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The 'interviews' thread was reaching capacity and I saw this article by Grossi. After reading it, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I hope we get some answers soon.


NFL Insider: What if Kokinis says no?
by Tony Grossi
Sunday January 11, 2009, 1:30 AM

By naming Eric Mangini as head coach, Browns owner Randy Lerner has backed himself into a corner in regards to finding a new general manager.

The assumption was that the job was earmarked for George Kokinis, Baltimore pro personnel director, as a result of the very first interview with Mangini. Kokinis and Mangini have been good friends since the days in 1994 that they shared a room in Cleveland while serving as gofers for Bill Belichick.

But now that Mangini has been hired and D-day is here for Kokinis -- he's supposed to be interviewed today -- there is a feeling gaining steam that Kokinis may develop a case of cold feet and stay with the Ravens.

Then what?

The Browns may reach out to former Denver General Manager Ted Sundquist or Colts vice president of football operations Chris Polian.

There is also the pool of experienced GMs who, like Sundquist, are currently not with teams, such as Floyd Reese (formerly Tennessee), Charley Casserly (Houston and Washington) and Tom Donahoe (Buffalo and Pittsburgh).

But if Lerner were to apply the same credentials to the GM job as he did in picking Mangini as coach, there is one candidate who would stand out.

Go down the list:

Lerner wanted a coach who had head coach experience.

This GM candidate has GM experience.

Lerner felt Mangini would learn from the mistakes he made his first time in the position.

This GM candidate certainly made mistakes his first time in the position.

Lerner wanted a coach who had worked for successful teams.

This GM candidate has worked under men who built successful teams.

Lerner wanted a young and hungry coach.

This GM candidate is a young and hungry GM.

Lerner wanted a coach "who brings in a system and a culture and a set of rules."

This GM candidate has an established system, no doubt.

On top of all that, Lerner liked Mangini because, he told the New York Daily News, "Eric understood the hunger and urgency that we feel in Cleveland, especially since he had worked for the Browns."

This GM candidate understands all that and worked for the Browns -- twice.

Based on the criteria Lerner set forth in choosing Mangini, it sounds like the best candidate for GM is the same one Lerner fired -- Phil Savage.

More GM chatter: A clarification on NFL rules regarding a team designating total football authority to one person.

While most teams put it in writing if a coach or GM has total football authority, NFL rules do not force a team to designate the No. 1 guy if it desires not to, said a source.

It's like the "franchise player" designation. It's there if you choose to use it, but you don't have to.

The total authority designation is a tool to protect an organization from losing a key executive. For instance, in the example of Kokinis, the Ravens may block him from going to Cleveland unless the Browns designate him the No. 1 guy in his contract.

It's the only way Savage was able to leave the Ravens in 2005. Savage said the total authority designation is what separates a general manager from a player personnel director and it's the reason he chose the Browns' job over four others he had interviewed for.

If the Browns are left without a legitimate GM candidate and intend to give Mangini the loudest voice in football matters -- with or without the contractual designation -- one source said, "Then all they need is a personnel director."

And more: Reese was on an original list of second-tier GM candidates for the Browns, but he doesn't appear to be on their radar screen.

Reese had a good record in 13 years as GM of the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans, but his run ended in January 2007 when owner Bud Adams didn't renew Reese's contract and replaced him with Mike Reinfeldt.

Reportedly there was some friction at the end between Reese and coach Jeff Fisher, which is understandable after working together for 13 years. But that appearance alone probably rules him out in Lerner's mind because Lerner is intent on avoiding any confrontations between coach and GM. Also, Reese, 60, is out of Lerner's age bracket.

But Reese is NFL savvy, believes in hard-nosed football -- not the fancy stuff -- and would be a great addition.

He said: "Hiring a GM is like drafting a quarterback. You bring in a rookie and, unfortunately, there's a learning curve in the NFL. I think it just depends on how much a learning curve you want to go through."

Reese agrees that teams can be turned around literally overnight in the NFL these days. But when he points to the amazing turnarounds in Miami, Atlanta and Baltimore, he sees a commonality that nobody has mentioned before.

"The bottom line with all those teams is they got a young [or new] quarterback -- Joe Flacco in Baltimore, Matt Ryan in Atlanta, Chad Pennington in Miami," Reese said. "Everybody forgets the formula for winning is still the same. Number one -- first and foremost -- is the quarterback.

"That's more important than the head coach, more important than the general manager, more important than anyone, really."

