(Opening statement)- “Good morning everybody. It’s with great excitement to introduce you to Pat Shurmur as the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns. When we started the process a couple weeks ago we told you how we were going to conduct business. I trust that we’ve been fair about that with you and we narrowed it down to three candidates Pat, Mike Mularkey and Perry Fewell. I talked to both Mike and Perry yesterday, thanked them for their involvement, classy guys, good coaches. It’s my belief that they’ll be head coaches in this league but Pat emerged as the one that we think is the best man to take the Cleveland Browns where we hope to go. Today is his day and it’s not so much about Tom (Heckert) and me, we’re kind of window dressing up here. Pat Shurmur the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns.”
Pat Shurmur
(Opening statement)- “Thank you coach. This is obviously a great day in our lives as coaches, as educators, as teachers. You dream of the opportunity to be a part of an organization such as this and then be able to provide the vision for a team with such great tradition. With that being said, I’d like a couple of thank you’s. Obviously, Mr. Lerner, President Holmgren, G.M. Tom Heckert, I’d like to thank Steve Spagnuolo, the people in St. Louis. My two years there have been tremendous. I’d also like to thank Andy Reid and the Philadelphia Eagles. That was my introduction to pro football and I learned it from a man who learned it from this guy (Mike Holmgren). I think that helped build this collective view of how to win so I’d like to thank them. Our years there were invaluable. I’d also like to thank my wife Jennifer who’s here today, we’ve been friends now for over 25 years and we’re partners in this thing as well as our four kids who are home anxiously awaiting everything that is happening. We are a family, I am a father, I’m a husband and we cannot wait to get to Cleveland and become a part of this community. I was born and raised in the Detroit area and I know what this region is all about. I understand the thirst for winning, I think we have a collective view of how to get it done and we can’t wait to get to work and start that process. I’m thrilled to be the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns and I cannot wait to basically get off of this podium and get to the task of assembling the staff that we want to all be proud of and then get to the point where we can work with the players. There are a lot of outstanding people in the building and I’m now one of those that can help push us forward. There are a lot of things I’d like to say. I do know this, as you talk about our team and the goals for this team it’s very simple, we’re trying to win football games. Our goal is to win the AFC North, to compete in the playoffs and win Super Bowls. Anything thing that we talk about that doesn’t relate to winning then I think we’re getting ourselves distracted. We will make all of our decisions based on winning so that will start and it’s actually started already this process as of yesterday. With that being said, there’s a great amount of excitement.”
Pat Shurmur
(On what he is inheriting with this team)- “I think we have a team here with great tradition, there are a lot of pieces in place and it wouldn’t be fair for me to comment on any of the details. Again, that will be a process that we actually started yesterday and as we move forward, we’re going to do the very best we can to build the very best team we can and win games and championships.”
Pat Shurmur
(On the advantage he has with his background with Tom Heckert and Mike Holmgren)- “I think the relationship that I have with Tom and Coach Holmgren is part of the strength of what we’re going to embark on. I think we have a collective view of what it takes to win in this league and we’ll be able to put that into play.”
Pat Shurmur
(On if he is going to be hands on with Colt McCoy)- “The quarterback in this league is so, so important. We had a structure that I learned under where the head coach, the offensive coordinator, the quarterback coach and then ultimately the quarterback there was a lot of communication but we found a way to get on the same page, to work with those players to do the very best that they could on Sunday. I would anticipate the vision for this football team will be seen through the eyes of the quarterback.”
Pat Shurmur
(On if he will call the plays on offense)- “Yes, initially I will start out by calling the plays. I think that’s an important piece, and that really is the fun part for an offensive coach to be able to do that. In terms of hiring the coordinators, the staff in general, now that’s an ongoing process so we’re actively pursuing the guys that we want to come to Cleveland and help us get this thing done. We are in the process right now in doing that.”
Mike Holmgren
(On the qualities Shurmur has that are necessary for a head coach)- “He could tell you but he’s a modest guy. He is very bright, hard working, a team player. He served his, I would say, apprenticeship to get to this point as a long time college assistant coach and professional coach and then he has coordinated the last couple of years. He has been able to talk to half the team a good portion of the time. I like his personality, he’s a good man. Clearly his got a wonderful wife, wonderful family, he’s a good person and he’s a dedicated football coach. He had all the characteristics that we kind of listed prior to this search. Pat won’t talk about that so much but I’m happy to talk about it, we have a good man here, we’re very fortunate.”
Tom Heckert
(On when he saw the progression in Shurmur when they were together in Philadelphia)- “Andy (Reid) and I talked about it a lot, all the assistant coaches that we had. We went from Brad (Childress) he got a job and Marty (Mornhinweg) was back in there and Pat was there. I thought we saw that right away. The way he handled Donovan (McNabb) at the time, the way he handled the offense and the way he did things. I think we could see that right away and Andy and I talked that quite a bit and I knew it was going to come. It was just a matter of time and luckily for me it happened here.”
Pat Shurmur
(On what scheme he will use on defense)- “There’s a defense (joking)? Typically I don’t tell jokes but no we have talked about that. We’ve talked about that to great length already but again as we move forward we’re going to do the things necessary to build a very, very fine defense. That’s obviously a very, very important piece of what we need to get done.”
Pat Shurmur
(On if he is going to work with the players he has or if they are in a rebuilding phase)- “We’re trying to build the best team that we can and obviously we try to get the very best players that are available to us. There’s ways to do that, keep the players here, obviously you have free agency and the draft. With those three facets of player acquisition, we’re going to do the very best we can to build the very best team. I think we have the pieces in place to evaluate that and then put it all together.”
Pat Shurmur
(On how much he learned from his uncle Fritz Shurmur)- “My uncle Fritz was a great inspiration to me especially in the profession. He was the one who helped encourage me to do it. I would have to say the initial inspiration to do it came from home with my mother and my father. I kind of always tended to be somewhat of an educator and a teacher and then my passion for the game of football they helped to obviously encourage that. Uncle Fritz, he had a very unique way of simplifying very complex tasks and I think that’s the start as a teacher to be able to get very talented, very motivated guys to do the simply things and then put all the pieces together so that in total you got what you’re looking for.”
