Dear Bernie,
I am not sure exactly what your new role is with the Cleveland Browns, exactly. It appears that you are going to be helping Randy Lerner in his decision making processes in some manner. Whatever your responsibilities, I wanted to write you this letter to help you understand what your task truly should be. I have been thinking a lot about the next generation of Browns fans lately. Somebody has to think about those future Browns fans, right?
I have a mixed household when it comes to the NFL. My wife is from Indianapolis and is a die hard Colts fan. Since we have been married / dated I too have followed the Colts pretty closely if for no other reason than I knew I would be watching them every week just like the Browns. I am not a Colts fan by any stretch of the imagination, but as a football fan in general, I would be lying if I said it wasn’t entertaining to watch them play football. Right now between Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and Dwight Freeney, the Colts have the right number of stars on their team to compete for a playoff spot every year. On top of that, they regularly do it in really entertaining fashion.
Bernie, I was born in 1979 and I started watching football in that 1985 to 1986 time frame when you were playing your best as the Browns’ franchise QB. So, really, what I am asking is that we start looking to 2016 at the latest as the time period that this team needs to be well on its way to constantly challenging for a playoff spot. We might have lost a lot of the kids that were born from the mid 1990’s up until 2003. With a little luck, we should be able to start luring in the kids born 2004 and after starting next season. Bottom line is this. I need to make sure that there is no way my household turns even more to the Colts as the kids start coming and as they mature to football watching age. We both know if I had a 6 year-old today that it would be a really difficult task to convince that kid that it would be better to watch the listless Browns than to watch the Colts.
So please, let’s look ahead a bit. In 2016 if Peyton Manning is still around he will be 39 or 40 years old, so that shouldn’t be an issue. The whole complexion of the Colts franchise will be different, so from that perspective we have a shot Bernie. Then again, in 2016 Brady Quinn will be 32 and Derek Anderson will be 33. If either one of those guys is anything more than the backup or emergency QB at that time, I will be very disappointed, I think. Between now and then we need to make a lot of headway in upgrading this roster. So, if I were you, and I was helping Randy Lerner in some form or fashion, I would start and end every day talking about the draft and scouting.
While it is too early to judge this latest NFL draft, I have to say the results on the field today are underwhelming. It was good to trade down and get more picks. Alex Mack appears to be progressing and could eventually live up to the standards of being the starting center for the next decade. Saving that salary cap space in the first round was the right idea. Other than that though, it isn’t looking like a blockbuster draft by any means. There is still time for these draft picks to make something out of their careers and be great contributors, but at the same time, we need to make sure that the current staff is as ready and prepared as any other in the league come draft day this year.
We all know that the future of the Browns depends on the draft almost exclusively. No matter whether Eric Mangini is the coach that far down the road or not, if the talent is there, everything should take care of itself after that. I honestly don’t mind that Randy Lerner is a hands-off owner as long as he has good people managing the operation. Up until now the management has been suspect to be sure. Bernie, you can turn that around for us. You can find yourself firmly in the savior role if you help get this thing turned around finally. We would love nothing more than to have you be the one who finally gets this done after Carmen Policy, Dwight Clark, Butch Davis, Phil Savage, etc. have all failed. The next generation of Browns fans depends on it. My household will depend on it. Please help me keep the Colts out of my house.
Sincerely,
Craig
P.S. If you are not the guy to help with the stuff I talked about, then make sure you tell Randy Lerner to hire the people who can do it. We know he doesn’t mind spending money. Help him spend it on the stuff we need.
Author: CraigLyndall
Craig Lyndall has been writing about all the Cleveland sports teams at WaitingForNextYear since September 2008. When he isn't, you can find him selling insurance or playing music. Follow WFNYCraig on Twitter.Craig Lyndall has written 338 articles for Waiting for Next Year.
P.P.S. And Bernie, lay off the sauce.
As a person married to a yinzer, the amount of Steelers crap I’ve had to throw away as gifts from the in-laws is getting worse and worse. I hope I can stem this tide sweeping into my family, but don’t know how much longer I can hold on. Is it really worth it to have my son root for a stank a@@ team that he has no geographical or emotional (yet) connection with? The stubborn die-hard Clevelander in me says yes, but all other signs point to no. Please Bernie-wan, you’re our only hope.
Criag – I know how you feel about the Colts/Browns mixed household. My wife is a seaon ticket holder for the Falcons, she could not go last night so I went to the Bears game. The POSITIVE energy in the dome last night regarding the Falcons was night and day after compared to what we all go through with the Browns. It sure was fun and I actually thought if the Browns dont turn it around in the next 2 years I could see myself becoming a full fledged Falcons fan. As Dirty Harry once said, “every man has got his limitations”.
