Colt McCoy Should Be Dissatisfied but Not Surprised
August 7, 2012Jose Lopez Designated for Assignment
August 7, 2012While he won’t likely tip the scale in the way of Jerry Jones or Mark Cuban, Cleveland Browns owner Jim Haslam is going to be around the city of Cleveland and his new football team a lot more than his predecessor. Sports Illustrated’s Peter King penned a column following a 30-minute conversation and, like most that have crossed the new owner’s path, came away impressed.
“It’s very important to thank your customers for their loyalty,” Haslam told King. “In my business, I go to the stores unannounced fairly often to talk to my employees. It’s important to assess your business often, and to ask the people out in the field for ideas. I ask, ‘What are we doing wrong?’ Ninety-five percent of our new ideas come from our employees.”
King adds that Haslam yearns to learn. Far from an expert on the Cleveland Browns, it’s Haslam’s job to learn the ways of the Orange and Browns. It sounds as if the new owner plans on bringing a lot of what he learned through his years as partial owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers — stability, consistency, leadership — across state lines. In his discussion with King, Haslam appeared adamantly concerned about the coaching carousel that has plagued the Browns since their return in 1999.
22 Comments
The more I read about him, the more I like him. I’ll go out on a limb and say this is it…this was the move we’ve been waiting for since the team came back in 1999. This is the move that will end the toiling around in last place and the top 10 picks in the draft. This is the move that will send us celebrating in the streets of Cleveland in early February.
It will be Jimmy Haslem who will be handed the first Super Bowl trophy in Cleveland Browns history. The only remaining question is when.
I think I hear Shurmur’s slow clap. There’s a gleam, Pat.
Could be wrong, but my impression of Holmgren is that he was attracted to this position partly because he could crown his career by running an org his way without others meddling with his genius. Just to be the sage who sets things right, then eases out with the turnaround as his final triumph. Even without Banner, don’t see him as particularly anxious to be teaching an alpha owner and his henchmen all he knows, as opposed to just tickling them with some old Montana/Favre war stories at practice. With Banner – forget it, my guess is Holms’s wife already has them half-packed.
He’s kind of dreamy, isn’t he? I mean, as an owner… he’s the successful, friendly, intelligent guy you want. I don’t know if that will convert to success on the field and I don’t know that it won’t… I just know that he fills out the uniform better than Randy.
“They’ve averaged a new coach once every 2.8 years [since the franchise returned to Cleveland in 1999],” Haslam said, “and that’s just not a good recipe,” amen brother now lets hope Shurmur got the message too!
Thanks Tim Gunn!!! 😉
I am endlessly amused by just how much–both positive and negative–folks seem to have figured out about this guy and the future of this team in the roughly 30 seconds since hearing his name for the first time. Perfectly illustrates my least favorite aspect of our fan base.
Are you insinuating that I’m watching way too much Project Runway? If so, my wife would disagree and I’d ask you to stay out of my house. I don’t remember a chorus of people saying, “Oh No!” so I’m not sure how you got in, Kool-Aid Man.
LoL isn’t Heidi Klum on that show? Mmmmmmm, farfegnugen!!!
Never underestimate the power of desperation!!!!!
My least favorites are the pretentious ones.
or optimism…
Ha, I was thinking the same thing. What does it say about us that a guy comes in as an owner, and all it takes to make him the next coming of Christ is to NOT sound like an idiot for 15 minutes? #desperate
Change everything but Heckert, Holmgren, and the helmets.
I was never full out on the anti-Randy Lerner campaign (that he didn’t care about football, was uninterested in getting involved, etc)…but finding out about the Lerner’s secret 10 year no-sell pact following Al’s death was telling. 10 years later it seems like Randy could wait to unload the franchise. Good to see someone with a passion for it now in Haslam. I’ll take a Jerry Jones-ish, hands-on type over apathetic Randy any day.
Need to talk to fans a little and need to find a solid coach that you want to be here for a long time
Shutmur you have 29 more games…
I’d say we’re pretty desperate as Cleveland sports fans, given our last championship was 1964 (yeah, pre- Super Bowl). Definitely desperate to get back to WINNING.
In this case, the employees are the players, coaches, FO, etc. We the fans are the customers and hopefully we get more of a say in things than what has happened with previous owners (need I provide excruciating examples?)
I do not think it means what you think it means
My guess is Holm’s wife already had him half-packed because the writing was on the wall with the schedule we face and the slingshot offense we are bringing to a gunfight. The biggest shame is that this season’s abyssmal record will probably be chalked up to the uncertainty associated with this shake-up as opposed to poor game planning, unispired offense and sub-par talent on the offense (WRs and QB).
This whole offseason has illustrated that. How many people instantly forgot the horrors of last season when we drafted Trench? How many people screamed bloody murder pre-draft about NOT taking Weeden because of all the questions surrounding him and did a post-draft about face once MKC started fawning over him? and what did we do at wide receiver? MoMass magically got better (just like going into last season), Greg Little has progressed from solid to phenom? Gordon who hasn’t played a game in over two years is the answer? Travis Benjamin who wasn’t projected to be taken for anything other than a kick-returner in the 7th round? People in Cleveland are addicted to rose-colored glasses.
Precisely. A cautious approach until the team proves things on the field seems more reasonable. Just be careful who you express such an opinion around I guess.