2013 Cleveland Browns Thread: RIP Chud

• BR1986FB

  Pick6;1369041 wrote:I don't know how banner lasted 13-14 years in Phili if he is as power hungry as you all make him out to be...

  Banner is absolutely LOATHED by players for his "hardball" approach. I had heard the players reactions to this new regime were "thrilled about Haslam as the owner" and "oh, shit...here we go again" on Banner as the HMFIC.
  
  Banner is not well liked and he has a chip on his shoulder. He's great working contracts/salary cap but you might as well have a blindfolded money throwing darts at names on a dart board for your draft...and THAT'S what Banner wants to prove he can do, draft players. It's just not his thing.
• CLEconomically Speaking

  

  Mr Miyagi;1369046 wrote:Don't forget that he lambasted the Weeden pick. Bad news for a lot of people.

  Lombardi was one of the few media types smitten with Mallett before the 2011 draft, stating in April of that year that he was "convinced" Mallett would be a top-20 pick. Mallett was drafted 74th by the Patriots.
  
  This dude is a terrible talent evaluator. Get ready Cleveland fans.
• IggyPride00

  

  I hope Haslam plans on spending big in free agency to get this team over the hump this year, because with a hire like this there will be no honeymoon.
  
  When you hire someone as reviled as Mike Lombardi, there will be no benefit of the doubt and patience from the fan base.
  
  If the results aren't good immediately, it is going to turn toxic in Berea in ways that make the past 14 years seem like the glory days.
  
  If Haslam didn't know how big a PR disaster this would be he is an idiot, and if he knew and still allowed the hire to happen anyway he is a bigger idiot.
  
  Either way we have an owner who for all intents and purposes is as clueless as Randy Lerner that he willingly would invite problems into the front office like this.
• BR1986FB

  IggyPride00;1369053 wrote:I hope Haslam plans on spending big in free agency to get this team over the hump this year, because with a hire like this there will be no honeymoon.

  He has no choice. $48.9 million in cap space, $35.5 million of which HAS to be spent to reach the salary floor.
• mucalum49

  

  Saw this on OBR. Figure you'd appreciate some more of Lombardi's finest...
  

  Great analysis by Lombardi:
  
  HOUSTON: If I had to pick one draft that I was not excited about,
  this would be the one. But I might be too hard on my evaluation of Brian Cushing
  and Connor Barwin. I just don't see how these two players can help a slow,
  non-pass-rushing defense get better. Time will tell, but this is the kind of
  draft that the Texans' front office better have right or it might not improve
  their team in '09 -- and it might cost some people some
  jobs.
  
  WRONG
  
  
  MIAMI: I think this draft is sneaky good. I Love
  Pat White and love the fact he will compete for a job. He'll surprise people
  with his accuracy and talent. This draft was a classic size/speed draft, which
  is right up my alley.
  
  WRONG
  
  
  NEW YORK JETS: Yahoo Dave, I loved
  it. They went quality over quantity and now have a quarterback who gives them a
  chance to win. RB Shonn Greene is a big-time player who will help right away. I
  have never met a more impressive person than Mark Sanchez; he's going to be
  great. GM Mike Tannenbaum did a great job.
  
  WRONG
  
  
  NEW YORK
  GIANTS: I'm not in love with Hakeem Nicks, but I always love the Giants' draft.
  If there was one team that always had a direct hit on players I liked, it was
  the Giants
  
  WRONG

• Pick6

  

  So why are we freaking out about Lombardi if Banner going to be making the decisions?
• IggyPride00

  

  Something tells me we are going to be seeing alot of Bernie as Haslam desperately tries to put out the PR fire he has allowed Joe Banner to start.
  
  I have heard they are going to lean heavily on Bernie to publicly try and absolve Lombardi of his public enemy number 1 status in this town.
  
  They knew this was a problem, and still went ahead with the hire anyway.
  
  The extent to which Joe Banner was willing to go (from totally re-designing the org chart to hiring Lombardi) just to keep power for himself is truly breath taking.
  
  As someone on the OBR said, the only difference between Lerner and Haslam at this point is that Haslam will be in the building to see the team melt down every week instead of reading about it from overseas.
  
  The continued level of incompetence at assembling a front office is like nothing I have ever seen before.
• BR1986FB

  Pick6;1369063 wrote:So why are we freaking out about Lombardi if Banner going to be making the decisions?

  The fact that Lombardi can get his grubby little fingers in on the input is bad enough. The fact that Banner may be making the personnel decisions is pretty close to catastrophic.
• CLEconomically Speaking

  

  Josh Gordon on Twitter: F**k it, who wants to play black ops??
  