Mike Holmgren
(On Fritz Shurmur)- “In fact I’ve got to tell you two quick stories. The pedigree actually did factor into this a little bit. First of all Fritz would come up to me before any game, shake my hand and say, ‘Mike, good luck, for the next 60 minutes neither one of us are responsible for what we say to one another. That’s the first thing, the second thing is Pat bought me lunch yesterday. Fritz, never bought me anything as long as we were together so there’s the difference. It’s a great family, clearly. I suspect Fritz is up there smiling down now on this thing.”
Mike Holmgren
(On if he remembers Pat Shurmur coming to Green Bay visiting his uncle)- “I remember him from those days and what I remember most was an eager, young guy who coaching was in his blood, in his genes if you will. That was about it. I’d like to tell you, ‘You know what I had this vision and I could see this day happening,’ I couldn’t tell you that. Over the years now we’ve kept in contact and whether it was competing against one another or most recently prior to last year’s draft, we had an interesting conversation about the quarterbacks. We’ve kept in contact over the years.”
Mike Holmgren
(On if he can share their conversation about the quarterbacks)- “No, sorry.”
Pat Shurmur
(On how everyone in the division kind of does the same thing on offense and the relevance the running game will have in his offense)- “I think the running game is very important. When you talk about offense obviously it starts up front you have to have a gritty, well coordinated group of offensive linemen that either block the run or protect the passer so I’ve learned that at a young age in this profession that without that you have no chance. From that standpoint the next most important guy would be the quarterback and how he operates, how he plays and how efficient he is. That being said, I think it’s very important that we’re able to run the football but in the NFL you have to be able to efficiently and explosively through the ball and that’s something that we’re going to try and get done.”
Pat Shurmur
(On when he thought he was ready to be a head coach in the NFL)- “I think you always have to try to match your training with your ambition. I’ve always somewhat believed that when the time was right it would happen. For young energetic guys that have ambition to be able to piece that together with patience I think is an important thing. I really do think the last two years in St. Louis were what I needed to make the final jump and now we’re here and I look forward to moving forward.”
Pat Shurmur
(On Colt McCoy)- “Obviously with last year’s choosing of a quarterback I got to know Colt very well. I’m very impressed with Colt McCoy and I think he has the skill set, the skill and ability to be a fine player in this league. I’m really looking forward to working with him.”
Tom Heckert
(On how they knew which coaching candidate had ‘it’)- “I was thinking about this a lot when this process was going on and fortunately I’ve been around some pretty good football coaches with coach (Don) Shula, Jimmy Johnson, Andy Reid and I did think a lot about that. It’s obviously a little bit of a feeling because you don’t know the final answer, but whatever ‘it’ is, I saw it in those guys, you can tell after a while. Then coach Holmgren being here with him for this past year but I think you have to just rely on what you’ve seen in the past and who you’ve worked with and who you’ve talked with in the league and after saying all that I think Pat has ‘it’.”
Mike Holmgren
“The honest answer to the question is, you’re not sure. You’re not absolutely sure, there are no guarantees on anything so in your evaluation process you’re trying to be as sure as you can be. I do know this, we cannot keep changing around here every two or three years. You can’t do that and expect to be successful, you can’t do that. My hope and why this was so important and why I’m very excited, I see these two men working together. I can envision certain things where it’s a pretty good fit and my hope and prayer is that now the changes stop. Now the growing and building begins. I think we took some strides last year. My hope is this is the coach and this will be the coach for a long, long time. That was part of the thinking.”
Mike Holmgren
(On if he is going to be more hands on with coaching since Shurmur doesn’t have head coaching experience at the NFL level)- “Pat and I were talking about that this morning. As we speak our IT guys are creating a phone system where I am actually going to call the plays in the game (joking). Here’s how I’d like this to work and again Pat and I have talked about this a lot, he is the head coach of this football team, I’m the president of the organization, I’ve coached a long time, my door is always open if he wants to come in and bounce things off of me, I hope he does that. I know we’re going to have a great relationship but it’s his football team. I don’t know how to make that any clearer. Will I talk to him about stuff? I hope so, I hope we create that type of feeling in the building but I’m not going to interfere, I hope to help. That’s how I’m going to set it up.”
Pat Shurmur
(On if he is going to use Holmgren as a resource)- “I know this and we’ve talked about this quite a bit, I don’t know everything, one thing I learned early on is I do think I’m smart enough to know when there’s a problem or something that needs to get discussed to go find a resource. In this building and running this organization, we have a guy that’s been to three Super Bowls and recently built two organizations. The resources are remarkable and outstanding. It would be silly for me to not ask coach Holmgren what he thinks about various issues from time to time and be able to bounce off ideas to talk about strategy and structure and all the things that are very important to an organization. I intend to use those resources.”
Pat Shurmur
(On why working under Andy Reid makes so many coaches ready to be a head coach)- “My first introduction to pro football on a day to day basis was of course Andy Reid and he’s a tremendous teacher. He’s a man very comfortable in what he knows, he hires a staff of people to do a job and watches them to do it, encourages them to do it and then helps them do it. A man that can be in a job as long as he has in an NFL franchise in a great city like Philadelphia, the test of time is a testimony to him and the job that he’s done. I think when you look back on it, there’s a lot of people in the NFL that would like to hire a part of Andy Reid and I think to me is a strong statement.”
Pat Shurmur
(On his decision process for hiring a defensive coordinator)- “You hit on it and it is a process and at this time of year the season stops abruptly for most teams, and there’s a few teams in the playoffs so it is a process of hiring coaches. From that standpoint I really don’t want to go beyond that. Not trying to be secretive or skirt the question but we’re going to try to get the very best defensive coordinator that we can and put that to play with that players that are in place.”
Mike Holmgren
(On how close this team is to competing to win the division)- “Those types of answers are difficult. We were in just about every game except the last one and that included the Pittsburgh game in my opinion and our two Baltimore games we were in. Had chances to win a number of games this year, I thought we were that close. I thought we made strides. Now a field goal here, a play here, or this and that there maybe our record would have been different. A little bit closer to those fellas but they have set the bar in our division there’s no question about that. For us to get where we want to get we have to get closer to them. Are we making strides? I believe we are. Are we there yet? We’ll see but I know our games this year, if those are any indication then we’re a little closer than we were two years ago. As the building process continues, you take positive steps forward and hopefully that shows in the record because that’s what everyone sees and that’s what everyone understands.”
