10-Pack: What Mike Holmgren needs to do to straighten out the Browns

• Lenin

  http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/article/2009-12-22/10-pack-what-mike-holmgren-needs-do-straighten-out-browns
  
  ProFootballTalk.com's Mike Florio weighs in on the Cleveland Browns hiring Mike Holmgren to be their new team president:
  
  With Mike Holmgren joining the Browns as team president only a few days before Christmas, the man known by friend and foe alike as the "Big Show" has plenty of work to do.
  
  So let's try to lighten the load a bit by putting together for him an initial to-do list. Here are 10 things Holmgren should get accomplished long after they paint his name onto the door:
  
  1. Fire Eric Mangini.
  After watching their team go 1-11 to start the season, Browns fans are feeling giddy after watching it earn back-to-back wins for the first time since Week 6 of the 2008 season. The victories have spawned a sense that coach Eric Mangini perhaps isn't so bad after all, that maybe he should get another year on the job.
  
  As Mike Holmgren arrives in Cleveland...He shouldn't.
  
  Mangini has been horrible for Cleveland; he has created multiple distractions, and he has alienated players and their agents.
  
  Owner Randy Lerner inexplicably chased Mangini in January, at a time when no one else wanted to hire the man who had just been fired by the Jets.
  
  More important, Mangini has been running the show all year, and he likely won't be thrilled about taking a back seat to Holmgren. So Holmgren needs to make a change right away.
  
  Besides, what if Mangini were to succeed in another season on the job? Holmgren then would be stuck with Mangini, and Mangini would surely take advantage of his newfound juice to accumulate as much power as possible.
  
  So Holmgren needs to get rid of Mangini now.
  
  2. Hire Mangini's replacement.
  One obvious candidate is Jim Mora, who might be out in Seattle, depending on who the team's next general manager is.
  
  If Holmgren hopes to have an active role in the Xs and Os, Jim Zorn makes sense, too. He has experience in the top job, and he'd surely defer to any guidance or suggestions Holmgren might make.
  
  Of course, if Holmgren really wants to get involved, he can coach the team himself, something he has not yet ruled out.
  
  3. Pay Josh Cribbs.
  Receiver/kick returner Josh Cribbs genuinely believes owner Randy Lerner promised in December 2008 to address Cribbs' substandard contract, which runs through 2012 and which was signed before Cribbs became arguably the best player on the team.
  
  Though the current regime has denied that any such promise was made, it has not denied that former GM Phil Savage promised to take care of Cribbs. That should count for something.
  
  So Holmgren needs to show loyalty to a man who hasn't allowed his contractual situation to affect his play. If anything, he has played better.
  
  On second thought, maybe they shouldn't give him a new deal.
  
  4. Find a quarterback.
  Every GM wants to hire his own coach, and every coach wants to land his own quarterback.
  
  ...Will Eric Mangini be departing?Not long after Holmgren arrived in Green Bay, GM Ron Wolf traded for Brett Favre. In Seattle, Holmgren the GM traded after the 2000 season for Matt Hasselbeck.
  
  Holmgren first needs to evaluate the guys currently under contract. Maybe Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn is the answer. (Don't laugh. But you may chuckle.)
  
  Next, Holmgren should look to free agency and/or the draft, along with trade possibilities.
  
  Who knows? Maybe the Brett Favre unretirement tour ultimately will end in a reunion with Holmgren.
  
  5. Trade Jerome Harrison.
  On the surface, the notion of trading a guy who rushed for 286 yards on Sunday is laughable. But it's important to consider the opponent against whom the performance came.
  
  The Chiefs aren't good. Having a record day against a bad team doesn't mean Harrison will be the next Jim Brown.
  
  But, surely, there's another team out there willing to swing a deal for Harrison, if only for the buzz factor. And Harrison will never have any more trade value than he has right now.
  
  So Holmgren should sell high and use the resulting draft pick(s) on the many other areas of need.
  
  As to replacing Harrison, the draft is replete with guys who can move the chains if they get the blocking.
  
  6. Silence Jim Brown.
  Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown works as a member of the team's senior management. As a result, the things that Brown often says about the team carry extra weight than if he were simply a former Browns player with no other connection to the team.
  
  Several weeks ago, Brown blabbed about a supposed interview between Holmgren and Lerner, a disclosure that could have killed Lerner's efforts to land Holmgren.
  
  So one of Holmgren's first challenges will be to find a way to ensure that Brown won't say or do anything to affect the team's strategic interests moving forward.
  
  The best-case scenario would be to sever ties with Brown. Since such a move likely wouldn't be the best way for Holmgren to endear himself to the locals, Holmgren should put Brown on a one-strike arrangement.
  