Better Ozzie should come home and save our children.
Funny how we assume that reading a football organization is the same skill set as reading a defense. My guess is that Randy can’t believe it’s this hard to get his team to at least mediocre, and is getting desperate for another viewpoint. I don’t care what he says, Mangini has to see this as a threat.
Help us Bernie Wan Kenobi. You’re our only hope….
And to think that Josh McDaniels was available when we hired Mangini. A little energy from the head coach would be nice once in awhile.
Really? Josh McDaniels hindsight? Were there a bunch of people clammoring for this guy back in January? REALLY?
1.) The talent doesn’t take care of itself in the NFL. Coaching is at a premium in the NFL, and the good/great ones take what they have and compete immediately, and work towards greatness over time. Sure, talent is important-but coaching and having an organization/system in place is prima facia.
2.) Here’s hoping Bernie in his “working” with the QB’s will convey a sense of reality to Lerner in regards to not only what’s going on and what he sees, but who is best able to run and lead an NFL offense.
DP-correction.
While noboby may have been “clammoring” for Josh McDaniels in January, ALL were clammoring for a real head coaching search-and that would have INCLUDED a real interview with McDaniels (and other appropriate candidates) instead of a star-struck rush to the alter for a bride deemed a failure by the entirety of the NFL.
Hey Chuck – want to photoshop a picture of Mangini wearing a veil at a shotgun wedding?
That is all.
Bernie does have some experience running a football operation. Sure it was the AFL but in one year the Gladiators went from a joke to the conference championship game.
I have to think that having more quality, football-minded people in the organization can only be a good thing. Besides, it’s nice to “root” for Bernie as a member of the Browns again. It’s been so long since I trusted a Cleveland QB. . .
I like the postscript the most. Bernie better have the cojones to tell management what he thinks, and if he’s in over his head, he needs to tell Lerner that, since so few people actually have his ear.
Isis, this is the second time I’ve had to tell you not to use Latin phrases. That’s not how you use (or spell) “prima facie”.
While noboby may have been “clammoring” for Josh McDaniels in January, ALL were clammoring for a real head coaching search…
Myself included. Your point?
VENI VIDI VICI!!
To clarify #14…
In spite of the discussion about the full-on head-coaching search (and I agree with Isis’s assessment that we all wanted a full-on search), I am honestly hard pressed to think of too many people who wanted to hire another first-time head coach, and also who wanted us to hire another Belichick disciple.
Hence my comment of, really, people are now mad that we didn’t hire McDaniels? It wasn’t that we didn’t interview him. It was that comment #6 advocated that we should have hired him.
hey Bernie, could you please tell Eric to stop making the Browns wear those awful brown pants?
As long as his title isn’t: “Player Financial Advisor” I’m all for this.
@ Denny…
I’m on it.
@#18…
I dunno… his advice of “SIGN A PRE-NUP!!” would probably fall on needed ears in the NFL.
I am in a “mixed marriage” too. To a yinzer as well. But my issue is worse cause she grew up watching the Browns with her dad, and when she was old enough to date, dated a string of stooler fans, and just switched. I know I know, that’s weak. But let me tell you she’s got my 3-yr-old daughter cheering for the evil empire, but it will be over my dead body that my son goes to the black and yellow.
Craig said: “So please, let’s look ahead a bit. In 2016 if Peyton Manning is still around he will be 39 or 40 years old, so that shouldn’t be an issue.”
Look, if Brett Favre is still leading a team to a 5-0 start at 40 don’t assume that Peyton Manning won’t. Manning’s never missed a game start yet.
Manning at 40 might still be the best quarterback in the league.
I think this is the first good move Lerner has made. My old man has been telling me that Ozzie Newsome should have been the man in this role for years. Please Bernie…help us believe again. Thanks for all those great games back in the day. I will only wear (or buy) Browns jerseys from your era or before (although I’ve considered a Cribbs). Give me a reason to buy a new one.
Please?
It’s good to have Bernie back.
My wife grew up a Lions fan and I converted her to a Browns fan. I don’t know if I feel good or bad about that…
lifetime clevelander and browns fan since i was 10. living in cincinnasty now but still drive up for browns games. no matter how bad the baffoons in charge run us into the ground, i will remain loyal to the brownies. Go Browns!
I live in San Diego now and have to put up with Charger fans and they’re stupid comments like, “how can anyone live in that kind of weather”. WTF? I was born into the Browns family and grew up rooting for Sipe, Newsome, Kosar…I will always bleed brown and orange. When my friends give me a hard time I ask them, if your Daddy was a drunk would you change your last name? No! I still love them even when they embarrass me in front of my friends and crap out early on Sundays. I can’t help it.