Mike Holmgren
(On if there is something to having a unique offense that division opponents do not see on a regular basis)- “I think so. Pat touched on it and as he gets farther into the job, he’s going to talk about it more. Because you’re going to look out at the Browns and perhaps see a little different style, please no one interpret that as we are going away from the run. We got to running the ball pretty well and we have a couple of guys that, I think, can run the ball well and those types of things. What has to improve is, I think, our ability to throw the ball and our utilization of our wide receivers. Those things. That’s built in to what you're going to see. I don’t think you have to give up one to get the other. I think it’s a blend, I think it’s a balance and all of those things. The problem always will be with those two teams in our division, they’re both outstanding defensive ball clubs. Actually, Cincinnati, I think is a pretty good team. They see this offense enough when they are playing outside of the division. They look at film and prepare for what they see on film. While it might be a little bit different from what they normally see from what Cleveland has done in the past, execution will be the key, not so much fooling them with anything.”
Tom Heckert
(On if they think McCoy is the guy at quarterback going forward)- “We’ve talked about that. I think he’s on the right track, let’s put it that way. He had some good games for us this year, he showed poise and all of the things you’re looking for in a quarterback. From my standpoint, I think he’s on the right track. I think he’s proved that he belongs here and we will just have to wait and see.”
Pat Shurmur
(On how he relates to players and his relationships with them)- “I would say my relationship with players is very professional. I really do think, and I’ve always believed this, that players are different and coaches are different. You folks will determine what my style is, but I will say this, we have to do the very best we can to get the best out of the players that we have. There are some men that don’t perform unless they are physically and emotionally challenged in a lot of ways. I’m at peace with that. There are some guys that a couple of quiet words is enough to get them to do their very best. I think the key to being a coach at especially this level is to get to know your players as well as you can, understand what helps them perform at their best and then not use tactics, but basically communicate with them in those ways. I think when I started coaching quarterbacks, I was an offensive lineman and believe me, I have a firm grasp of how to lose it. I do think that when I became a quarterback coach, now you’re talking about a guy that’s dealing with a wide spectrum of emotions. Being able to stay calm and talking to them about what they need at the right time became an important piece. In terms of my style or how I motivate, I think part of it is how we are talking to the players that we are working with.”
Pat Shurmur
(On if he can comment on Dick Jauron and Mike McCoy being possible coordinator candidates)- “Because it’s an ongoing process, I’d rather not. As I mentioned, there are a lot of things going on. Information obviously spreads quickly, so I’m going to leave that be for right now. I’m not trying to avoid the question, but again, the process is very, very important.”
Pat Shurmur
(On points that he used to coach Sam Bradford last year that might help him with McCoy this upcoming season)- “Obviously, you’re taking a guy that is very talented, which I think Colt is. I was working with a guy that when he woke up in the morning, he gets it. Whatever it is, he understands what life is all about and how to play the position. He worked very hard, he hung on every word and every coaching point meant something to him. Basically what we tried to do is present a consistent approach. We taught him the skills necessary to play the position at this level, implemented the game plans and then worked with him in the normal way. Working with Sam was a tremendous experience because I think he responded in ways that most rookies can’t.”
Tom Heckert
(On how much of a challenge it is going to be to play Shurmur’s style of football with the Browns’ current roster)- “It’s going to be a challenge, there’s no question. There’s going to be some turnover here. We knew that regardless of the situation that there was going to be turnover here. We have some age on the team and obviously we have to get younger. Pat and I will sit down and once we get everything in place, we will decide which way we are going to go in a lot of positions. There’s going to be some change, there’s no question about it.”
Tom Heckert
(On if he thinks there is a core of the roster that will fit their needs)- “I really do. It’s hard to say, but I do think we have the players, or at least have some players, that can fit whatever we are going to do. The guys that we don’t, we are just going to have to go out and get.”
Pat Shurmur
(On if he will try to scientifically approach coaching with some of the things he has learned from Andy Reid or if he will just go about it however he feels is right)- “Scientifically approach it? I don’t know. I think what happens is you are around people and it’s amazing how many hours we spend (together). I don’t think anybody knows until you go through it. I think when you’re around people, you see them deal with situations and issues of the day that may not seem like a big deal. You see how they handle things and you’d like to think with all of the guys that you work with, you take away the good and let the bad stay. I feel like I did that with Coach Reid. He has a unique way of handling things that can stand the test of time, and I think that’s strong compliment for him. All of the guys I’ve worked for, I think, and all of the coaches in my past have been extremely influential on me. From George Perles, who I played for and I coached with, Nick Saban, Tyrone Willingham, obviously Andy Reid and Steve Spagnuolo. I’m talking about a list of guys that are extremely well-rounded, extremely successful coaches. I feel like I grabbed something good from all of them.”
Pat Shurmur
(On how he sees Peyton Hillis fitting in with his style of offense and his ability to catch the football well)- “I think Peyton Hillis is a tremendous running back. It’s very important that a runner has the ability to catch the football. Some short passes end up being like run plays at times. We can get into the scheme a little bit later, but I think he’s a fantastic player, had an excellent year and I obviously look forward to working with him.”
Pat Shurmur
(On if it is daunting to come to an organization that has had so many head coaches in recent history)- “This is no big deal, this is like a normal day (joking). We talked about when you’re ready to be a head coach. We are all teachers and educators, I feel honored to be here. I do feel as though I’m ready for this challenge and given the opportunity to be a head coach and to have the resources that we have here is just remarkable. I think that the relationships that we have as we move forward, one of the overused phrases in football I think is ‘being on the same page,’ but I will use it and say it happened from day one here. If there is a fatal flaw in an organization, we will not fall victim to that.”