The Titans reached the Super Bowl in the 1999 season, the fifth year after they drafted quarterback Steve McNair in the first round.

Plaudits: In All-Pro voting conducted by the Associated Press among 50 media members, Browns return specialist Josh Cribbs received four votes, left tackle Joe Thomas had three votes, kicker Phil Dawson two and nose tackle Shaun Rogers two.


linkokinis

Now, I think Grossi is NUTS for suggesting, even tongue-in-cheek, that the perfect man for the job is Savage and I'm not worried in the least about that becoming a reality. What I am a little concerned about is getting the right fit at GM now that we supposedly have the right fit at head coach. If we can't land Kokinis, the guy Mangini really wanted to work with, then we have to find someone else he really wants to work with and someone who really wants to work with him. So with that in mind, I agree with Grossi that Lerner has backed himself into a corner.

I say we go after Reese if Kokonuts backs out.

Is this guy serious?

http://www.cantonrep.com/sports/browns/x512381697/Dont-rule-out-Pioli-as-Browns-GM-yet?popular=true

Don't rule out Pioli as Browns GM yet

By Steve Doerschuk
CantonRep.com staff writer
Posted Jan 09, 2009 @ 08:20 PM
Last update Jan 09, 2009 @ 10:36 PM

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BEREA — If Scott Pioli doesn’t jump into the Browns general manager job, it won’t be because Eric Mangini is his mortal enemy.

At least, Mangini drew a glowing sketch of Pioli as a friend and as a professional.

“I think Scott is a great guy,” Mangini said on radio station WTAM amid a whirl of interviews after he was named Browns head coach. “I think he’s really smart. I think he’s really good at what he does.

“He’s another person I have nothing but respect for.”

Pioli and Mangini were fellow Patriots during three seasons that culminated with Super Bowl wins. In their final year together, 2005, Pioli was — and still is — vice president of player personnel. Mangini was defensive coordinator.

Mangini became the Jets head coach in 2006. In 2007, Mangini was suspected as the snitch in the Spygate affair that cost Pioli a first-round draft pick.

“Any disagreements,” Mangini said, “stem from intense loyalty to our clubs, competitiveness for our clubs and not anything to do with personal issues at all.”

Mangini met Pioli in the 1990s when both were making their way up in the NFL world with Bill Belichick’s Browns.

“When I first became a (public relations) intern (in Cleveland),” Mangini said, “I was sleeping on the floor in Scott’s apartment. We’ve been friends a long time.”

Mangini said Pioli was responsible for introducing him to his wife.

“We were on a relocation weekend,” Mangini said. “I was with Scott, and he said, ‘Do you want to go meet my buddy’s sister and some of her girlfriends?’ ”

The “buddy” was Mark Shapiro, who has since become general manager of the Cleveland Indians. Mangini and the former Julie Shapiro are married with two children.

Browns owner Randy Lerner indicated Friday that a general manager has not been picked. He did not close the door on Pioli as a candidate.

George Kokinis, who worked with Mangini and Pioli on the Belichick-era Browns, is viewed as the frontrunner. Lerner and Mangini have talked at length about where the GM search might go, and Mangini has shared his views of Kokinis. Lerner has not met Kokinis, but a lengthy interview is likely when Kokinis breaks free from his duties as pro personnel director of the Baltimore Ravens.

Lerner sought advice from numerous sources as he approached the head coach and GM search. At this point, he is looking for a GM who will mesh with Mangini.

“Ultimately, it will be Randy’s decision,” Mangini said. “I’ll work closely with him in that process. The important thing to both Randy and me is it’s a person I’ll work together with day in and day out.

“It won’t ever be about credit. It won’t ever be about anything but how we can improve the Browns. That’s what I was excited about in the conversations with Randy. I’m confident we’ll find that person, and it will be a complete team effort.”

Lerner will use Mangini’s input but also rely on his network of advisers.

“It’s important to have some checks and balances within the organization,” he said.

Pioli has a substantially deeper résumé and reputation than Kokinis, but it could be that Lerner concludes Kokinis is as bright a prospect as Pioli and would work better with Mangini and others in the building.

Lerner is coy about offering many clues. He did say:

“If you don’t have the chemistry right in the building, you don’t have any chance, because if you have any adversity, the wheels come off.”

Eagles GM Tom Heckert reportedly has faded as a candidate.

Lerner has been through whirlwind, firing a head coach and a GM less than two weeks ago, hiring a head coach this week. His first move after turning his focus from Mangini to the GM hunt?

“Getting some sleep,” he said.

