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December 10, 2009
Last night, we were directed to a rumor from PFT that the Browns would be hiring their “football czar” sooner than later. This is something that is intriguing not only because we discussed this earlier yesterday, but because this team desperately needs some leadership in place. However, the one comment that stuck out the most (and likely done with intent) was the fact that former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar was the only name mentioned in the entire piece.
PFT’s source claims that Lerner has been shot down by several would-be leaders and that Kosar may be getting a shot at the job. Rick waxed poetic shortly following the mention of Lerner’s quest for credibility, and that frame of opinion hasn’t changed much. Browns fans love Bernie; he is a personification of what we had way back when. But is he the “mind” that this team needs?
But while the Kosar-GM rumors may get bantered about, Barry McBride from The OBR was quick to side on the contrary. First, McBride states that the rumor of Lerner being turned down by multiple potential presidents is not something that they are hearing. And secondly, it still seems that Lerner is now simply waiting for the season to end given what is currently in place.
Some candidates are not believed to not be saying “no” so much as they’re saying “hang on”. Some of them don’t want to become involved while Eric Mangini still has a show to run, others will want to wait to evaluate multiple options, or allow them to develop (*cough* Holmgren). Our belief is that it’s very likely this process will stretch into the early off-season, although the team would prefer it be done sooner.
The OBR points out that the two sides of this story do not talk to the same people. Obviously, this will be donned the “latest Internet rumor” by those on the beat. However, it is a story that interests a lot of people for the sake of the Browns franchise. There is no denying that Bernie Kosar has the ear of Randy Lerner, but he also may be on the the same side as the “wait until the end of the season” camp.
Only at this time will potential GMs, presidents and even head coaches will be able to fully assess what they will have (or in the Browns case, not have) to work with as the team looks to achieve a level of respectible play in the future.
21 Comments
Waiting for a GM makes me incredibly nervous we need a philosophy from which to scout and evaluate players now in preparation for our 11 picks in the draft. We need every pick to be a winner in order to turn this team around. The longer we wait the harder it becomes to get ready for the draft. As much as I love Bernie I am not sure he is ready for that type of job. I think Floyd Reese is the type of guy we need.
1. If Bernie is so close to landing a big job with the Browns, why did he just agree to work for the Gladiators? That makes no sense.
2. I’m not buying the argument that good football czars would not want to come here. Cleveland is a first-rate NFL town with a great tradition, the local media aren’t vicious, and the owner has gobs of money to spend. I think the Cleveland job would be a fantastic opportunity.
Matt Millen?
I agree with the above comment. My love for Bernie is unending, but I’m hesitant that he can handle the business end of a professional team. He did however do well with the Gladiators, so much so that they were just talking about him going back to the Gladiators on WKNR yesterday or the day before. I think it’s just going to come down to playing out the rest of the season before we hear anything major. Lerner may have initially wanted this to be a quick decision mid season, but I’m sure he’s learned that the potential job seekers are not willing to just jump into a position until all the hands have been laid on the table. They want to have everything in plain sight.
Mr Cleaveland, I couldnt agree more. This is one of the best fan bases in the nation, and anyone that would be considered for GM position would certainly know that. That argument holds absolutely no water. Now, I could believe that some agents may steer their clients from coming here, if they feel that the situation is not good for the player’s long term compensation. But I have a hard time buying it for a GM.
@ Omar – Chances are, whomever we hire in the front office is already preparing for the draft, so I would tend to think that the point is moot.
The Bernie rumor is around, and is allegedly being greeted with amused grins by others in the league who think it would be another big mistake by Randy Lerner.
Holy crap, please let this just be the ramblings of a lunatic. Kosar is no more fit to run this organization than Mangini is to coach it. You want to give him a job? Then let him run the alumni association or something like that. There’s zero reason to believe he is in any way qualified, and playing for the team is not a qualification for having a high-level position.
@ Chris Some of them might be but with different priorities in mind. Every team is different and the culture/philosophy behind each team can be different. All teams want to win but may have different views on how to do that. The new GM would have to account for the players we have and how they fit into a philosophy, aka speed vs power, pass vs run focus etc. For example, Holgren does not have the tools at home that teams do for scouting. Neither does Cowher. I am not saying I want either as a GM, I am merely stating there are a lot of qualified football personnel that are not prepping like a GM should at this point.
What was Ozzie’s path to the Ravens GM job? Did he have that much more front office experience than Bernie?
@ Brad. First position in the Browns’ front office was as a special assignment scout. 2 years later (1993), Newsome was promoted to assistant to the head coach/offense/pro personnel. In 1994, Newsome was named the Browns’ director of pro personnel. 1996: Newsome becomes Ravens’ vice president of player personnel. Named GM in 2002.