Mike Holmgren
(On if he ever got in touch with Jon Gruden during his coaching search and how much his agent, Bob LaMonte, played a role in the search)- “I think it’s been documented in the last week, talked about certainly. A couple of things, one I did talk to Jon. I did talk to Bill Cower, I did talk to a number of people that didn’t appear in stories anywhere, but as part of the process to get to who we actually were going to interview with, it was important for me to hear from those fellas how interested they were in coaching again first of all. As far as our relationship with Bob, Bob and I have been friends for over 30 years, we were high school teachers together and everybody knows the story. Moving forward, I can honestly say this, he represents a lot of people in this business. To think you are going to do any sort of hiring, either head coach or front office, without somehow his name popping up somewhere is unusual. It seems to be. I can honestly say when I first put Pat on the list, I did not know Bob represented Pat. Then I was talking to Bob about something else and he said, “I’ve got Pat too.’ I said, ‘Well, that’s great.’ That’s the first thing. The second thing is his responsibility as an agent, I think, to any of his clients, he is honest, he works very, very hard for them and when he’s dealing with an organization for anybody, he is representing that person with that organization. He’s not representing Pat Shurmur to Mike Holmgren or to Tom Heckert, he’s representing Pat to the Cleveland Browns and he does his job very well. At the same time, when I am talking to Pat, I am not really thinking about Bob. If I’m talking to Tom, I’m not thinking about who represents him really. I wanted to get who I felt was the best man for the job. As it turns out, his representation was pretty familiar. We feel very fortunate that we got it done. Bob was not part of that process, he was certainly part of the contractual process, but that’s what he does.”
Mike Holmgren
(On how he narrowed it down to the final three candidates for the position)- “There was a committee that included Tom and myself, Bryan Wiedmeier, Gil Haskell and Matt Thomas, our football administration. As I said, we started putting together lists of all of the things I told you we were going to do. College coaches, coordinators, head coaches, coaches whose contracts were up and all of that kind of stuff. Then we met daily and some guys knew this guy, some guys knew people that knew this guy, so we started gathering information and whittled it all down to, I’d say a finalist group of 10, like you would. Then we took those 10 and did a little more digging and came to, what I thought, were the three. I didn’t want to waste anybody else’s time, I wasn’t going to formally interview 10 guys. I didn’t think that was necessary. It would waste their time and our valuable time. My charge to my committee was let’s find the three top candidates, in our opinion, and those were the guys we were going to talk to. That’s how it happened.”
Pat Shurmur
(On how to convince NFL players that have not won yet at this level that they can)- “I think what we do is number one, there’s a huge piece to this called trust. We went to St. Louis and won one game the first year. This year, we won seven and were fighting to win the division when really at the beginning of the year, no one thought it could happen. I think what happens is that’s build on a day to day basis. I think it goes back to the relationships, it goes back to people working hard together and then you put your systems in place. You put the people in place and you just trust that it’s going to happen. I think there are people in this organization that have a pedigree in this profession that points to winning, so I think that’s the key piece.”
Mike Holmgren
(On if there are different characteristics that he looks for in assistant coaches than a head coach)- “I believe it’s different. I think hiring your staff and hiring assistant coaches, you’re looking at certain things and certain specifics. If I’m going to hire a linebackers coach, obviously the criteria there is a certain specific nature to the job. When you’re hiring a head coach, there is a lot of stuff, as you might imagine. There’s the football part of it, he wouldn’t be a candidate if he wasn’t a good football coach in some area, offensive coordinator or whatever it is. Then the character of the person is hugely important to me. Then a feeling, an instinct if you will, about how he will deal with the whole group, how he will present himself to the team standing up there, how he will get people to do sometimes some things that they want to do. Just his presence, that’s kind of intuitive, I think, and it’s a little bit of a gut reaction, a little less scientific, if you will.”
Mike Holmgren
(On if the interview is focused on the candidate as a person)- “That’s what the interview is about, one of the big things of the interview. I know Pat is a good football coach, I know he can line people up and get them to do stuff. What’s important to me, there are a lot of things the head coach has to do. To me, that was a big part of the interview process. Then the other thing is you talk to people, you talk to people that have been with them. I had an advantage because Tom and Pat had worked together for so many years, so we had a real good resource there. You have to do that. This is the first head coach I’ve ever hired, I trust it will be the last. I don’t want to do it again.”
Pat Shurmur
(On if teaching plays a role in putting the system that he wants in place)- “I think it’s the foundation of what we do. We take highly motivated, talented people and then we teach them to do very basic tasks, then we tie it all together. Then we go out and let you folks evaluate it and try to have those tasks point to efficient football and winning. The foundation of what we do is teach. I think if we don’t start talking there, then we miss the key piece.”
Tom Heckert
(On how much the similarities between the three of them played into the hiring of Shurmur)- “I don’t think you can understate that. Like Pat said, from the day he walked in the door, we were on the same page. Everybody says they want the character and hard work and stuff, but we’ve been through it together and we’ve done it with getting those players. We’ve won a lot of football games. Unfortunately we didn’t win a Super Bowl in Philadelphia, but we did win an awful lot of football games. I think we are on the same page when it comes to players and what we are looking for, and we’ve done it together before. Like Pat said, from day one we were on the same page with what kind of players we are looking for and how we are going to acquire those players. That can’t be a negative.”
Pat Shurmur
(On if any of the current assistant coaches have been ruled out at this point)- “I’m not trying to evade the question, but that’s a process that we are going through. I think it will become very obvious, very quickly where we are going, in terms of the staff. As I mentioned, you have resources for finding out that information. To protect the process to some degree, we are just going to leave it at that.”
Mike Holmgren
(On if John Fox was included in the initial search)- “Yes, he was, absolutely. John was just hired in Denver, so he was involved in some other things. In whittling down, one of the big considerations was offense versus defense. John is a great coach and we have been friend a long time. The hard part of this, it was like when I was coaching and hiring a staff, I probably have 4,000 guys I’ve worked with and friends of mine. They all may have thought I was going to hire them, so now they’re all mad at me (joking). You have to kind of push those things to the best of your ability aside and make the correct judgment to the best of your ability. One of the big considerations was the offensive background Pat had.”
Pat Shurmur
(On him being a player in training camp in Green Bay coming out of college and if he was disappointed that he didn’t make it as a player)- “I think eventually, genetics catch up with all of us. From a playing standpoint, that’s what happened. I do know this, I am very fortunate to be involved in a profession that is my hobby. I’m very passionate about the sport. I had an opportunity to go back to Michigan State and be a graduate assistant and finish my MBA. I initially thought I was going to rule the world on Wall Street, but when I got the taste of what coaching is really all about, then that kind of catapulted me into this profession. From that standpoint, I’d say there are probably a lot of coaches that feel as though they couldn’t play any longer, so they try to stay as close to it as possible. I probably am one of those guys.”