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Based on the criteria Lerner set forth in choosing Mangini, it sounds like the best candidate for GM is the same one Lerner fired -- Phil Savage.

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What possibly could be the purpose of Grossi's "story" ?

A look back at what Lerner got rid of serves no constructive purpose and did Grossi forget why Savage was let go?....something about Phil and Romeo not being on the same page over players needed to make the Browns successful.

A wave of Grossi's magic wand and suddenly Savage would be in lockstep with Mangini?

Is Grossi trying to suggest a way for the Browns to look more disfunctional than they have over the past 10 yrs?

Just what is Grossi doing these days, looking back...

I agree....it seems more like a backhanded slap at Lerner and the Browns.

I have not seen this story posted yet and the title of this thread seems like a perfect place for it...


Scott Pioli talk questionable
Interview tales make little sense
By Ron Borges
Saturday, January 10, 2009

If you know anything at all about Scott Pioli, you know when it comes to football matters he is never unprepared, which is what makes recent claims about his interview with the Cleveland Browns difficult to fathom.

If those reports are accurate, Pioli was so ill-prepared for his seven-hour interview with Browns owner Randy Lerner that he couldn’t think of a single thing he needed to turn around a billion dollar company with sinking football fortunes. Couldn’t think of anything he had to have to right a 4-12 team with personnel problems, salary cap problems and no head coach. Not one thing.

That is what some folks would have you believe, perhaps never considering what that really means. It means Pioli showed up for dinner and didn’t even ask for a menu. Sat there for seven hours convincing Lerner he didn’t need a thing to fix the mess the Browns had become.

Does that sound like the Scott Pioli who has been widely declared among the most well-prepared front office executives in the game? The same guy who spends endless hours working to find out everything he can about every player he looks at? The guy who keeps his team prepared for any possible personnel disaster? Yet when he gets in front of Lerner, he has no idea what to ask for to fix the Browns’ problems?

“Didn’t ask for anything.”

If that’s true, no wonder Eric Mangini is in Cleveland and Scott Pioli is not.

The slant of SI.com’s Peter King was that Lerner was “sure Pioli was the top candidate to come into Cleveland to rebuild his team.” If that is true, how did Lerner come to that conclusion? By listening to Pioli’s iPod selections?

What King wrote was that “Pioli never made any demands that gave Lerner cold feet.” So did he make demands or didn’t he?

If that’s true, Pioli was as unprepared for one of the most important days in his professional life as any human being could be.

Having seen Pioli in operation for as long as he’s been in New England, and having talked to many NFL executives and personnel people familiar with his work, I can assure you of one thing: Scott Pioli was not unprepared for that interview. He also is not some shrinking violet afraid to ask for what he needs to build a winner for fear the owner might run off screaming into the night.

Pioli, a two-time NFL Executive of the Year, knew exactly what he believed was necessary to turn around Lerner’s troubled franchise. To suggest he, as NFL Network’s respected news maven Adam Schefter wrote, “never asked for anything from the Browns,” is absurd. That is not to say someone didn’t tell Schefter that. It’s just to point out if it’s true, it’s the first time in the history of NFL interviews that it happened.

“Never asked for anything.”

For that to be true, Scott Pioli would have to have concluded everything was right with the Browns and he needed nothing to improve them. Of course, if that’s the case, why hire him?

Or he would have had to have thrown his old friend Romeo Crennel and his former boss Phil Savage under the bus and blamed them for every wrong that existed in Cleveland and thus made clear that simply getting rid of them was the answer. In which case, why hire him?

Or he sat there like a bump on a log for seven hours without any idea what needed to be done in Cleveland to turn it into the kind of model franchise he has so greatly helped Bill Belichick build in New England. In which case, why hire him?

Or there’s the last possibility. He “never asked for anything” because he had no idea what to ask for or how to go about it or even what he should be paid to do the job. If you believe that, you’ve never talked to Scott Pioli and you don’t think much of the quality of his work.

rborges@bostonherald.com


web page

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By naming Eric Mangini as head coach, Browns owner Randy Lerner has backed himself into a corner in regards to finding a new general manager.

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You know, that's possible, but I don't believe it to be the case. Tell ya why.
We don't seem to be looking for a GM with a ton of GM experience.. We don't seem to be looking for a guy to take TOTAL control either.

We seem to be looking for an up and comer that can grow into the job. Someone with passion and intensity that can take the ball and run with it.

The thing is, if that's what we are looking for, then be prepared, whoever we get will make a few blunders along the way..

