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July 21, 2015Video: Duke Johnson none too pleased with Madden 16 rating
July 21, 2015Now these are the Browns we know and love — dysfunction, in-house battles, utter chaos — that’s the good stuff.
Er, maybe.
Head coach Mike Pettine and general manager Ray Farmer are rumored to be at odds over the recent release of former director of player engagement Jamil Northcutt, per Tony Grossi. Northcutt was hired last April, replacing former Browns tight end Aaron Shea, and was relieved of his duties last week in an allegedly mutual decision.
Northcutt — no relation to former Browns receiver Dennis — is reportedly close with Farmer, and Grossi paints a picture of him as “a thorn in the side” of Pettine and the Browns coaching staff. It was Northcutt who — per one source, anyway — received texts from Farmer during games and then passed them on to the Browns coaching staff.
From Grossi:
On game days, Northcutt had an undefined role on the sideline. Sources have told ESPN Cleveland that Northcutt was a recipient of Farmer’s in-game texting, and that he relayed messages from Farmer to the coaches. Another source said that was absolutely false.
There is a story of Northcutt having a confrontation with defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil during that horrible 23-7 loss to the Houston Texans on Nov. 16, in which nondescript Houston running backs Alfred Blue and Jonathan Grimes combined for 49 carries and 210 yards on the ground. O’Neil did not take kindly to Northcutt’s intrusion during the difficult day, sources said.
That unexpected loss, with the Browns sitting atop the AFC North at 6-3, was the beginning of the end of the 2014 season.
There is also a story of Northcutt having a “conversation” with offensive line coach Andy Moeller concerning the non-use of reserve guard Vinston Painter after the injury to center Alex Mack. According to a source, that was outside the boundaries of Northcutt’s job description.
Northcutt’s role off the field as director of player engagement was to help players, especially rookies, with the transition into the NFL. Tasks might include helping an out-of-state player get a driver’s license or arranging meetings with local real estate agents. Making and keeping players aware of the league’s various rules and regulations — including substance abuse policies — is also part of the job description.
The lion’s share of responsibility lies with the athletes themselves, but one doesn’t need to look too hard to see some young Browns who have struggled with life in the spotlight, which ostensibly falls under Northcutt’s umbrella. Josh Gordon’s woes are well-documented, though much of that came before Northcutt was brought on board. Johnny Manziel is another high profile case, while Justin Gilbert and Terrance West saw sporadic playing time last year and faced questions regarding their preparation and professionalism.
This story has been met with a fair bit of skepticism, and perhaps rightly so. Draw what you will from Grossi’s conclusion:
I’m not saying that Northcutt’s departure represents a turning point in the relationship between Farmer and Pettine. Actually, that occurred when Farmer texted coaches in the booth during games, which was counter-productive to the team’s ability to win and compromised Farmer’s credibility with the coaches and, to a degree, the players.
But Northcutt’s departure is not insignificant, either.
Neither Farmer nor Pettine have the job security under owner Jimmy Haslam to pull a power play. In a way, each still needs the other to succeed.
But the tug of war appears to be on.
It’s not a turning point, but it isn’t insignificant. They need to pull together, yet the tug of war is on. Hm.
Out with the dog days, in with the dawg days. The Browns are back.
19 Comments
I doubt the “dysfunction” is all that serious here, but there are some things here that don’t surprise me.
Farmer is a smart guy. I doubt he didn’t know the rule about communication with the sideline staff, so he most likely figured he could skirt the rule by communicating though people he believed that were not explicitly covered by this rule.
“Oh yeah, a buffer. The family had a lot of buffers!” – Willi Cici
And second, we’ve all worked under people that think they know your job better than you. Farmer absolutely strikes me as this type. While Pettine seems like the type that likes to be left alone to get the job done.
If this were a game of connect the dots, those are some pretty big and easy dots to connect. Get some motivated ex-player who wants to stay around the game to mentor these young guys and pay attention to detail. Sounds easier than it probably is to find the right guy. Can’t the Browns pay Je’Rod Cherry more than WKNR?
I wish I could say I was surprised to hear that egos were still highly involved in what has to be one of the worst professional football organizations the last 15+ years…but I’m not. I’m just hoping Jimmy Haslam remains wherever he is and remains behind the scenes.
The Browns are back? Maybe it’s Grossi who’s back.
Now, since the guy doesn’t work under him Pettine can’t fire the guy without approval from Farmer or Haslam. So who’s Grossi’s source for a “rift”? Since his departure is not even slightly newsworthy I’m guessing the call to Grossi was made by the newly unemployed guy who went from being an assistant college AD to working in personnel in KC to suddenly taking knuckleheads to the BMV when he followed Farmer to Cleveland. And when he tries to jump into better stuff, stuff he thinks he should be doing (maybe impatient for a promised promotion) boom, he gets whacked. Or maybe he thought Farmer would protect him after using him. But Farmer has no reason to leak stuff about a “riff,” not while serving a suspension for idiocy. The leak was from Fredo – he’s smart, he can do things, not like everyone says.
Grossi is off vaca and needs a story. Things have been too quiet around Berea. He’ll take that call and run with it. And right now Mary Kay is finishing up a whole check list of issues to ask cranky Jim Brown about – there’s a headline in there somewhere.
Stay in your lane and do your own job. Don’t go sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.
Nobody’s come right out and said it explicitly, but presumably Pettine complained to Jimmy about Northcutt. Farmer wanted Northcutt to stay, Pettine wanted him to go, and Jimmy sided with Pettine. Good call. My uneasy feelings about Farmer just got a little worse.
A disagreement between co-workers? The horror…
I doubt Farmer considers Pettine a “co”-worker. 😉
You think she’s over JFF so soon?
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No they are still the same height which makes for a much easier interview!
It’s close enough to football, I can break out the MKC gifs, right?
Or do I need clearance from Bode?
It’s summer time man break out the speedo and MKC gifs and have fun! It’s not looking like the Indians will be doing anything noteworthy so rest up for the fall sports to return.
any comment that references Willi Cicci is a good comment.
This is my thought too… who the heck would have leaked this to Tony? It makes too much sense for disgruntled Fredo to spout off (possibly while drunk at a Cuban night club). Either way, so what? Both guys will get past this. I don’t think anyone is going to stay awake at night thinking about how they done Jamil Northcutt.
Rookies report tomorrow…
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Read the Grossi report…some sources say one thing and the other sources vehemently deny it. So, the conflict appears to be between the sources.
Fair but the sources on one side could still be Jamil Northcutt and his family or people and the Browns on the other side.
I think Pat and I were talking about who initiated the rumor that caused the story
I’m more impressed that Grossi was able to write a Browns article that doesn’t reflect a desperate pining for Hoyer.
The story just doesn’t pass the smell test for me. Is it really so hard to believe that the guy was canned because he has been really bad at his job? Between the 1st round rookies and Gordon not knowing when his non-drinking suspension is over, this guy let so much badness happen in a year. Yet Tony gets conflicting reports from two sources, so he goes with the over the top “Browns imploding” story.
Look, I’ll be the first to admit that the Browns are less than functional. What I don’t get is why reporters go out of their way to embellish… Oh yeah, it’s Grossi, back from vacay, and had nothing to write about. Never mind.