M.H. said the front office group met and called possible coaching candidates and they met and discussed all the candidates (about 10) that were on the list. They narrowed the list down to 3 and brought them in. Since Mangini was let go there have been posts; a. what's taking so long? b. I hope he takes his time picking a new coach. You wait to long you get the bottom of the barrel. As far as naming possible candidates for OC and DC, they don't want to tip their hand at this time. Broncos and other teams are looking for guys too. Mangini wasn't a bad coach. His short comings appeared to be on game day. If only we could have sent him on errand on game day the team may have done better. Some of the old def. linemen and lbs are Mangini's guys who need to be replaced. They are slow often injured. Five years they have been working on building a 3-4 front 7. What do we have? Rubin and an injured Fujita, the rest are slow and old.
or Brandon McDonald? The guy who has started two games in his two years since he left here.. with the two teams he has been with, the Cardinals and Lions.....
I think you mean the two teams in the one year since he left here...
Quote: I wouldn't say he lied, I would say that he spun. I would say that he believes, and probably rightly so, that not everything that goes on in his office or in his mind is fodder for the press. As you say, Holmgren doesn't appear to be a stupid man, I don't believe, personally, (and it's JMHO,) that he didn't know that Shurmur was a co-client. A better answer might have been, "It never factored into my decision making process." Now it just appears that he's either stupid or lying, even if he didn't really know, which I find very hard to believe regardless of what he said.
I think we are going to have to disagree about this Cal,, he flat out said that he didn't know the man was a client of Lamonte.. If in fact he knew, then I'd call that a flat out lie.. no spin.. lie.
I'm taking him at his word..
Quote: I'm not saying he didn't speak to others, I'm saying that his statement, that interviewing more than three candidates is a waste of time, is bull$#!%.
Again, He said he talked to other candidates.. But decided that these three were the ones he wanted to talk to in person.. I see absolutly nothing wrong with that..
What you don't know (nor do I) is if the phone calls he made were indepth discussions about what they would want, what they would plan to do etc. So it might have been just as simple as he didn't like the answers and only invited in those that meet whatever criteria he set up.
3 isn't bad... being in the recruiting business for 35 years has taught me that if you need to sit down with 10 candidates, you don't know what your looking for.
Quote: I don't really care who can live with it, I'm just saying it doesn't thrill me,
we agree on this,, it makes me very uneasy.. I don't like the idea.. You may not care that Holmgren is ok with it, but I'm putting a lot of faith in him.,, so I'm gonna accept it at face value. Of course, you don't have to
Quote: I suppose we agree on most of this... but the thing that disgusts me is potentially another year or two of sub-par, mediocre play, and continuing to get our asses handed to us by the rest of the division, while we get the ponies in play.
I am right there with you... I don't wanna wait another year or two either. I'm sick of losing..I'm sick of being beaten. sometimes by teams that aren't all that good either.
I fear we will suck for another year at least. maybe two.
Heckert made mention that lots of changes will be made (in the roster) and if that's the case, my hope is that they have a plan and can execute it.
If so, maybe it will work out better... dunno
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
I fear we will suck for another year at least. maybe two.
Heckert made mention that lots of changes will be made (in the roster) and if that's the case, my hope is that they have a plan and can execute it.
I certainly hope that's not the case. I hope these guys understand that they're on a short leash and a short timeframe. I don't get any sense of urgency, just lots of "hope"'s and "maybe"'s.
Well reading this press conference I feel a bit better in that Holmgren it appears talked to many candidates via phone and chose three to interview. I still am holding out faint hope we offer the dcoordinator to Ryan, but it looks like a trip back to the antiquated 4-3. It appears as well some Coaches did not give Holmgren the answers he wanted to hear for a formal interview.
I don't visit/post much any more for that specific reason. There is "the sky is falling crowd" and the "brown tinted glasses" ends of the spectrum. Add to that, the Mangini debate seems to of split the message board almost as bad as the Tim Couch vs. Kelly Holcomb debate.
I hope this is the final time of hitting the reset button. I hope there is a new CBA. I hope Colt McCoy is the answer.
This 'getting butt kicked by Baltimore and Pittsburgh every year' routine was old back in 2003.
Quote: We were going to need to revamp the entire front 7 anyway. Don't see a big problem in changing defenses.
Our best defenders can play in either system. And it is much easier to get pass rushing defensive linemen than it is to find pass rushing LInebackers.
There is a difference between replacing parts as you go along and revamping. We needed to add another OLB and a DE to the defense. This isn't a revamp or rebuild. That's what a switch to the 4-3 is .... a rebuild.
We have no defenders in the front 7 who are going to be great in the 4-3. Rubin might be, but right now he's only proven in the 3-4. The Saints liked Fujita in the 4-3, but not enough to try and keep him. He really thrived last year in the 3-4.
The rest of our DL/LB won't translate well to the 4-3. Rogers would, but he's always hurt. Smith would, but he's almost certainly done and never liked playing the 4-3 anyway. Roth wwill leave before trying to become a 4-3 DE at this point in his career. Benard is untested as anything except a 3-4 OLB pass rusher. Given his injury issues, I doubt that I want to line him up at DE and let the big OTs we have in our division beat on him all day long in the run game.
The secondary won't make a huge difference no matter which system we use.
People think that we can just plug people in from one defense to the other, but that's just not the case. Our entire depth and special teams are made, in large part, up of 3-4 LBs. The 4-3 uses small, fast LBs ..... generally in the 230 range. They have to be fast, excellent tacklers, and able to get to the ball and gang tackle. That's not our guys, Our guys are built for the pounding that takes place in an AFCN 3-4, not a Tampa 2 4-3. Our DL has to be penetrators in the 4-3. All of them. Rubin might be able to pull that off, even though that's never been his role. Rogers has played that in the past, but has been hurt for over a year. We have no one else who can play DE or DT even in a 4-3, at least not well.
Switching over to a 4-3 will require at least a year or 2 of utter pain. We will get blasted on the ground.
I could see it if our defense absolutely sucked, but it didn;t. We were 13th in scoring defense. We were 22nd in total defense. Both numbers were inflated because of the Pittsburgh debacle. We won't get back there for at least a couple of years if we switch to a 4-3 unless we get damn lucky in free agency. I can't remember the last time we got damn lucky in free agency.
