion]

Happened to get into the car when Mike and Mike were talking to Schefuestrewtahoeguhewovwoeifrnter (sp? :)) Said the "browns were the only team he sees that could take Geno Smith in the top 20" ..... I think its a forgone conclusion... the browns will draft Geno at 6.... everyone just prepare..

Every "expert" is saying the Browns are the only team really interested in a QB that high. So yes, with no competition, and lots of other needs...it would be Lombardi 101 to take Smith at 6. Or maybe Nassib, who is now the flavor of the month.

 

[AKAK]

If he's willing to dick over trucking companies for as little as a couple hundred thousand dollars despite already being filthy rich, then I don't see any reason why he wouldn't dick over Cleveland one way or another as well. Maybe he doesn't take money out of the Browns, but I wouldn't bet against him selling out to L.A. to recoup some of his personal losses. Somebody who is willing to commit the kind of fraud he's accused of is probably also the type who would hang himself before becoming reduced to just a common millionaire. Once this is settled, the Browns are going to be the best way he has left to get a cash infusion unless he's forced to sell to somebody with an interest in keeping the Browns in place.

Given the fact that the NFL's safeguards have already failed to keep this shyster from owning a team in the first place, I don't trust whatever safeguards they have in place to keep the Browns from being harmed by him.

Look, I'm not disagreeing with anything you're saying here except to say that, plainly speaking, and NFL Franchise and the Trucking industries are well, completely different sports.

Where else you gonna get to interface with folks who on a daily basis deal with teamsters, long shoreman, etc. I realize its not quite the old days anymore but, outside of waste management (still trucking) what says mafia like the trucking "business"?

Note that they busted them in part on a conversation where the informant tells about having to buy a million dollar airplane from Western Express instead of having Western Express turn them in? Lets face it, there are probably a nice pile of transportation companies that don't want the FBI and IRS poking around their books either.

(No pass to Haslam here if his company was engaged in fraud and he was aware of it, I'm just saying, in a lot of ways, the DeBartolo's and the Casino businsess is cleaner than a lot of what goes on in transportation.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

No Geno! I swear they draft him, I'm done...I've done tolerated enough s**t out of this franchise, they draft Smith I give..