DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Browns are in the process of being sold

just what makes you think he is a good owner? What proven track record does he have of owner of a team? OH he has passion and money? Yeah Ill say it again be careful of what you wish for.

Oh and Ive also been a Browns fan like many here for over 1 year.

j/c

My goodness, the jumping to conclusions is getting ridiculous around here.

How about you guys start bitching about replacing our new QB, RB, WR, and GM when all of them are actually gone?

Sheesh...

Quote:

---

just what makes you think he is a good owner?

---

He cannot be worse than Lerner.

Of course, my initial knee-jerk reaction was to be pissed at Lerner, and have flashbacks to being stabbed in the back by Modell.

After pretty quickly getting over it, reading about the agreement, and realizing that this probably IS for the best, I actually am feeling better about this.

We as fans have bitched for years since Al passed that Randy didn't give a damn. I don't think it's that he didn't- it sounds like he didn't want to be responsible. If the guy wasn't all in it, why would we NOT want someone who wants to own the team take it over? Randy inherited the Browns. Haslam inquired about them because he WANTS to own them. As long as doesn't start from scratch, having an owner who has a true desire to lead, and will be more active and involved with them will be a good thing.

We need to not make it a distraction. But of course, the media needs stories, so they'll ask the coaches about it, they'll ask the players, they'll ask the front office.....it's the nature of the business. I'm just ready for some football.

The Debbie Downers need to take some valium, or some antidepressants, and relax.

j/c

Another around the NFL opinion.

Browns will be better off with sale if new owner is more attentive than Randy Lerner
4 hours ago
Email

For all those Cleveland Browns fans concerned about the team's future amid news of owner Randy Lerner selling controlling interest of the franchise to Jimmy Haslam, take a deep breath, calm down and realize one thing:

You may finally have an owner who makes a difference in a positive way.

Randy Lerner watches his Aston Villa soccer club play. (Getty)

With all due respect to Lerner, whose father, Al, brought the NFL back to the city in 1999 after the Art Modell fiasco, the possible sale of the team to Haslam may be the best thing fans could hope for. Though there is a natural fear of the team being moved, Haslam has conveyed to Lerner and the NFL that he has no intention of relocating the Browns, according to two league sources.

Haslam, whose father has a practice field at the University of Tennessee named after him, values tradition and sees the Browns brand as important not only to the city but to the league itself. At least that’s the impression that people around the league have of Haslam, a minority stakeholder in the Steelers.

“I know fans, particularly in Cleveland, are going to worry about the Browns being in the mix for Los Angeles,” one league source said. “It’s the nce bitten, twice shy thing. We all get that, but I don’t see that. Maybe [Haslam] is fooling all of us, but I just don’t get that feeling at all.”

More important, Haslam’s possible takeover may infuse more passion into the organization. It certainly can’t get worse. Fact is, Lerner has been a giant disappointment – not only in Cleveland but throughout the league. His passion for owning and running the team has been only a tiny fraction of what his father brought and what many around the league were expecting. Since purchasing Aston Villa of England’s Premier League in 2006, Lerner has spent more time concerned with the soccer club, which has apparently annoyed fellow NFL owners.

“Randy is completely tuned out to the [Browns],” the league source said. “He has never wanted to put in the work you have to put in to make the team go. Yeah, he spent some money, but not time. There’s just no passion from him.”

Lerner’s run with the Browns has been just as ineffective as Modell’s, although for far different reasons. Where Modell was a meddler, Lerner is an absentee. His hiring of Mike Holmgren, while wise in many ways, was the final proof to other owners of his total disconnect from the process.

“If you were going to hire somebody to run the team, [Holmgren] was the right guy to hire,” one owner said. “But the point is, why aren’t you running it yourself? Randy doesn’t want to be bothered with the day-to-day details of running a team. OK, that’s fine in some regards. You don’t have to meddle, but you have to be aware.”

Lerner's uninformed decision-making was apparent the last time he directly hired a head coach.

[Related: Jets OL Nick Mangold takes time to watch Olympian sister]

In 2009, Lerner tabbed Eric Mangini as the replacement for Romeo Crennel, hiring Mangini nine days after he had been fired by the New York Jets. The problems with that decision were so obvious it was like a case study in how not to run a team.

Eric Mangini won just 10 games in two seasons with the Browns. (Getty)

Mangini hadn’t taken time to learn from his mistakes with the Jets, where his heavy-handed style and unfriendly manner with the media made him unpopular inside and outside the organization. Worse, Lerner barely held a search process before tabbing Mangini. Finally, Lerner had little or no knowledge about the right questions to ask.

“Hiring a coach isn’t easy. Most [owners] don’t really know enough about the game to ask philosophy questions about how the team is built," the owner said. "But you learn a lot of that as time goes on. The biggest way you learn is by talking to people. You hear what other coaches think and you figure out what you think works. But you have to talk to a lot of people.

“When Randy hired Mangini after essentially talking to only Mangini, it was obvious that he had no desire to learn the business. That’s why the next time around he just hired [Holmgren].”