  7. Dump Bernie Kosar.
  Former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar is being groomed for some sort of a role with the organization.
  
  And one of Holmgren's first items of business should be to do to Kosar what Bill Belichick did to him back in the 1990s: say goodbye.
  
  Kosar has no experience as a scout or personnel executive, and the handling of his personal finances inspires zero confidence regarding his ability to participate in the running of a football team.
  
  Sending Kosar on his way would also help Holmgren send a clear message that, while former players who made key contributions to the franchise will be respected and, from time to time, honored, the fact that they once wore an orange helmet gives them no inherent ability or authority to participate in the current management of the franchise.
  
  8. Hire a general manager.
  At some point, Holmgren will need to delegate key functions that routinely fall under the jurisdiction of a general manager, such as preparing for free agency and the draft, negotiating contracts and engineering trades. In order to avoid creating the appearance that he's spreading himself too thin, Holmgren should also give that person the GM title, even if Holmgren retains the final say over all personnel moves.
  
  Of course, if Holmgren retains final say, it might be difficult to hire someone away from another team. Under league rules, a front-office executive still under contract with another team may be blocked from taking a GM position elsewhere, unless the job entails control of the roster.
  
  Holmgren could give the GM final say in his contract, while still preserving the ability to tell the GM how to use it. Then again, that could backfire if the GM thinks his contract means what it says.
  
  9. Settle the Kokinis claim.
  Former GM George Kokinis has sued the team for the balance of his contract. Kokinis contends that he was fired after clashing with Mangini regarding the extent of Kokinis' authority.
  
  This appears to be a losing battle for the Browns. Even if it isn't, it's impossible to engineer a fresh start if the team is still worrying about stuff that happened before Holmgren arrived. So Holmgren should advise Lerner to get that claim settled ASAP.
  
  10. Tell Randy Lerner to have no communication with the media.
  Holmgren also should advise the owner to have no discussions or other communications with folks who cover football for a living. Most owners cultivate a sense of privacy and distance, and Lerner seems to prefer both.
  
  So it really shouldn't be a hard sell for Holmgren. But given that Lerner has developed relationships with some members of the media in the past year, due in large part to the fact that Mangini has all the charisma of wet cardboard, it might be hard for Lerner to quit responding to calls, e-mails and/or text messages.
  
  Regardless, Lerner needs to quit. He wanted someone to take the operation over, and now Lerner has him. He should let Holmgren be the one to deal with any requests from folks who have questions about the team.
  
  Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.
• pkebker

  Wow I disagree with almost all of those.
  1. I don't think Mangini is as stubborn as people think. Didn't he work with a GM in New York?
  2. These replacement choices are ridiculously bad.
  3. This would be smart. We better pay Cribbs.
  4. Give Quinn another year, while we get more talent around him. If we still don't see the improvement, then draft a QB.
  5. This actually isn't that bad of an idea. We probably could get a lot of value for him.
  6. Silencing Jim Brown is a ridiculous suggestion. That would immediately turn Cleveland against Holmgren.
  7. Personal finances doesn't have any bearing on running a business.
  8. This is obvious. We have to hire one.
  9. I don't think the Kokinis situation is much of a distraction. I don't think anyone thinks he did any work in the first place, so he's not missed.
  10. Lerner should model himself off of the Cavs' owner Gilbert. Meet with the media at the beginning and end of every season, and at any major signings, or news, etc..
• Lenin

  Yes, Jim Brown is a legend. But the guy is also an absolute idiot. He should still be visible and all, but I don't disagree with keeping his mouth shut.
  
  Personal finances don't have any bearing on running a business? Are you kidding me. I don't have a problem with Bernie being around, but I certainly wouldn't want him to have a role where he is one of the main financial people in the franchise.
• Gobuckeyes1

  1. Disagree. So what if they do well next year and it's harder to get rid of Mangini? Isn't winning what we want to do? I don't care who the coach is, as long as we win.
  
  2. Disagree (see #1), but if Mangini is fired my top candidate is Gruden. I know he said he wouldn't do it, but money talks, and Gruden is an Ohio guy and was a Browns fan growing up. I would find it hard to believe that he couldn't be talked into at least considering the job.
  
  3. Pay the Man.
  
  4. Give Quinn another year, get him some weapons, and build the defense.
  
  5. I would trade Harrison for a first day draft pick. Anything less than a 3rd rounder, forget it. Don't forget we still have James Davis next year...between him and Jennings I think we could have a decent running attack.
  
