Browns Josh Gordon on Michael Lombardi, “Uh oh.. Am I in trouble??”
January 18, 2013Cavaliers Film Room: Tyler Zeller’s Defensive Rebounding
January 18, 2013I’ve come a long way with the Cleveland Browns since I started writing about them in the Romeo Crennel era. The hope of being a fan seeped strongly into everything I did and I always looked for ways to think about things working out. I wouldn’t say all that hope and patience is gone, but it is decidedly muted from where it was. It has been replaced by what I think is a healthy dose of skepticism. It isn’t negativity, but when the risks of a situation reveal themselves to me, I now find it most important to point them out. When I wrote about Joe Banner earlier, I had concerns about him not because I don’t believe he’s qualified to be the CEO of the Cleveland Browns, but because he was overseeing another period of massive change. Today, he made another big move when he replaced the recently departed Tom Heckert with Mike Lombardi.
Tom Heckert was a General Manager and Michael Lombardi has been named VP of Player Personnel, which obviously means the position could be slightly different, but Jimmy Haslam used the two job titles pretty interchangeably in press conferences this off-season. It stands to reason that there won’t be any other significant changes to the personnel department and that Michael Lombardi will fill the void between the scouts, coach and CEO that Tom Heckert once did between the scouts, coach and Mike Holmgren. We obviously don’t know exactly how decisions were made with Heckert and company manning the draft and free agency. We also probably won’t know exactly how decisions will be made with Lombardi, Banner and Chudzinski. Point being that there’s really no reason to hit the panic button or call this thing a colossal failure. At least not yet.
Still, I think it’s fair to at least say that Michael Lombardi has a ton to prove. He’s replacing the one really effective part of the Browns’ operation over the last few years. Tom Heckert doesn’t have a spotless record, but it’s really hard to argue with a guy who has added so many young, effective players from relative obscurity. I really don’t want to get into the whole record of Tom Heckert, but suffice to say that it appears today to be better than average, if not excellent.
So how do you rate Michael Lombardi right this second? I don’t think it’s necessarily fair to go back in time and put every draft pick that ever occurred in Mike Lombardi’s presence on his record. There’s just no telling how much say he had when working for the Raiders, for example. Every organization runs a bit differently and certainly an Al Davis organization tends to reflect on him rather than his employees.
All that being said, there’s no way that I can sit back and tell everyone to relax and enjoy the ride either. There’s very little in the track record over the last few years that makes me confident that the Browns have solved all their issues in terms of acquiring talent via the draft and free agency. If anything with Tom Heckert, I didn’t think they had a problem to solve. Through that lens, there are more question marks than ever before in that respect, but how could it have gone any other way? The Browns have a brand new CEO, coaching staff, and now personnel department head.
So use that skepticism and watch carefully. Is Joe Banner making the decisions? Is Michael Lombardi? Does the coach have a big influence on what the Browns need in terms of priority? These are all questions and concerns that I have. They can’t be answered by sitting back and thinking about them or by researching. There is no right answer to the questions yet.
The Browns, specifically Joe Banner and now Michael Lombardi, are on notice and on the clock. The Browns said they were going to hire the best of everything for their organization this off-season. I know there are a lot of Browns fans and critics in the media who don’t think Michael Lombardi can live up to that.
Lombardi isn’t deaf. He knows it too. We’ll see how he and the rest of the Browns’ personnel department respond with Tom Heckert’s draft record as the measuring stick. That’s the comparison we have and I know we’ll all feel free to use it.
144 Comments
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000068601/article/seattle-seahawks-should-sit-russell-wilson-and-play-matt-flynn
The Banner Browns! Where your past performance, intelligence level, job history, and general competence have absolutely NO impact on your job prospects with our organization!
There’s a massive tie-up on the 480 bridge, and Canal Road down below looks like Jonestown, ironically.
Oh well, all we can do is hope for the best.
Quite by accident I’ve developed a theory: if your team makes a big move and your first reaction is a certain, unqualified “noooo!,” that it’s horrible, wrong, the product of someone’s brainlock or hubris, a kick to your gut, it’s probably exactly what you originally thought. Even if you work through the stages as the spin begins.
I first had this when the Cavs traded Ron Harper. The most recent was trading prime prospects for Ubaldo. I don’t quite have it here but maybe only b/c I don’t know Lombardi’s record so well. If you have it, look out. And may God have mercy on our suffering football souls.