Further, much of our hard won "character" is on the defensive side of the ball. I'm not saying that the offensive side doesn't have leaders as well .... but most are on the defensive side. By changing defenses, you are also starting over in that regard.
Oh well ..... Heckert did say that it's easy to find players of good character with a good work ethis.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
Here's something that most of you don't seem to understand,.We switch to a 43,a large part of the roster will need changed this year.Staying with a 34 allows the front office time to slowly replace the less than stellar players.While at thr same time improving the offense So what's more important,an effective O or a decent D? It will take 3,probably more than likely 4 years to rebuild both. Raise your hand if your ready for another teardown/rebuild.
PS,who are these so called pass rushers Heckert drafted?
I'd take a dog killing gangbanger if his name was Michael Vick.
Not me. In fact I would stop cheering for this team(Bound to make some happen) until Randy Lener fires everyone and hopefully sells team if that ever happens.
Quote: And gangbanger? Come on. He's black, he hangs out with other black people. At one time he participated in illegal activity. Criminal? Yes. Ex-Convict? Yes. Gangbanger? No.
What kind of person is it you think hang out gambling and slaughtering dogs at dogfighting rings, Choirboys and boyscouts? No, dumbass gangbangers. The piece of ... "was" hanging out using drugs, killing inncent dogs and betting on dogfights with gangbangers. Guess what? If you hang out doing drugs and committing crimes with gangbangers? You too are a gangbanger.
Criminal? Yes. Piece of trash? Hell yes. Gangbanger? Yup.
We were 13th in scoring defense while still missing 2 key pieces.
I'd say that many of them were successful to some degree.
Oh well .... when we're giving up 30+/game next year and 200+ on the ground in damn near every game, remember this conversation.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
Quote: We were 13th in scoring defense while still missing 2 key pieces.
I'd say that many of them were successful to some degree.
Oh well .... when we're giving up 30+/game next year and 200+ on the ground in damn near every game, remember this conversation.
Yup yup and yup.
Btw, this dude is the most unsure of himself new HC i've ever seen. "I think we can do this", "I think we can get to this level" I think I can I think I can wtf? This isn't the choo choo train son, either you're confident you can and will or you're not. Lucky us we got a guy who THINKS he can. Doesn't that give you the warm and fuzzy?
I can see him in the locker room before opening day now, "hey guys, guys, hey team. I think we can beat them today so let's go out there and try, whaddya say?"
The 4-3 did not work for Jauron in Buffalo, even after 4 years in place. They were giving up 200-300 yards on the ground in many of their games.
That's suicide in the AFCN.
We don't have anyone who fits the 4-3 really well yet. There will be a ton of pain transitioning to the 4-3. It's not bashing, it's truth. It's reality.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
Every time a new coach came here,this conversation took place.You have always been on the other side. BF79,if you were making a joke,that stunk. Switching to a 43 is going to be a long,painfu and needless process.
We have never before had a defense worth worrying about keeping.
One thing that may help us next year is that we get to play some teams that sucked this year on the ground ...... bottom 10 rushing teams like the Rams, Seahawks, Cardinals, Bengals, (2X) and Indy.
That's 6 of 16 games next year against this years dregs as far as running the ball are concerned.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
Why does it have to be a long and painful process? The Packers made a smooth transition from a 4-3 from a 3-4 in no time. With going from a 3-4 to a 4-3 being easier, I don't see why we can't do the same.
Last edited by bringbackbernie; 01/15/1101:06 AM.
[color:"white"]I've always been crazy, but it's kept me from going insane -Waylon Jennings
j/c with a few thoughts... since I've been pretty 'low-profile' of late:
1. Though I was in favor of another year of Mangini, I'm not bitter that he was released. He did some good things, but he also had some game-day shortcomings that probably kept us from going 8-8 this past year. If he was less effective than the FO wanted, and was, as some other poster put it, 'a square peg stuck in H2's round hole' (yeah- thanks Clem, for that imagery...)then I certainly understand why he was let go. I'm over it, and can live with whatever comes- so long as H2 have a plan, and are already working on its implementation. Which brings me to the next issue:
2. First-time HC: Like another poster hinted, I think this is MH's way of "coaching by proxy." He'll be able to take young Pat under his wing, tutor him, and teach him the ropes as we go. I think H will stay off from the phone during game day, but will be the first person Shurmur talks to on Sun nite/Mon morn. Perhaps lots of after hours time in the film room- dissecting games, play-by-play, week by week. Kid's got a lot of 16 hr. days ahead of him. If he's as bright as reports say, he'll probably be alright, even with the crash course Holmy will most likely have him on. One thing's pretty evident to me: We'll know in the first 2 seasons whether this hire was a bust or not, because Holmy's rep as a new Prez is riding on it. You can bet he won't just hire the kid and then hide out in his office. Too much is at stake- for him, his hire, and everyone. Expect some "puppetry," but only in the mentor/apprentice definition of the word.
3. If he calls his own plays for more than a year, he'd better be a fast learner at Holmy's side. That won't be easy, given the myriad of responsibilities that rest upon a HC's shoulders. I personally don't like it. I'd love to see an experienced OC inserting his own influence on the O's personna, running O practices and calling plays on game day. A HC on Sunday afternoon needs to have his head in the game TOTALLY... because football is half chess, half poker... and the game only lasts 60 minutes. I'd hate to see PS miss a crucial time out on D because he's looking at the O play sheet.
4. Switchover from 3-4 to 4-3: meh. We were such an incomplete D at the 3-4, I can't imagine that the re-tooling would be much more difficult for Heck than it was already going to be. By switching, his job of recruitment will be that much easier, and the talent pool that much deeper/wider. Most colleges still employ the 4-3, with players entering the draft at clearly defined roles in such a scheme. Transitioning to a 4-3 might be easier than many on this board anticipate. Our current players (those whom we will keep, that is) had to learn the 3-4 at one point... and learning their new roles probably won't require a long a learning curve since they most likely played something like it earlier in their careers. The biggest problem might be learning a new play-call language, and integrating it into their new roles. Good classroom training will have much of that cleaned up by the end of preseason, I'd bet. Rooks/FA's will probably adjust faster than holdovers.