  6. You can't tell the arguably the greatest football player in history to shut up.
  
  7. Put Bernie in a secondary, supporting role, but not anything too prominent. He still has a lot to learn, and just because he was a smart player doesn't mean we want him making important decisions right now.
  
  8. No kidding.
  
  9. Nobody cares about Kokinis. Get it settled, but it's not as big of a deal as this guy is making it out to be.
  
  10. In hiring Holmgren, Lerner has admitted that he doesn't know what he is doing. He needs to disappear now, let Holmgren make the decisions, and start writing checks.
• hangonsloopy

  

  I agree with all of those points. But, shouldn't hiring a GM be done before they hire manginis replacement?
• Fab4Runner

  

  Yes it would be just terrible for Mangini to have a successful season next year...:dodgy:
• Writerbuckeye

  

  My one word rebuttal to that POS: Florio.
  
  If he's recommending something, chances are VERY good you want to go the opposite direction.
• Al Capone

  FWIW, John Clayton said on espn this morning that he is 100% sure that Mangini will be fired.
• Sage

  

  Any list that lists Jim Mora and JIM FUCKING ZORN as a replacement... I am writing off entirely.
  
  Pay Josh Cribbs. That's about all I agree with.
• rydawg5

  1. Fire Mangini
  2. Hire Brian Billick or Tony Dungy or Gruden (All super bowl winning coaches)
  3. Waive/Trade Derek Anderson
  4. Trade Brady Quinn
  5. Sign a game manager type quarterback
  6. Draft Suh in the 1st round
  7. Utilize the Wildcat more with Cribbs
  8. Focus on defense and a running first type offense (We have no receivers)
  9. Hire Charley Wise for a quarterback coach position
  10. Re sign Josh Cribbs
• miller45452003

  Sage wrote: Any list that lists Jim Mora and JIM FUCKING ZORN as a replacement... I am writing off entirely.
  
  Pay Josh Cribbs. That's about all I agree with.

  Yeah..I'd agree...Jim More & Jim Zorn???? I'd rather keep Mangini!!
• burt07

  Yeah I'm going to say I disagree with a majority of that.
  
  If Holmgren wants to fire Mangini, I'll get on board with it because while I think it's reasonable that Mangini should be given more of a chance, I can see Holmgren wanting to take control from the start. That's fine IF Holmgen would have a LEGITIMATE replacement waiting in the wings. I think either Mora or Zorn would be a step down from Mangini. I know those are just two names this writer is throwing out there but really, that's the best he could come up with?
  
  The stuff about cutting ties with Brown and Kosar is a little ridiculous in my opinion. I understand wanting to silence Brown a little bit if it's interfering with the operations of the team, but the simple way to avoid that is simply not to give him the access to know those sorts of things. To completely silence someone sounds overtly authoritarian and along the lines of what Mangini was trying to do when he first came in when he was trying to cut ties with Browns history. As for Bernie, I'm fine if they don't want to give him a prominent role in the organization. The whole thing just kind of smacked of a publicity stunt to boost morale in the middle of the very dark times of this season. I wouldn't mind giving him a more minor role as I do think he would have some things to bring to the table.
• ytownfootball

  

  Pay Cribbs
  
  Put Jim Brown in charge of the childrens playground area...and forbid his wearing of that damn stupid hat he wears
  
  Fire Holmgren the instant he speaks highly of Mora or Zorn...good god no
  
  As for Mangini, never cared for him anyway, if he goes it's not like we're starting that much higher up the ladder than if we were 0-16
  
  Florio speaks nothing of getting rid of Daboll?
  
  Florio speaks nothing of getting Ryan to stay?
  
  This crap he spouts sounds like what they all talk about around the water cooler trying to come up with the next scoop rather than the shit a football operation needs to address.
• Writerbuckeye

  

  rydawg5 wrote: 1. Fire Mangini
  2. Hire Brian Billick or Tony Dungy or Gruden (All super bowl winning coaches)
  3. Waive/Trade Derek Anderson
  4. Trade Brady Quinn
  5. Sign a game manager type quarterback
  6. Draft Suh in the 1st round
  7. Utilize the Wildcat more with Cribbs
  8. Focus on defense and a running first type offense (We have no receivers)
  9. Hire Charley Wise for a quarterback coach position
  10. Re sign Josh Cribbs

  You forgot: re-sign Jerome Harrison. I'd put that right up there with Josh Cribbs at the top of the "to do" list.
  
  Forget about Suh. He's not going to be available when Cleveland drafts and to think otherwise at this stage is a pipedream.
  