  Hahaha
• Mr Miyagi

  

  Press conference in Berea @ 11:30 live on the NFL Network introducing Lombardi.
• Mr Miyagi

  

  [h=2]Browns | Michael Lombardi not a fan of Brandon Weeden[/h] Cleveland Browns VP of player personnel Michael Lombardi, said in early January before he was hired, that selecting QB Brandon Weeden at No. 22 last year was a 'panicked disaster.' He also said QB Colt McCoy gave the team a better chance to win.
• Commander of Awesome

  

  god fucking damn it
• IggyPride00

  

  Mr Miyagi;1369102 wrote:Browns | Michael Lombardi not a fan of Brandon Weeden
  
  Cleveland Browns VP of player personnel Michael Lombardi, said in early January before he was hired, that selecting QB Brandon Weeden at No. 22 last year was a 'panicked disaster.' He also said QB Colt McCoy gave the team a better chance to win.

  Over on the OBR they are saying he was on record as hating the Gordon pick as well. Also that he thought Kyle Wilson was a better DB than Haden at draft time that year.
  
  The guy hates our entire roster it seems.
• BR1986FB

  Haslam is Randy Lerner with a Southern drawl.
• shook_17

  

  lolololololol Lombardi is a fucking joke.
  
  Hates:
  Gordon
  Weeden
  Ricardson
  Haden
  
  Loves:
  McCoy
  
  bottom line we are fucked.
  
  Jimmy Haslam I thought he was different but right now he is looking like Randy Lerner JR.
• Commander of Awesome

  

  This sucks.
• Pick6

  

  Meh I guess I'm open to giving the new organization a chance and not be all "doomsday" before a move is even made. I don't see how can we can say one way or another that Banner making personnel is a catastrophic disaster. Based on what? Lombardi thinks Weeden is a disaster? Can't disagree there based on his play last season. It's too bad Lombardi has no say on who plays. Even if he did get rid of Weeden, it's not like he is going to leave us with only McCoy.
• IggyPride00

  

  Have to wonder if this has been in place the whole time, and everything up until this point has been them doing the kabuki dance of going through the motions to make it seem like they did an exhaustive search.
  
  When they were hiring coaches I wonder if they were disclosing that it would be the Lombardi/Banner team making personnel decisions.
  
  I like Chud, but it probably explains why we ended up with a coach that interviewed with no other NFL teams this off-season.
  
  Who really wanted to come here and answer to Banner/Lombardi?
• BR1986FB

  Pick6;1369115 wrote:Meh I guess I'm open to giving the new organization a chance and not be all "doomsday" before a move is even made. I don't see how can we can say one way or another that Banner making personnel is a catastrophic disaster. Based on what? Lombardi thinks Weeden is a disaster? Can't disagree there based on his play last season. It's too bad Lombardi has no say on who plays. Even if he did get rid of Weeden, it's not like he is going to leave us with only McCoy.

  You're missing the point. Lombardi may have ended up being spot on with his assessment of Weeden but his previous track record speaks for itself. Time after time (as I always say) he ends up falling into a pile of tits and he comes out sucking his thumb. He's THAT inept.
• IggyPride00

  

  ESPN has a story up right now about how Andy Reid helped the Eagles land Chip Kelly in part because of the glowing review he gave Jeff Loria.
  
  Have to wonder if he at some point asked him about how it was to work with Joe Banner, because I think we know how that answer would have gone.
  
  I am disgusted watching this press conference right now. Haslam is a bum for allowing this to happen. I thought he was going to be different.
• SportsAndLady

  

  You guys are panicking here..relax, the guy hasn't even made a move yet. You could go back and criticize a ton of analysts opinions on previous drafts.
  
  Hes not going to make Chud bench Weeden for McCoy. He said he wasn't a fan of Weeden coming into the draft and honestly-he was right. Doesn't mean hes not gonna let Weeden play. It'll be a competition and the best man will play. That has worked in Seattle, and SF.
• SportsAndLady

  

  Oh and as far as him not being a fan of the talent here..can you really blame him? Lol we've had how many losing seasons in a row now?
• Mr Miyagi

  

  Cleveland....Wash, Rinse and Repeat
• wes_mantooth

  

  lol...Lombardi is awful plain and simple. If he is the man for our draft....we are fucked.
• IggyPride00

  

  wes_mantooth;1369148 wrote:lol...Lombardi is awful plain and simple. If he is the man for our draft....we are ****ed.

  If he's not it means Joe Banner is, which to me is an equally terrifying prospect.
  
  We have turned the personnel department over to a bean counter and a guy who has been out of football for 5 years with a poor track record of talent evaluation.