5. Explosive O: This might be the biggest hurdle to clear. With a paucity of playmakers, Heck has his work cut out for him. Firstly, we still don't know if McCoy is The Man. He showed flashes of it during those games against NE and NYJ, but let's be honest here- he didn't exactly light the world on fire in his last 4 outings. If he isn't The Man, we're still looking at 22-32 rankings, no matter how well-loaded Heck makes us on O. The line needs to be upgraded (again- sigh) We have 3 great/good players, but are only 3/5 complete. FA or draft, moves have to be made here before Colt has a shot at showing us if/whether. WR is still a position of need. Possession guys are crucial to a WCO, but we'll still need a deep threat to make the underneath stuff work. And I'm not sold on the backfield even IF Hardesty can stay healthy. Work might need to be done there as well.
Last word: The "rebuild" is going to hinge on two HUGE issues:
1. Does Holmy have a vision, a step-by-step "process" [insert gag reflex here]... and does he have the managerial skills to see it come to light? 2. Does Heckert have the wherewithal to man the team with players who can realize Holmy's vision?
If I go by Heckert's last draft, I have to say that we're probably pretty solid at GM. Holms? -my personal jury's still out on him. As with Mangini after the '09 campaign, there simply isn't enough data to make a judgement at this time. I'll give him the same time I gave EM... it's only fair.
It's a really tall order to fill, Dawgs. Unless these guys are magicians/state-of-the-art professionals/touched by The Hand of God, we're looking at 2 more years of sub-playoff football, whatever the final record. What we see on the field during those 2 years will tell me if this offseason change was a good move or a bad one.
I love that old Chinese blessing/curse: "May you live in interesting times." It seems terribly appropriate for us Browns fans, don't you think?.
One last insert, then I'm done: for the record, I was in favor of a new OC and another year under last year's personnel. But I don't work at 76 Groza, so wth do I know?
We don't have the personell to run the 3-4 either and were not even close...Fujita is over-rated by many, he was an average Linebacker for Parcells and Payton. He looked so good here because the rest of our LB stink to high heaven.
Dqwell Jackson is the best LB on this team, and is the only LB that would even start for another 3-4 team...had Jackson not had a freak injury, folks would have seen how much head and shoulders better he is then the rest of our LB including Fujita... Not only is Jackson a better tackler, but he has much better sideline to sideline speed and takes good angles and is just a good solid LB...in fact the Steelers even said last time they played aganst Jackson to just "double team Jackson and we can run the ball" that should tell ya.
I won't be suprised if we let Jackson leave that he goes to Pittsburgh to replace James Farrior whos age is catching up to him, and Jackson will be able to be had for a reasonable price to the Rooney's and he will plug right in and flat out own...we should do everything we can to keep him...Jackson would be a very good 4-3 OLB and would solve 1 position in the 4-3.
as for 4-3 DL..we can find 2-3 viable DL in Fa and the draft, and drafting that Julius Peppers type of Defensive End in the first round can change everything...thats why if we do switch to the 4-3...if a Peppers type of cornerstone DL is on the board when we pick, thats the direction we will go. Heckert has a history of addressing the trenches early....he knows as well as I do that you need that Stud Passing Rushing DE in order for the 4-3 to even have a chance.
the good news is 4-3 LB are a dime a dozen in rds 2-5 very easy to get some good solid 4-3 LB because their is a surplus of them compared to finding a good 3-4 LB that can actually make the transition....we cna build a good 4-3 very quickly in comparison with the 3-4....there just more talent for it in the draft because thats what most college programs run.
It looks like the light is coming on for Robo, and i fully expect us to trade or sign a decent Wr via FA and to grab 1 in the 2nd or 3rd rds as this is a pretty decent draft for WR...i also expect us to add another RB in case Hardesty doesn't come through for us.
We could be reasonable competitive with the upcoming schedule if the right moves are made, and we freed up a good chunk of salary cap space...it will be intresting to see what pieces they add this year....as i fully expect Holmgren to go "all out" in order to ensure Shurmur and this team can get off to a good start under his first personally picked Head coach
yeah you may be right about Shumur calling his own plays, however I do believe Sean Payton calls the plays down in New Orleans and it has worked out pretty well. Holmgren called his own plays in Gb, and I do believe Bellichik is calling the plays this year in New England....Reid called the plays in Philly until recently....this may be a blessing in disguise.
If Shurmur is "that good" of a OC/Play caller then we will be using him to his max strengths/potential and that may be a really good thing...i guess time will tell
however your concerns about that are valid...very valid concerns we will just have to see how it goes...
Umm .. the Packers went fom a 4-3 to a 3-4. Is that what you meant, perhaps a mistype?
Anyway ..... the Packers, in the past 6 years, have only been ranked lower than 12th in yards allowed 1 time. That was in 2008 when they were ranked 20th.
Look at their scoring defense over the past 12 years or so. in 6 of the past 10 years they have been a top 10 scoring defense.
They play in the NFC North. Chicago has been anything but an offensive powerhouse. Detroit is Detroit. Minnesota was great last year on offense, but hasn't been top 10 since the days of Culpepper otherwise.
The Packers found a pretty damn good NT and a great LB in last year's draft. Raji had 6.5 sacks from the NT position. Matthews had 13.5 sacks. AJ Hawk seemed more suited to the 3-4 all along. They have plugged in a lot of pieces along the way. They also have a DC in Dom Capers who has run both the 3-4 and the 4-3 at times. He runs a lot of hybrid stuff. Their DE Jenkins, IIRC, put on weight to be a 3-4 DE. he had 7 sacks for them. They added their right side OLBs from free agency.
Their defense, as so many other 3-4s is built around their NT and an OLB. They had 47 sacks. Almost 20 of those came from these 2 players.
They had some players who were good players to start with, and some who didn't fit the 4-3 all that well to start with. They had a couple of players who managed to transition to the 3-4 by adding weight. They have a DC who can play any defense known to man, and can put players into the very best position to win.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
Quote: He said Process at least as much as Mangini ever did .... for those of you driven crazy by that word in the past.
I've seen you like to have fun with that. Go for it. But that response was to each question when reporters asked about specific people to consider regarding coordinators. And it would be foolish to make comments about specific coaches while you are in the "process" of making your list of possible candidates and whittling it down to a few. Naming names at this point would be counter productive.
Another time he used the word "process" was when he was asked if he would keep Ryan on as DC and again he said he was not trying to skirt the question but didn't feel it would be right to comment on that while he is still in the "process" of making those decisions.