Grossi would be right if we were looking for what I term as the Traditional GM/HC arrangement. We don't seem to be looking for that set up. so, basically, Grossi is off base.

He further proves what a dummy he is by even suggesting, even as as joke, that Savage is the perfect guy for the job today.. I don't think so.

Grossi is missing something else.. Look at the way RAC was treated when he was fired.. he would even be welcomed back in some capacity according to Lerner... What have you heard about Savage being welcome back?

Silence tells that story.. It seems pretty obvious that Randy Lerner and Phil Savage didn't part as best buds.... Anything but I'd say.

I like Casserly at a lot, but he's old school.. Maybe that's what we need, maybe it isn't. But does anyone actually think that Casserly is gonna come here knowing he can't control the coach.... I don't.

Reece is too anxious.. he made some comments before the hunt started that made me want to shy away. He did a good job in Tennessee and Houston but then at the end, he got them into a CAP hell situation. I'm afraid I don't like that much.

McKay doesn't want the job,,, and that's too bad, I like him and think he'd have done a good job. But even with him in the mix, we wuuld still need to hire the same type of guy the Browns are looking at for the current GM opening. McKay is more adminstration or so it appears.. we need a hands on, feet on the ground kinda guy. JMO on that however.

All in all, I think we are basically looking for a Personnel guy.. not really a GM.

First I have heard of that.

I also find it hard to believe Lerner would go through a 7 hour interview process if the guy was sitting there like a simpleton and had nothing of worth to say.

I don't know what to make of the Pioli news coming out today. Did he have a poor interview with Lerner?...I doubt that!

Is Pioli weighing his options between Cleveland, KC, another NFL team or staying with the Patriots?

Today is the day that Kokinis was scheduled to interview for the GM job which could mean it would be Pioli's last chance at the Browns job.

It is obvious that one sticking point between Pioli and Lerner may have been the hiring of the HC. Obviously, Lerner care much for the reports of Pioli's suggestions of Ferentz (college coach) or McDaniels (lacking in experience).

Lerner moved on and so did Pioli who interviewed for the KC job.

This could be a day of choices for Pioli though as the Browns may fill their vacancy today. Is Lerner still holding the door open for Pioli?

It sounds like some are not ruling Pioli out in Cleveland but I doubt that Pioli has much time left to make a decision.

Peen...from what I read, it sounds like there was something on NFL network about Pioli's interview with Lerner.

I don't get NFL network so I have no idea what may have been on or if that (NFL network) is the source for this story.

It sounds like a BS story to me...

I read this as "writer-spin" for the report that came out stating that Pioli made no unreasonable demands and was originally reported. This hack is just trying to twist "no unreasonable demands" if true then Pioli must not have had a clue when he walked into Lerner's office. Since smart money says that Pioli came prepared therefore Pioli must have had unreasonable demands or he's a moron. I think the writer is a moron.

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I also find it hard to believe Lerner would go through a 7 hour interview process if the guy was sitting there like a simpleton and had nothing of worth to say.

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Kinda like YOU???...lmmfao...J/K...

Pioli ain't comin' here...I was dead wrong...NEXT...

THere is one other reason that Pioli may not have asked for anything.. Maybe he doesn't or didn't even want the job. In which case, why ask for anything.

Sounds a bit like a Boston writer with an agenda of sorts.. got no idea what that might be,, But the whole thing sounds way to odd for me to grasp.

I don't know....I get the NFL Network, but rarely watch.

They do some nice stuff around draft time and show a few games a year you otherwise can't get, but to me it is mostly rumor mill stuff and showing old NFL Films clips you have already seen 50 times.

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I read this as "writer-spin" for the report that came out stating that Pioli made no unreasonable demands and was originally reported.

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Hmm,, that makes sense. I kinda thought it was that the writer had an agenda but didn't know what it was.. maybe that's it.

Everytime I see a post about Reese it always comes back to "he put them in cap hell". Which he did but here is an idea I haven't seen mentioned. We hire Reese and we keep McCracken(sp) right where he is to oversee salaries.

I just have a feeling this Kokonis thing is far from a lock. JMO and trying to weigh other options.

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Everytime I see a post about Reese it always comes back to "he put them in cap hell".

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Maybe,, but do you think that since Reece or Reese (which I don't know) lost in a power struggle with Jeff Fisher, will he want to enter into another situation where he's not the boss of the HC..

Remember, when he spouted off that he was interested in the GM job in Cleveland, it was way before Mangini was hired as HC.. For all we know, he may not be interested anymore.

