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November 4, 2010Colin Cowherd: “Cleveland is Close”
November 4, 2010In order to be a good football man in today’s NFL, I think you have to have a certain level of arrogance.
Whether fans look on that arrogance with a knowing positivity or true disdain depends on whether the arrogance is justified with success and trust. Bill Belichick is the perfect example as he has ridden the fence. He was an arrogant jerk when he was in Cleveland as head coach. Everyone said that. He was an arrogant jerk everywhere he went until he somehow became a genius.
Today, I am still bitter about Belichick’s tenure in Cleveland, but I do respect him for what he has done in New England. It seems like Browns fans are not yet totally sold on Mike Holmgren including Terry Pluto, who was critical of him following his press conference this week.
When Terry Pluto says something that I disagree with, I usually take a step back to think over my position again. After thinking about it though, I am still quite satisfied with the things Mike Holmgren said during his press conference even if some of the rest of you aren’t.
First of all, I think Mike Holmgren was as honest as he could be about not wanting to coach. I think in his mind all he really needs to guarantee anyone is that he isn’t going to coach this year and probably not in the future. At the same time, he let Eric Mangini know that he wouldn’t be replaced this year, which is valuable. I don’t think many of us thought otherwise, but it is important to say so that anyone who might have been plotting an in-season coaching change can stop.
Holmgren’s comments about the quarterbacks played right along that line too. Holmgren toed the company line that he has set that they will analyze the quarterback situation if and when they are all healthy. He said that he would defer to Mangini for his opinion first. He certainly didn’t say it would be the last opinion. But, what else was he going to say? Was he going to say “I have confidence in my coach, who will be evaluated at the end of the year, but I am also going to make all his decisions for him in-season?” That would be kind of silly.
I think the real takeaway from the press conference is that Mike Holmgren has a likable arrogance that he has developed with his success over time. I would say it is quite clear he is in charge, but that he will allow his coach to be the coach. Obviously, he is comfortable enough with the working relationship with Mangini that he doesn’t feel he has to dictate. Make no mistake though. Holmgren seems just confident and arrogant enough to me that I think if he had to he would force the issue just like he did in the draft room when McCoy was there in the third round.
To expect him to say that he is going to dictate to his coach when it seems like the coach is seeking his opinion regularly is counter-productive at best. I do believe Mike Holmgren is firmly in control of this organization. I think he shows a nice combination of confidence, patience, urgency, and frustration. Of course here in Cleveland even with those of us who are still believers, he is only about three or four moves from me just thinking he is an arrogant jerk.
11 Comments
I’m not sure why Pluto thinks that whatever Holmgrem tells the media is indicative of the conversations he has had privately with Mangini. Perhaps he has strong feelings one way or the other and has told Mangini how it is going to be and simply doesn’t want to publicly undermine his coach.
gotta love the ‘Stache. I mean, he’s a true blood football guy. Nothing hidden from it and he doesn’t try to hide it.
always liked him and very glad we have him here.
The thing I found most interesting was Holmgren defense of the WRs. I wonder if he was being honest about that. Could our wideouts really be a lot better than we realise and our QB/OC issues be holding them back?
@Clown Baby – agreed. Mangini strikes me as the type to listen to Holmgren and say, “yes sir!”
my only problem was the comment about being back with the team next year, but not sure if he’d be wearing a suit or not.
I think Mangini has done fantastic, and if they finish the way they’ve been playing (competitive EVERY WEEK), i think Mangini should stay.
It’s really mind blowing how Browns fans are not completely on the Holmgren bandwagon. This guy has literally taken this franchise from a state of disarray and in one year he’s put together a credible front office and has changed the course of the team. He was given full authority for a reason and considering we’ve never had a credible football guy in charge of this team we all need to chill out and let the Big Show do what he sees fit.
Is that a cast on Holmgren’s foot in the picture of him on the golf cart? Is he trying to capture solidarity with his two injured first and second string quarterbacks?
What a guy
I don’t know about him stepping in and coaching but I know Mike wasn’t honest about “It’s a coaching decision”. It’s not Eric Mangini’s decision about which QB plays. It’s Holmgren’s call, despite what he tells the media. Trust me.
In Holmgren I trust. Dude has more Super Bowl rings than anyone criticizing him.
#6 In fairness, while I think that Holmgren is doing the right things, Mangini does deserve some cred for starting the housecleaning to morph this team…
Been thinking quite a bit and it’s time to try to formuate some stance on this. Let me say this first… I LOVE that Mike Holmgren is here. However, I have become concerned. In listening to him speak 3 separate times this week (the original presser, on the Dan Patrick Show, and on the Sirius Blitz w/ John Madden, Rich Gannon and Adam Schein), he really sounds to me like a guy who wants to coach again. Credit him for being honest, but the issue I have with this is two-fold.
#1… He has made a commitment to Randy Lerner and it sounds like he plans to see this through. While this may seem like a good thing, I wonder… how good at his job (as Team President) can he be, if his heart is somewhere else (coaching)? If he is chomping at the bit to coach again, and he is true to his word that he will honor the agreement he made with Randy Lerner, then coaching the Browns may be his only choice. Surely, he wouldn’t renege on his promise to Lerner and follow his lust to coach in a place that would surely pull out all the stops to get him, like say, San Francisco. Would he?
That brings me to issue #2… What about Eric Mangini? Clearly, I am not alone anymore (or so it once felt) in my acknowledgement of the strides this team has made under Eric Mangini. The man came here with a vision of what he wanted this team to be and, by God, they are surely starting to resemble that vision. However, I can’t shake the thought of Mike Holmgren pulling the rug out from under Mangini just as he is about to hit his stride in coaching this team and seeing “The Process” reach it’s long-awaited potential because of a.) Holmgren’s need to quench his thirst for coaching and b.) the philosophical differences between him and Mangini that are making this an increasingly difficult coexistence.
I suppose this will all play itself out over the last 9 games. It can go down a variety of avenues… The team will win more. The team will lose more. Colt McCoy will play. Colt McCoy will sit. Mangini will stay. Mangini will be replaced. Holmgren will hire a new coach. Holmgren will coach the team himself. Holmgren will be the President AND the Head Coach? Ugh, don’t even get me started on that one.
I keep telling myself that there is no use in getting all swept up in the “what-could-happen?” and I should just enjoy the here and now. But, I can’t help it. Maybe the Cleveland Curse is just the paranoia felt by the fans of it’s professional sports teams and nothing more. Maybe.