[Around the league: Jerry Rice thinks it’s time for Alex Smith’s diaper to come off]

While there is promise this season of improvement for the Browns after the team drafted quarterback Brandon Weeden, running back Trent Richardson and wide receiver Josh Gordon, that momentum hit a standstill Friday with the news of a pending sale. But if fans are patient, this move may pay off more than any of those player acquisitions.

There is an old saying that NFL teams are only as good as the owner. If the situation plays out the way most expect, Cleveland may have just gotten a lot better.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl--browns...ndy-lerner.html

That is exactly what I'm talking about. Just a lot more typing involved.

I see this as a positive to getting this team out of it's funk.

Quote:

---

Sure, just to turn around after the season and see these guys moved because the next regime wants their own guys.... Why get emotionally invested in these players or this staff when it's obvious this is a lame duck season and no matter what happens on the field we're in for a re-boot? Might as well do it NOW and get it over with.

---

I don't know the proper term for what comes next after "glass half-empty" but I'm pretty sure that qualifies.

It's unrealistic to believe a new regime is going to just blow the entire thing up because they want their own people and schemes. If this team makes big strides this year...just as Holmgren is promising...then the new owner wouldn't dare tear the team up. Conversely, if this latest season by Holmgren turns out to be a rotten egg, it can easily be argued that his regime has been a bitter failure and changes should be made.

In short, if we suck yet again it deserves to be blown up. If it turns into a success it won't be blown up.

Things couldn't be more fair.

I am actually kind of encouraged that this guy has seen how the Steelers do things. They have been a consistently successful franchise. Then add in a guy who was part of the Eagles braintrust ...... and you have an amalgam of 2 very successful franchises.

Was amalgam the calendar word of the day.



All of you who are close to jumping off a cliff need to be patient here. Knee jerk reactions from fans haven't done anything but hurt this franchise.

Man, the conspiracy theories around here have gone off the deep end lately.

Quote:

---

Since purchasing Aston Villa of England’s Premier League in 2006, Lerner has spent more time concerned with the soccer club, which has apparently annoyed fellow NFL owners.

---

So we weren't the only ones annoyed lol

Nah, just part of my prodigious vocabulary.

Did anyone notice the walrus hasnt been wearing our colors the last few days? I noticed in a few of the training camp pictures he doesnt have one piece of browns gear on....maybe I'm conspiracy theory here but maybe he knows he's about to get the boot....SOON!?!?

Not trying to start a rumor just wondering if anyone else has noticed the last few photo ops he isnt wearing browns colors...maybe its just me but I am proud of my team, and sport the colors as often as I can. I figured a president would share the same enthusiasm for a team he is running. Like I said not trying to start a rumor, just asking a question.

I don't care who this guy or what he has done. If he runs the Browns as well as the Steelers have been run over the years I will be extremely happy. Hopefully he has picked something up from being around the Rooney's.

Randy Lerner close to selling controlling interest in Cleveland Browns to Jimmy Haslam III


Published: Friday, July 27, 2012, 10:41 PM
Updated: Friday, July 27, 2012, 11:53 PM

By Mary Kay Cabot, The Plain Dealer The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Randy Lerner has been a part of the Browns family and a diehard fan since the 1970s, when he was a teen growing up in Shaker Heights and his father, Al, purchased a nine percent share in the team.

But his dreams of fulfilling his late father's plans to bring a Super Bowl to Cleveland will apparently never materialize.

Lerner is very close to selling the team to Tennessee businessman Jimmy Haslam, currently a minority owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, a source close to the situation told The Plain Dealer. Haslam, President and CEO of Pilot Flying-J Travel Centers, the nation's largest retail operator of travel centers and truck stops, is believed to be seeking full ownership of the team.

In a press conference in Berea on Friday before the full squad took the field for the first time this preseason, Browns President Mike Holmgren confirmed that Lerner "will give up controlling interest in the team." He said he didn't know if Lerner would retain a stake in the franchise, which is worth $977 million, according to Forbes.

But Browns fans needn't worry about reliving the anguish of 1995, when Art Modell moved the team to Baltimore. Lerner, who inherited the team when Al died of brain cancer in 2002, refused to even enter into negotiations with Haslam until he had a personal guarantee he'd never uproot the team.

"[Lerner] has an unequivocal commitment from Haslam to never move the Browns," said Fred Nance, a senior advisor to Lerner. "He made that a prerequisite before entering into negotiations." Nance added that Haslam "provided the commitment without hesitation."

When asked what would stop Haslam, 58, from moving the team, Nance replied, "read the lease."

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson also stated in a release that the Browns are tied to a 30-year lease through 2029 with Cleveland Browns Stadium and that the city would pursue legal options if there was any attempt to break it and move the team.

Holmgren also said fans have nothing to worry about.

"It's my understanding that from the get-go that's been one of the stipulations and both principals understand that," said Holmgren. "The Cleveland Browns aren't going anywhere. The Cleveland Browns are the Cleveland Browns and they're going to stay."