More importantly,wouldn't it sound a bit desparate if he would want this job now that a HC has been hired. I mean a man of his obvious experience wanting a job with less clout than he was once used too. Why would he want that.

Anyway, I don't think he's the kinda guy Randy wants....

Yea you are prolly right about him taking a lesser role than what he is used to. I was just throwing out an idea. On the other hand I don't hear of other teams reaching out to him either.......course that could be a sign.

What is the word on the Sunquist guy, I don't really know a lot about him except Shanny had control there.

I think we might as well get in lockstep with the sportswriting world and admit that the Browns are a terrible franchise who will likely go 0-16 for the next 100 years.

I mean, come on, people! The Browns hire a head coach with head coaching experience, yet it's the WRONG head coach with head coaching experience. The Browns try to get a head coach/GM mix that will work well together, but they do it the WRONG way.

I guess my question is, would it have been possible for them to do it the RIGHT way?

We could have brought in Pioli, who has NO GM experience and allowed him to appoint a head coach who has no NFL head coaching experience. Would Grossi and the others have been ok with that? I doubt it.

I think that once Cowher turned down the Browns (and everyone else), there was no one who could have righted this ship. Heck, we might as well get moved again.

We hire RAC and Savage a few years ago, and it's hailed as the second coming. Now, we're trying to learn from our mistakes and it's hailed as the second coming...of Satan. I understand the pessimism, and I'm not expecting them to just jump on board blindly.

But it's just getting ridiculous that, no matter what we do, we're doing it wrong.

Heck, maybe we should be happy that everyone is ticked off about this (at least in the sports writing world). They loved Butch Davis, they loved RAC/Savage. Maybe this is a good sign?

Nice post.

I think regardless who is the head coach, and/or GM... The players themselves have to step it up and execute.

I wish we had a defense like the Ravens for instance, that can go on the road, and play great football. We would have gotten ran all over, and the game would have been over QUICK.

It's about the players. We all know talent when we see it.... But they have to perform at a great level...

AS A TEAM!

Just win baby! ...And all will be right with the cosmos.

J/C on you.


As I rerad the story it came to me that many think hiring Mangini first was a bad idea, and we should let the GM do it. I disagree, but at first I was thinking this way too.

It seems to me that these guys like Pioli and Heckert, wanting total control is becoming a trend. IMO having the GM have total control overtrumps the HC too much. Pioli to me comes off as a power hungry guy, and Heckert seems to have had the same idea.

I'm glad we got Mangini due to his discipline, and I hope he has some say on who he gets as players. Savage became too big for his britches, fans treated him like he was a god at one point and could do no harm. While he did bring in some good players, he also has us sitting here with guys that still need developement and very few draft picks. IMO if RAC would have been able to have more say in the picks, things might have been different.

I want our coach to be able to say who he wants to fill a void on what will be looked at as his team. The GM has got to be aware of this from the beginning and willing to work hand and hand with the head coach.

Many are saying Lerner is repeating himself, I see it differently. I think the coach is more important than the GM as far as personnel goes, and the GM should understand this. Fiding someone to work with Mnagini is imperative, and I like the road Lerner is taking.

I find it funny that Heckert and Pioli seemed to dismiss the Browns as soon as they could not hire their "friends" as HC. We have our coach, now we need some stability around him, and that includes both a GM and a player personnel guy. They must work as a team, just as the players need to, stiving for the same goal.

Best post I've ever seen you make,...

Thanks

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I find it funny that Heckert and Pioli seemed to dismiss the Browns as soon as they could not hire their "friends" as HC. We have our coach, now we need some stability around him, and that includes both a GM and a player personnel guy. They must work as a team, just as the players need to, stiving for the same goal.

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I like your post, but just to offer a differing point-of-view....maybe Pioli and Heckert dropped out because they couldn't get "their" guy. Maybe they wanted their guy not because of egos but because they feel they could trust them and work with them the best in order to achieve the same goal....Super Bowl. This is the same thing that Lerner wants, just perhaps a different philosophy/style in getting there. I'm praying Lerner's way works.

I'm praying Lerner's way works.

It either works this time, or I'm afraid I'll be just stuck in my woodshop on Sundays until I'm gone (or maybe until Lerner is.)

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Maybe they wanted their guy not because of egos but because they feel they could trust them and work with them the best in order to achieve the same goal....Super Bowl

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I see your point, but to me, reading the comments by both, it seems more putting a friend in place. Maybe that would work, it seems Mangini might be doing the same thing with Kokinis. My point is they seem to want total control more than anything, and IMO that's isn't working to well around the league.