One more rule: don’t hire a guy who does better as a network commentator than he did in the sports world. His on-air persona has NOTHING to do with what he would do to the team. Don’t be hiring Dick Vitale, or Bobby Valentine, or Beano Cook (ok, kind of late for that).
Just don’t.
(Garry – you’ve been worrying that bottle a while … any left?)
Fine, I won’t panic. But I WILL drink. Garry, I got the tumblers. SDA, bring the hard stuff. Weekend starts early boys
When someone gives his/her opinion daily and has to write several articles a week, that individual is not going to be right all the time.
Also, as you are referring to an article by Lombardi about Russell Wilson at a previous point this season, it is worth noting that Tom Heckert passed on him in the draft.
This kind of feels like someone’s sick cruel joke, and I don’t like it very much at all. I’ve seen Lombardi’s draft record, and whether its fair to hold it against him or not (but why wouldn’t it be, aren’t you and I hired based on previous resumes?) its not good. It’s a good thing I’m already over my “browns knee jerk reaction” quota for the month.
“I really don’t want to get into the whole record of Tom Heckert, but
suffice to say that it appears today to be better than average, if not
excellent.”
Excellent because of all the stars and pro-bowlers drafted?
Maybe I’m shrugging off this punch to the junk, but I don’t think it’s time to lose our heads. Fine, Banner’s got his Lombardi Trophy wife now in a VP slot, but the real scrutiny will be on who they get for the underlying personnel evaluators (GM, if appointed, and the scouting dept). Someone like Ray Farmer as GM may change the dynamic here. Anyway, I’d like to see what other pieces fall into place before we assume Lombardi will be hand-picking everyone himself (especially since Chud and Banner will have a say).
Could be. They’re only in their second or third year most of them…
75% of time when everyone says “noooooo” it doesn’t end well. not always, and there are certainly examples of it. but it’s a solid, if not guaranteed, indicator.
Holy crap I can’t believe there wasn’t anyone better in the entire world of the NFL.
^@#%$#$%@$&% #@$&%
*sigh*
Have you seen Lombardi’s draft record?
So according to Mr Haslimp Lombardi is a better option than Heckert? He didn’t like Gordon, he didn’t like Haden AND HE DRAFTED JAMARCUS RUSSELL FIRST OVERALL! Why God? Why???!!!
Let’s see what this guy can do, since any info that I found about Lombardi is mostly hearsay, and negative. I want to see if this guy has learned anything that will make him a better player analyst than what he did before. And if he can’t cut the mustard, and the team put out onto the field is poor, no matter if it’s the players or the coaches fault, the blame should directly go to Lombardi.
you know how CNNSI has that fantastic article detailing the timeline for Teo’s statements about his supposed g/f? Well, I would love someone to do the same for Mike Lombardi’s statements about the Browns draft picks the past 3 seasons.
Who is this draft’s Craig Powell?
I agree that this move in itself isn’t a complete failure as they are keeping the personnel staff in-tact (at least for now – usually those staffs don’t get fired/hired until May anyway). We’ll see.
Now, can we go get Horton to be our DC so we can feel good again?
If there is in fact additional room in the new org chart for a GM, why would a Farmer want it now? No experienced guy with options would choose a place with so little elbow room. Seems to me if they get another guy it would be more an an assistant to Lombardi, maybe like what Savage was to Ozzie in Baltimore before he got the GM job here.
Or Jon Gruden …
After being called out for my drunken affectation, I’ve put the bottle aside for a little while, just to make sure I’m not really a drunk. In between my cold sweats and shakes, I’ve determined that I’m not. There’s plenty left, and I will gladly join everyone and anyone in drowning collective sorrows – once the season starts. I am really, really trying really, really hard to take a “hold judgment” approach to all of this. I ain’t happy with any of it, but then again, I’m a Browns fan. When was the last time I was happy?
Okay, after the draft. The season’s a long way away.
Thats what I’d be worried about. If this hire scares away a real GM candidate, and the solution is Banner assumes the defacto GM role with Lombardi giving him advice. That solution is scary as hell
1st draft: Haden should make multiple pro-bowls
2nd draft: Taylor was a force last year despite coming back from injury. He could very well make some pro-bowls at some point. Sheard fell-off some and isn’t a sack guy anyway, so doubtful.
3rd draft: Richardson was banged up. Maybe he busts, maybe he becomes the RB that many thought he could be. Gordon seems like he could be a probowl guy at some point.
Somewhat strangely, back in Oakland, Lombardi drafted the Marques Tuiasosopo, the cousin of the guy who was behind Te’o’s fake girlfriend. IT’S ALL GETTING CLEARER NOW.