Lerner, who had denied a report in June from Howard Eskin of NBC 10 in Philadelphia that the Browns were for sale, released a statement Friday morning confirming that talks were underway. The statement, in response to "current rumors and press inquiries" was a surprising move for the exceedingly private owner -- one that further signals a deal is imminent.

"We are currently in negotiations and both sides have agreed to keep that dialogue and its details private," Lerner wrote.

Eskin also reported Friday that former Eagles President Joe Banner, who's been seeking part-ownership in an NFL team, is part of the Haslam group. Banner declined comment. He's currently a senior advisor to Eagles owner Jeff Lurie, his longtime friend. He also worked closely in Philadelphia with current Browns General Manager Tom Heckert, coach Pat Shurmur and offensive coordinator Brad Childress.

If Banner joins Haslam in Cleveland, what does that mean for Holmgren, who's in the third year of his five-year contract that pays him a reported $10 million a year?

"My future is bright," Holmgren said. "That will be answered down the road. You control the things you can control and do the best you can. I think we've done a lot of great things here in getting to this point. But we'll see."

Holmgren, who defended himself last month against critics that felt he wasn't committed to the Browns, added, "To me, a contract's a contract. I've tried to be honest with you about that. But we'll deal with those things as we go down the road. For right now, I'm the president of the team and that's how I'm operating."

Holmgren said he couldn't pinpoint when the deal will be finalized. "All I go is by league protocols and what has to happen there," he said. "I know nothing is finalized until the league votes on it."

League spokesman Brian McCarthy said the NFL is aware of the negotiations, but referred any specifics to the club. Haslam will have to sell his estimated five to 10 percent stake in the Steelers, which he's had since 2009.

Holmgren said Lerner decided to sell now because Haslam, whose younger brother Bill is the governor of Tennessee, was the right owner. The Haslam family is worth $3 billion, according to Forbes.

"Of course [Lerner] and I had a lot of discussions about this and he has a deep love for this team," said Holmgren. "He's been with this franchise since his father passed away in [2002] as you know, running it and trying his best to do the right things. I think as his kids have gotten older and his life has changed a little bit ... He was very, very concerned with and interested in the right person stepping forward if he was going to sell the football team and apparently all the stars aligned in the last few months."

Holmgren said he was in "California this summer and Randy contacted me and gave me preliminary reports. Since that point, we've been in constant contact, he's kept me abreast of every single thing that's been going on. He's been more than fair that way. Clearly there had to be some confidentiality involved in this thing. But I appreciate that from him, to be involved in this."

Holmgren said Lerner's No. 1 priority was to prevent the possible sale from becoming a distraction to the coaches and players.

"They have a hugely important job to do," said Holmgren. "We're in the business of winning football games and we have a good young team that I think is on the verge of becoming what you all wanted and what we all wanted."

Browns coach Pat Shurmur addressed his coaches and players Friday morning to deliver the news.

"I also informed them that the goals ... as we move forward this year have not changed not one bit, not one bit," Shurmur said, with an edge to his voice. "What we're trying to do as a football team should be unchanged by what was talked about today. We're a much better football team, we'll be much better prepared this season. I feel like we've got a better group to put on the field and I think we function better as a staff, so that's my concern and that's what I told the players."

In Lerner's nine full seasons as owner since his dad died in 2002, his teams have won four or five games in seven of those seasons. They haven't made the playoffs in those nine seasons and he's fired three coaches in Butch Davis, Romeo Crennel and Eric Mangini.

Years ago, Lerner told The Plain Dealer he'd sell the team if he felt he wasn't getting the job done. Apparently, that time has come.

Plain Dealer reporter Peter Krouse contributed to this report.

web page

There are a couple of videos that go with this story if you want click the link to see them.

The longer I wait and read from the Plain Dealer, the more I learn and less I have to speculate. A couple of points in this article...

1...Former Eagles GM, Joe Banner, is part of the Haslan "group" seeking to buy the Browns.

2...Haslan will have to sell his stake in the Steelers.

Lerner chose the role of the invisible owner, even to the point of sending Holmgren to the owners meetings for him. It's clearly not his desire to own an NFL team. While I admire him for honoring his fathers wishes in keeping the team for 10 years, it certainly doesn't appear that Lerner has been doing much more than counting the days until that 10 years expires.

Enter a guy who owns a portion of the Steelers. On the surface, not the best sounding of choices but does that really matter? At least this guy wants to own a team and being a minority owner to date has had an opportunity to see how they run and what is necessary to run one, and wants to run one. That's already a step in the right direction.

I'm not worried about the guy moving the team to LA. Why would he? Has he ever shown to be an LA guy? His roots are all in Tennessee, not exactly LA of the east. You have a guy who owns truck stops, clearly blue collar establishments who's shown interest in being an owner of an NFL franchise noted as a blue collar team. Seems like a pretty good fit to me.

With my glass half full in hand I'm choosing to see this as an opportunity for the Browns to get out of their expansion franchise funk and start to matter again with an owner that wants to be in the position.