It seems like these GM types think they should be able to "coach" the coaches for a lack of a better way to say it. Cowher had a GM in Pittsburgh who worked with him on personnel decisions, I can't see why now he wants it all. I still believe it is a power thing.

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I find it funny that Heckert and Pioli seemed to dismiss the Browns as soon as they could not hire their "friends" as HC.

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I wonder if that's the case. Sounds right.

Conversely, Mangini was hired, made a recommendation for GM and Randy set out to talk to the guy.. at the same time, he set out to talk to Heckert as well.

That shows me that while Mangini may have had a desire to have his friend as the GM, he was open to other candidates. Why else would he take the HC job without the GM position filled.

In other words, Mangini was flexible whereas, perhaps Pioli wasn't.

I've said it before and I'll keep saying it until someone proves me wrong, I still think that Randy Lerner, since meeting Mangini face to face, has had it in his head to build an organization the same way Bob Kraft did in NE..

Hire the Coach, pick a personnel guy (call it whatever title you want) and then let those two guys build the rest of the organization.

Hell, we even have an Owner and President in place.. Just like NE..

Owner: Lerner = Kraft
President: Keenan = Krafts son
Head Coach: Mangini = Belichick
VP Player Personnel/GM: X = Pioli

Interesting isn't it!

Given that we've seen an article (that we can't post due to vulgarity) that states that Lerner will have both the GM and the HC report directly to him, I'm convinced that we are NOT looking for a traditional GM...

Just like in NE! Eerie isn't it?

Great post. Lerner has made it clear he wanted an experienced HC. That's the philosphy he came upon after seeing all the research. If Pioli, or anyone else, was steadfast on a rookie HC, regardles of their faith in that person, that would be the dealbreaker for Lerner, IMO.

We don't know because we're not there, but IMO, you are right that Mangini is open to working with someone other than his recommendation. The GM candidates, Pioli at least, appear not to be. It's speculation from afar, but that's how it looks to me.

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Cowher couldn't work with Tom Donahoe...Donahoe left. The rest is history as he hoisted the Lombardi trophy.

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I don't feel Cowher built that team, much of it was in place at the time of Donahoe leaving. Donahoe did well for the Steelers, and IMO did alot to build the team they have today.

As for their Superbowl,....would that be the one they were handed

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I've said it before and I'll keep saying it until someone proves me wrong, I still think that Randy Lerner, since meeting Mangini face to face, has had it in his head to build an organization the same way Bob Kraft did in NE..

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If you want to be the best, you got to study the best. I hope it works.

Only one Cowher "won,".....

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If you want to be the best, you got to study the best. I hope it works.

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You aren't alone.. it all depends on the people hired... I have no problem with Mangini.. I'm absolutly convinced that in him, Lerner feels he's got his Belichick.

Belichick used to tick me off.. Metcalf up the middle, Cutting Kosar, seemingly unwilling to listen to anyone..

It pains me to say it, but the year before the Browns Moved to Baltimore, he had us in the playoffs and he, without a doubt, had us moving in the right direction. (geesh that hurts to admit, but damned if it isn't the truth)

I think Mangini had the Jets going in the right direction also before he was canned.

He might have been very successful in NY had they had an owner with some brains... I'm still amazed that the owner would throw his GM under a bus for Cowher, who was saying all along, he didn't want to coach in 2009. Kinda gives you a little glimpse into the man that fired Mangini doesn't it.

OH,, has anyone heard all this talk that no GM wants to come here because Mangini is considered "persona non grata" after having been suspected of ratting out Belichick on the Spy gate thing?

What do you guys make of that rumor?

I hope it isn't just me, but I found this op-ed extremely annoying.

Guy pokes holes at others' reports, but offers absolutely nothing to even suggest what might have been discussed.

I see better witing here at DT'ers from folks who do this for free... and this guy actually gets paid?????

j/c

I'd like to see the HC & GM be of equal power. This makes them KNOW that they must work together to come to agreement. Now, there will be times that they just won't agree. Could be in the draft room. At that point there will need to be an arbitrator.

We've been on both sides. Butch wanted Gerrard Warren even though Richard Siemore was supposedly rated higher. Romeo supposedly wanted Ty Law before the start of regular season but Phil said no.

anybody know when this interview is suppose to take place..

nordawg

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anybody know when this interview is suppose to take place..

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No,, all we really know is that it is SUPPOSED to take place..