  Quinn needs to stay at least one more year to see if he has it. If you're going to bring in Weis, you sure as hell should keep Quinn. Otherwise, don't bring him on-board.
• rydawg5

  Writerbuckeye wrote:

  rydawg5 wrote: 1. Fire Mangini
  2. Hire Brian Billick or Tony Dungy or Gruden (All super bowl winning coaches)
  3. Waive/Trade Derek Anderson
  4. Trade Brady Quinn
  5. Sign a game manager type quarterback
  6. Draft Suh in the 1st round
  7. Utilize the Wildcat more with Cribbs
  8. Focus on defense and a running first type offense (We have no receivers)
  9. Hire Charley Wise for a quarterback coach position
  10. Re sign Josh Cribbs

  You forgot: re-sign Jerome Harrison. I'd put that right up there with Josh Cribbs at the top of the "to do" list.
  
  Forget about Suh. He's not going to be available when Cleveland drafts and to think otherwise at this stage is a pipedream.
  
  Quinn needs to stay at least one more year to see if he has it. If you're going to bring in Weis, you sure as hell should keep Quinn. Otherwise, don't bring him on-board.

  
  Fair assessment. I was thinking that, but I did put Trade Quinn. I think we should go after Weiss for a qb coach for Quinn for sure.
  
  Trade Jerome Harrison if he has Trade Stock. I say. He is like a penny stock going up to a dollar.. sell!
• bo shemmy3337

  I actually agree with all of this. Cleveland has been down for a long time and serious change is what is needed IMO. I agree with Brown needing to be shut up. He was a great player but that is where it ends. Bernie is a drunk and will not help the team at all IMO. I like Magini and I understand what he is trying to do but you got to realize that they people around him are not his type of guys and because our owner is a moron he hired another guy who is different from him. Changes need to be made everywhere or the browns will never get better.
  
  All this pay the man crap is BS. How about a little respect from Cribs himself. He signed the contract, period. He wants to much money. A kick return guy is not worth what he wants. If he wants to make more cash he needs to be a better WR.
• thedynasty1998

  

  Yea, when I saw Zorn as a replacement I quit reading. What a dolt.
• devil1197

  Who is this guy.
  
  He is a fucking idiot. Anyone who wants the best for the Browns will realize this guy is wrong.
  
  If Holmgren wants to fire Mangini I wouldn't complain but I want to give him another year.
• jpake1

  

  Im with you guys. I saw Zorn and felt disrespected.. sorta like he was trying to fuck on meeeeee.
• pkebker

  bo shemmy3337 wrote: I actually agree with all of this. Cleveland has been down for a long time and serious change is what is needed IMO. I agree with Brown needing to be shut up. He was a great player but that is where it ends. Bernie is a drunk and will not help the team at all IMO. I like Magini and I understand what he is trying to do but you got to realize that they people around him are not his type of guys and because our owner is a moron he hired another guy who is different from him. Changes need to be made everywhere or the browns will never get better.
  
  All this pay the man crap is BS. How about a little respect from Cribs himself. He signed the contract, period. He wants to much money. A kick return guy is not worth what he wants. If he wants to make more cash he needs to be a better WR.

  
  You agree with all of it. Including thinking that Zorn or Mora are good replacements, are you kidding me?!?
• The Kaptain

  What a shitty article. As stated by many, Zorn and Mora are jokes. Also, does this guy really think anyone is going to trade for Harrison when his contract is up after this year?
• miller45452003

  Take it for what it's worth, but John Clayton on ESPN said that Manigini will be launched in 2 weeks. He said he has heard this from multiple sources in the organization. I see Chucky Gruden in the future. If anyone can pull him out of that booth, it's Holmgren.
• shook_17

  

  miller45452003 wrote: Take it for what it's worth, but John Clayton on ESPN said that Manigini will be launched in 2 weeks. He said he has heard this from multiple sources in the organization. I see Chucky Gruden in the future. If anyone can pull him out of that booth, it's Holmgren.

  for real though how awesome would that be if chucky was on the sidelines? just amazing than get weis in here to be our OC. i really think if they give quinn another year and bring weis in here quinn could be something special. but i never really trusted manpenis with this teams future. like the decision to trade my favorite player in winslow. sure winslow was cocky and had that swag you needed to play in the NFL. and just the way he treated the players. but with holmgren he is a good leader and im putting 100% faith into this guy. whatever he decides to do is fine by me.
• BCSbunk

  miller45452003 wrote: Take it for what it's worth, but John Clayton on ESPN said that Manigini will be launched in 2 weeks. He said he has heard this from multiple sources in the organization. I see Chucky Gruden in the future. If anyone can pull him out of that booth, it's Holmgren.

  Good riddance. This will be a giant correction in righting the ship.
• buckeyes_woowee

  That list is a joke