In other words, hiring Bernie would be nothing like Ozzie.
It pains me to say this but, as much as I love them and all that they stand for… the next GM/President/CEO/Czar/Emperor/Pope of Football or whatever needs to escort Bernie and Jim Brown and any other ex-player’s or hangers-on out of the building as soon as he takes the job.
The one mistake that this franchise has continually made is to hire guys for jobs they have never done before, or never done successfully before… ie hire people w/ no HC experience to be HC or hire playcallers who have never had to call plays. Rob Ryan is the one exception to this rule I can think of.
If Lerner really wants to change the culture here he needs to make a rule that no one will get an interview for a job with the team unless he can point to recent and successful execution of the duties of the job he applied for.
I’m tired of seeing all these entry level HCs, OCs and position coaches. That kind of hiring is what has kept us an entry level franchise all these years. It needs to stop.
Bernie would be a good right hand man to whoever the Czar is IMO. If Holmgren is president and he gets to make all the shots Bernie would be a good GM because technically he gets on the job training while Holmgren makes all the decisions.
If Lerner really wants to change the culture here he needs to make a rule that no one will get an interview for a job with the team unless he can point to recent and successful execution of the duties of the job he applied for.
That sounds great on paper, but people that fit this mold are either:
a) still quite gainfully employed in those positions elsewhere, or
b) old and retired
There are exceptions, but if you do this you’re severely limiting your talent pool. For example, provide me a long list of “football czar” type that could come into an interview and say they’ve been a successful football czar somewhere else…?
“There are exceptions, but if you do this you’re severely limiting your talent pool. For example, provide me a long list of “football czar” type that could come into an interview and say they’ve been a successful football czar somewhere else…?”
Sorry, I kind of changed streams there in the middle of my previous post. I agree, it’s hard to get someone w/ experience as the czar since the only guys who really do that job are Parcell’s and Bill Polian and maybe one or two others. My point is the football czar has to have the ability to to evaluate talent and needs to bring in people w/ proven experience and all levels, from GM to janitor. The way you do that when, like us, you are starting from nothing is to make it clear to prospective hires that you are going to pay more $$$ than everyone else. There’s no salary cap for GM’s and coaches.
“1. If Bernie is so close to landing a big job with the Browns, why did he just agree to work for the Gladiators? That makes no sense.”
I don’t understand. Bernie has been co-owner of the Gladiators since they moved from Las Vegas, and has been CEO/President since the team’s relocation.
OABI, the league folded after the 2008 season and everyone went their separate ways. A new league is being set up, and Kosar has REjoined the team.
I find it really hard to believe that we would put our franchise in the hands of a former quarterback, who cannot deal with his own personal demons…regardless of how smart Bernie is/was, I don’t feel comfortable turning this team over to Bernie and his buddy Jack Daniels…
Pro football is a business. The uniformed part of the franchise is going to look drastically different within the next few months. The front office will also have some significant changes. Based upon what I have seen so far, I am not sure I want Mangini to have 11 draft choices at his sole disposal as well as a large cap to play with. Lerner cannot do this, for whatever reasons. Teams are built on drafts, yet our second rounders could only get on the field after mass injuries made it necessary — and even then late roster additions were playing before them — and doing well. This causes me pause when considering the ability of Mangini to either assess or coach talent. The next few games should be telling.
@17 MrCleaveland: I know the league folded. My understanding is that the individual organizations did not. Some teams shut down, while others joined AFL2, and some hadn’t announced plans (which is the position I thought the Gladiators were in.) I didn’t recall any reports of the Gladiators organization being liquidated, and assumed Bernie was still co-owner and de facto CEO. If there was news that they liquidated the franchise, I missed it.
“who cannot deal with his own personal demons…”
This isn’t to say he’s the right guy for the job, but if you’re referring to his bankruptcy, I don’t believe it’s fair criticism.
Bernie has a track record as a very successful businessman. My understanding is that he’s made far more money post-football than he did playing the game, and he’s started and sold more than one successful business already.
The bankruptcy, by all accounts, is a direct outgrowth of his divorce. And we have yet to hear all the sordid details behind that, but I’m sure I don’t need to point out that when someone is married, there is another person there with access to the finances. Furthermore, bankruptcy is a perfectly acceptable legal remedy that was put into place by our founding fathers for very good reason, and many of the most successful Americans in history have been through it. All I’m saying is there are factors that may have been outside of his control that led to the situation, and I don’t think it’s necessarily fair to point to that and say he couldn’t handle his affairs without knowing the circumstances that led to the situation.