At least he left Oakland before the Russell pick also he had a huge part in picking Jerry Rice for the 49ers…. 30 freakin years ago. Browns have sucked for so long I am willing to try anything at this point. He can’t do worse then 5-11 every year can he? All we can do is wait and see.
I don’t think there is a real candidate I think Banner IS the de facto GM, with Lombardi advising, and that was the plan all along.
How’s that any different that than someone who has to give his opinion daily about actual personnel decisions that can tangible effects on the future of a billion dollar organization? If anything it’s more terrifying.
Boy it’s really getting bad when my name is automatically associated with alcohol consumption. Is it the Irish screen name?
Racial.
Because I don’t remember is there a list of guys from that draft that the browns passed on late in the first round? I honestly don’t remember much about Powell, but it seems he was as much of a bust because of injuries as he was because of talent.
*scared as hell*
Al Davis on Mike Lombardi – “Mike Lombardi has been fired from every job he’s had. Every job. He can’t get a job. Last year he was fired from a job he
was working for nothing. He was fired from Denver.”
” The Texans will need to explain to me where J.J. Watt will play on passing downs and what impact he can make at that position. I liked Watt as a two-down player”
-michael lombardi
ok, a serious one. here is Mike Lombardi’s draft philosophy that he took from Bill Walsh:
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82857c66/article/bill-walshs-nfl-draft-philosophies-six-lessons-from-the-master
and he liked Billy Winn:
“10. Billy Winn, DT, Cleveland (205th).
Winn was a medical concern coming out of Boise State, which is why he
slipped to the sixth round. But if his health checks out, he is capable
of being a good rotational inside defensive lineman.”
I’m going to go out on a limb and say Browns fans don’t like this hire, wow. I feel like a spectator at a NASCAR race just waitin’ for the big one. Jimmy Haslam the honeymoon is officially over!
Watching the press conference. This is brutal. You can feel the animosity oozing with every question from the local media. This guy is universally despised in NE Ohio.
Irish. Rugby. Cleveland fan. I thought the alcohol is obvious.
As I’ve said before, there is no bottom.
This is Cleveland. Things can always get worse.
I agree that the GM will be limited, ala Savage or even Heckert in PHI. I’m being optimistic (I know, wrong place for it) that they can find a guy like that to slot in to help Lombardi from shooting himself in the foot at draft time. Maybe that will free him up for doing what he does best, whatever that is exactly. Perhaps he’s a good decorator? A nice guy to chat with if you’re having problems at home? Gets the office morale up with a good game of ass tag?
I am just amazed at how tone deaf Haslam and Banner have been towards the fan base. It’s stupefying. I miss the days when our front office people just did interviews on Seattle radio.
So you’re telling me the man in charge of the browns draft in previous years has drafted both a kicker, and a fullback in the first round. Oh and Jamarcus Russell…http://www.theclevelandfan.com/cleveland-browns/1-browns-archive/10640-mike-lombardi-for-the-record
I don’t disagree – I just don’t see an excellent draft record as one without a sure-fire star.
But no doubt Heckert has drafted a lot of solid players while GM of the Browns.
My constant references to bourbon, beer, and scotch might also play a part, I SUPPOSE …
You want them to hire only people the fans agree with?
For all the talk about Lombardi’s draft record, he had little to no say in Oakland. Al Davis ran the drafts until the day he died.
That person will not be correct all the time either. I am NOT advocating for Lombardi – simply saying that taking one of his opinions in isolation or only focusing on a few misses is not a good way to evaluate someone’s ability, that’s all.
Clark Judge of CBS Sports called this back in August.
It reminds me of when other NFL insiders predicted that Holmgren’s ascension would result in Lamonte candidates getting hired. Basically, we traded one old boys network for another.
And I also love how Banner is running a childish name calling feud with his old co-workers from Philly. I am so close to being done with this Mickey Mouse organization.
Should, could, maybe
How about not hiring the one guy that all fans disagree with?
Seems like enraging your customers isn’t the best way to run a business but then again I wasn’t lucky enough to inherit a billion dollar company from my daddy so what do I know.
I agree. Unfortunately Banner and Haslem didn’t have the same perspective in their evaluations of Heckert.
o
m
g
Please, make it stop.
oh, no worries. i’m done for now 🙂
Anyone else yet concerned that both of the last Friday’s we’ve been listening to Haslam and Banner “selling” us on a hire instead of us congratulating them on a tremendous find?
well said my friend