DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Highsmith and Wolf Are Out

...has Whitney Haslam Johnson always been listed there? Or is that a new addition?

The GM/HC being seduced by the owners' daughter/wife would be a new way to fail and entirely in keeping with our anything that can go wrong will history.

Always liked Ron Wolf. Read his book. Has done wonderful things. I don't necessarily think that's what's happening here. Data isn't making decisions. Data assists those making the decision. I think we are closer to what he did in Green Bay more than he thinks. Maybe he's just upset for Elliot?

Analytics is infiltrating the fraternity.

That will happen when you decide on a 3 year plan and then give the new guy year 3 with a stockpile of assets.

Ron Wolf : Times are changing, Eliot. These nerds are a threat to our way of life.

Eliot Wolf : If they win the Homecoming Carnival, they'll be able to take over the Greek Council.

Ron Wolf : Yeah. And we'll be up to our asses in nerd <bleep>.

Haven't read this thread other than the title so there may be newer information but this is the most recent per cleveland.com. Most recent update was today at 2:42

https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2020/01...determined.html

Browns part ways with personnel execs Alonzo Highsmith and Steve Malin; Eliot Wolf’s role to be determined
Updated 2:42 PM; Today 10:52 AM
Alonzo Highsmith of the Browns
Alonzo Highsmith is reportedly leaving the Browns front office after serving as VP of Player Personnel. (Branson Wright, The Plain Dealer)

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By Mary Kay Cabot, cleveland.com
MIAMI, Fla. -- Andrew Berry’s impact is already being felt after only one day on the job.

The Browns and Vice President of Player Personnel Alonzo Highsmith have mutually agreed to part ways, Highsmith confirmed to cleveland.com. The Browns have also parted ways with Director of College scouting Steve Malin, a league source confirmed.

Dustin Fox of 92.3 The Fan first reported the news.

The Browns and assistant general manager Eliot Wolf are still determining his future with the club, a league source told cleveland.com. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen first reported that the Browns have also parted ways with Wolf, but later also said the two sides are still working through it.


Highsmith told ESPN’s Josina Anderson that he and the Browns parted ways because of philosophical differences.

"I wanted to go in a different direction because my philosophy on football is different from theirs,'' Highsmith said. "As far as football goes, I’ll just have to wait and see what happens. I love all parts of the game. I’ve never been a title guy. Working and contributing has always been my goal. So I do hope to return to the NFL.''

The moves come a day after new GM and Executive Vice President of Football Operations Berry officially signed his five-year contract with the Browns.

Highsmith and Wolf were the top two lieutenants of former Browns GM John Dorsey, who parted ways with the team Dec. 31 after declining to accept a demotion. They were both brought in from Green Bay, where they spent most of their NFL careers.

Highsmith, a former NFL running back, spent 19 years in Green Bay before coming to Cleveland in 2018, and Wolf spent 14 seasons there. Highsmith had a chance to join his alma mater, the University of Miami, as head of football operations, but that opportunity didn’t materialize.


Highsmith’s departure has been anticipated since Dorsey was let go, but Wolf has always had a chance of remaining with the club.

Dorsey and his top aides, particularly Highsmith, didn’t espouse the heavy emphasis on analytics to drive personnel decisions, led by Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta. They were old-school, traditional scouts who rely on their football knowledge and not as much on statistics. It was a point of contention the entire time Dorsey was in the building.

It was also the reason Dorsey overhauled the Browns’ roster, dismantling most of the work done in Sashi Brown’s two years in charge. Only five of Brown’s 24 draft picks from 2016 and 2017 remain on the roster.

Myles Garrett and Nick Chubb?

1-31 wasn't the target, but it was a well-known possibility. Their plan was to jettison expensive players, trade down, and churn the bottom of the roster. You can't do that and then claim you're trying to win as many games as possible.

We really don’t know why Paton’s not here ... we have no clue how much the thief affect had to do with Paton’s decision making process ...

IF its true about Wolf and we really tried to get him to stay ... that’s a real black eye on what the thief’s done to the credibility of this franchise ...

The kool aid drinkers will say its no biggie .... they’ll just be lying to themselves ...

Ya, anyone would have done what KJ did as far as bringing in talent ...

I agree. Not worried about Alonzo leaving but I was really hoping we would find a way to keep Elliot. Oh well Lets see what the future holds for us.

Probably not. Some would have done better.

Theo Epstein was hired in 2011 by the Cubs. He proceeded to lose 197 games in two seasons as he took an analytical approach in stripping down the team, hoping to build up a solid foundation, by using assets he compiled in those first two years.

Fortunately the Cubs got rid of that numbers-nerd and replaced him with a guy that actually knew baseball ... in Theo Epstein, and that guy proceeded to win a World Series 3 years later.

Anyone who tries to compare the 1-31 years to any other years is just putting their complete ignorance about the subject on full display.

...

Thats as logical as macs post ... congrats ... *L* ...

Someone who has forgotten more about football than you'll ever know

Football changes. Keep up with or ahead of the changes or get left behind.

Some things stay the same. Unfortunately, they're the obvious things that even a "football guy" can figure out. How you get to those things (toughness, etc) has had to change due to changes in the CBA. "Football guys" have struggled with that part.

Reminds me of a quote in ... gah, I have to say it ... Moneyball:

Why not? Just continue on your dead end road.

Takitaki was the pick most closely tied to Wolf and he didn't exactly set the world on fire. (Liked the player well enough for the record, not sure about the draft slot)

If Wolf wasn't fully on board with Berry and Stefanski, it's probably best that he's gone. Good player, wrong fit kind of deal.

If you can’t operate a TI-84 then you don’t matter.

He's not going to know what that is.

Rubbish!

What round did we draft him in, I don’t remember him.

Dorsey was very good. He might have missed on Freddy but you can't win them all. What Haslem did was criminal. Get ready for trade downs for crappy players.

You are getting old bub...my comment was about "evachange" saying our scouting department was gone. It's not gone. The director of college scouting is gone.

If this is the way you are going to continue, we don't even need to talk.

As to another post, you said I ignored something in your post about frequent flyer miles. Either I don't know what you are talking about or deemed the comment something that didn't need my comment. Probably I don't know what you are talking about.

Probably so...that is why people leave. It's why Berry left last year, he could see what was going on and decided to leave.

What did Elliott Wolf do for us?

I wish we could have kept him, but obviously he wasn't going to have the same pull as he had with the Dorse.

It happens all the time at the top of a business. You can't tell me you expected everything to stay the same did you?

You are correct.
The old regime,the coaches and alot of players.
That's just how it always works.

Believe it or not, 5 of the 6 qb's he coached here are still currently on NFL rosters. Maybe the qb room wasn't as bad as the Hue lovers are saying.

Drink!

I wasn't. It wasn't superior by any means, but we could have won some games.

Drink!

This is hysterical for how ironic it is.

Welcome back!

J/c

Not a surprise IMO ... i dont think it’s a big deal

It isn't. It's business at the top. When the top person changes, they are going to bring in their people, just like Dorsry and all the others did.

Human nature.

I liked Wolf. Not sure why, probably because of his Dad, but I never knew much of him in a first hand way. At least it sounds like Berry tried to find a slot for the guy and it just didn't mesh.

Move on

I keep reading about what the Browns are doing, and I'm expecting somebody to tell me that this is all a joke. Like April Fools, haha, very funny. Only it's not April first. It's January twenty-whatever.

We might as well bring back Sashi Brown at this point (and no that's not something I encourage, but what would really be the difference at this point? It's basically the crew from two years ago back together, minus Sashi.)

Winner!