Again, he used the word when asked about his preference of a 3-4 or a 4-3 defense. He didn't want to comment on that specifically because he was still in the "process" of making that decision, and it relates directly to the question above regarding Ryan.
Every time he used the word "process" was when he was referring to the process of making decisions. The DECISION MAKING PROCESS. Because that's what gathering facts and counting pros and cons is, a decision making process.
Mangini, on the other hand, used the word "process" in defense of his ineptness. When asked about specific shortcomings of the team he most often referred to "the process". As if " it's a process" explains everything. The "process" became his catch all to explain why we ain't there yet. It became his fall back answer to questions regarding his and the team's failures as he couldn't or wouldn't answer them honestly.
That is what grates on the nerves of some of us. The word is a valid word when used in the context of referring to the steps involved in making a product, a decision or a birthday cake. But when it becomes the incomplete and vague answer to the questions regarding shortcomings and failures then it's simply an answer when you have no answer or don't want to stand up to the heat.
Quote: Heckert said something along the lines of "Of course we want players who are smart and hard working. Unlike some, that's not all we want."
Quote: The way he said it came off as a big slam on Mangini's philosophy. It was rather classless they way he said it.
From the transcript: "Everybody says they want the character and hard work and stuff, but we’ve been through it together and we’ve done it with getting those players. We’ve won a lot of football games. Unfortunately we didn’t win a Super Bowl in Philadelphia, but we did win an awful lot of football games."
Sorry, but I don't see the slam on Mangini. If you hear the slam in those words then of course you also see the body language to go along with it. If you don't hear it as a slam but only a reference that the two of them have worked together before bouncing ideas off each other regarding specific details on the types of players they like for specific roles then you don't see that body language.
However, if it truly was a slam then it's saying, that about all Mangini contributed to the player acquisition "process" is the qualifying character issues and work ethic and "stuff". And if that's true then screw Mangini because he sure wasted no opportunity to take any credit he could for as many of the players we brought in to whom he could lay claim.
Maybe Heckert tired of hearing Mangini publicly taking equal credit for all his hard work when Mangini had no credit to claim.
And judging by his own '09 draft it's probably true that he didn't bring much to the table as a talent evaluator or even a team needs evaluator. Had he not spoken like he played a major role in the 2010 talent acquisition, (when perhaps he didn't contribute much), then perhaps Heckert would not have taken a jab if that's what it was.
Oh, and I don't intend it to seem as I'm targeting you and your views personally in my last couple of posts. But you seem to be the team leader in defending Mangini as well as pointing out everything you find even remotely out of sorts with the FO and new coach. Since you speak so detailed and so much on that subject, from that particular view point, it's easier to form a rebuttal to your remarks.
I do agree that it can only be a positive that the coach and GM share a philosophy, and that the GM will know exactly what players will, and will not fit.
I hope this thing works. I am sick and tired of starting over every couple of years.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
I hope we can stop the run in the AFCN with 260# - 280# DEs and 225# LBs.
Butch Davis ran a 4-3, but he ran it with bigger DE/LBs than Jauron's defensive scheme calls for. Jauron's scheme emphasizes speed and gang tackling over size and strength. (except maybe at MLB) I worry about how this will work against big OL with power running games like Pittsburgh and Baltimore.
I have my doubts .... but I am a 3-4 guy at heart. We'll see how it works.
I mean ... what's the worst that can happen? We rebuild again in 2 more years? (That is a joke, before anyone goes nuts and accuses me of trying to get the coach fired before he starts ... as if I control any of that) Even though I don't necessarily love this hire, and have concerns about whether or not he is the right guy, we should put a solid 6-8 years into building something instead of just tearing it all down every 2.4 years. If Shurmur should need to be replaced for some reason, then bring in someone with the same basic philosophy so that we aren't constantly rebuilding.
I want to win and the idiotic "change coaches and direction every 2.4 years" crap isn't getting it done. It's time to pick a direction and run with it for the long term.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
Man I must have been under a rock for the last year but I have NEVER seen a video of Heckert before... my first thought was 'this is our GM?!? Really??" dude looks like he's some guy right out of college who they grabbed from the dawgpound and threw a suit on...
glad he has a good track record because on first glance I'd never guess he was a NFL GM...
What minute mark was this said in the press conference? I missed it when I listened.
Begin listening at the 8:20 mark...ending at the 9:17 mark.
I honestly don't see anything that even references Mangini in what he said:
Quote: Everybody says they want the character and hard work and stuff, but we’ve been through it together and we’ve done it with getting those players.
To me, he's clearly drawing a distinction between the fact that everybody always talks about wanting to get high character guys, and the fact that he and Shurmer have already done that together in Philadelphia (according to him at least). He was talking about the difference between paying lip service and actually doing it. I don't see what it has to do with Mangini's philosophy.
All due respect to YTown, but the original quote he paraphrased of "Heckert said something along the lines of 'Of course we want players who are smart and hard working. Unlike some, that's not all we want,'" isn't close to what he said at all.
If anything, Heckert is "agreeing" with the philosophy of wanting high character players...
...that is hardly a slam against anyone, let alone Mangini !
I believe we have some "sensitive" Mangini supporters who are upset he was fired...looking for any reason to take shots at Holmgren, Heckert or anyone they choose to target.
I will say that it sounded worse the first time around. Maybe I was distracted or something.
I humbly apologize to Mr Heckert. Now go get us some great players.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
I don't see anything in Heckert's body language that was a slam on former Coach.
He said "We HAVE done it in Philly with high character guys and we can do it here."
I will say, Heckert doesn't "win the press conference." That's for sure. Thank God he he's all substance and very good at his job, because he comes off kind of goofy in press conferences.
Heckert is the most important component in this whole thing, which gives me the utmost faith in New Coach (but it's also why I didn't want to fire Former Coach).
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/hfMNC7T.jpg)
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(That is a joke, before anyone goes nuts and accuses me of trying to get the coach fired before he starts ... as if I control any of that) Even though I don't necessarily love this hire, and have concerns about whether or not he is the right guy, we should put a solid 6-8 years into building something instead of just tearing it all down every 2.4 years. If Shurmur should need to be replaced for some reason, then bring in someone with the same basic philosophy so that we aren't constantly rebuilding.
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