DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Banner says wins, losses won't decide who stays and goes

Thought this was a good read.

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2012/11/cleveland_browns_ceo_joe_banne_1.html

Cleveland Browns CEO Joe Banner tells The Plain Dealer that team must determine if Brandon Weeden is the guy

By Mary Kay Cabot, The Plain Dealer
on November 08, 2012 at 7:27 PM

Browns new CEO Joe Banner, in a wide-ranging interview with The Plain Dealer on Thursday, acknowledged that he and new owner Jimmy Haslam must decide by the end of the season if Brandon Weeden is their quarterback of the future.

"It's right to put Brandon on the list of important things we have to figure out and we have seven games left to do that," Banner said. "It's an extremely important question for this organization to get right."

With the Browns 2-7 at the bye, they're likely to end up with a high enough pick to draft a premier quarterback, which makes the last final seven games pivotal.

"The only reason I'm leaving he door open is, you could think he's the right answer and a year from now go, "Oh, gee, I thought he was but he isn't,' " Banner said. "So it's not like you're etching it in stone, but you certainly have to at least for your next off-season plan, make a determination as to whether in two years from now, when we're trying to be a championship-caliber team, is he good enough to lead us there?"

Banner said Weeden's age -- he'll be 30 in their first full season -- isn't as much a factor as his ability.

"In a perfect world he isn't 30, but you've got to deal with reality," Banner said. "It's not a yes or no because of his age, it's a yes or no because of how good he is or how good he's going to become."

He said he'll rely on the current staff to evaluate Weeden's potential and that they'll weigh factors such as youth at the skill positions.

"Anybody can see he throws the ball well," Banner said. "The more crucial evaluation are the other issues that drive the best quarterbacks in the league such as huddle presence, feel, intelligence, and leadership.

Banner said the quarterback decision is tied for No. 2 with general manager and behind head coach as the most important decisions a team must make.

"You can't win big without a great coach and a great quarterback," he said. "And frankly, if you have a great enough coach and quarterback, you can afford to make a few more personnel mistakes. You've got to lock them in."

Banner addressed a number of other topics including his role, his philosophy on changes, and what he's looking for from coach Pat Shurmur and General Manager Tom Heckert:



Q: Do Shurmur and Heckert need a certain number of victories to stick around?

A: No. We're not going to say, "If you win four games . . ." We want to see if they have the qualities that will lead this organization to a championship-caliber level. I know Pat [from our Eagles days] but I've never known Pat as a head coach. I've never known Pat where he was expected to demonstrate his leadership skills. You may have an opinion about some play call, but that's not what we're scrutinizing. If they have the qualities we're looking for, let's move forward.

Q: What are those qualities?

A: When we hired Andy Reid in Philadelphia we did a study on every coach who had led a team to two Super Bowls to find the common denominator. We went in looking for things like offensive philosophy, did they come from defense, did they come from college? Had they been a coordinator? We found nothing. Then we accidentally realized they were all exactly the same when we took football out of the equation -- they were all incredibly strong leaders, they all had hired great staffs, they managed them well and were all very detail-oriented.

Q: So that's how you found Reid?

A: I found Andy when he was working for [former Packers GM] Ron Wolf in Green Bay. Ron was hiring a head coach and didn't even interview Andy. I got a list of candidates based on those qualities we found. Eight teams were hiring head coaches and no one else interviewed Andy. It worked out pretty well [five NFC championship games and a Super Bowl].

Q: Do Shurmur and Heckert have a realistic shot, or will you want your own people regardless?

A: They have a realistic chance. I like them both. I do feel like I have a head start. I know a lot about Pat, so I'm not really starting from scratch. There's just elements of evaluating Pat that I need to see more and know more before I could come to a conclusion. I've always had a good rapport with Tom. I come in with a positive view of Tom and we'll see when we get to January how we feel about that. Tom left the Eagles because he wanted more input. It wasn't a negative thing.

Q: Who will have final say on the 53-man roster?

A: We'll determine that officially when we see who's in those roles. My bias is for the coach to make those decisions. Now, we may end up with somebody in personnel who's so good that I tweak that, but going in, my bias is that the coach will have the most say on the 53-man roster and the 45 who dress for games.

Q: What will your role be in football decisions such as the draft?

A: I will be one of the four or five people in that room. I'll have a voice. In some instances, it will go through me, but our goal is always to drive a consensus. That's always been my role as it related to the football part of the operations.

Q: Will Jimmy Haslam be one of those four or five people?

A: Yes, absolutely because he's smart and he has common sense. The right decisions don't necessarily come out of someone who's been a traditional football guy. Sometimes they come more from common sense than anything. He watches football and he's going to have perspectives on what's most important. Will he be the guy watching the film and writing the report? No, although I'd be surprised if he doesn't watch some film because that's the best way to kind of see what you're seeing.

Q: Speaking of football guys, you're perceived as more of a business/salary-cap guy than a football guy. Is that accurate?

A: I think that definition has properly evolved over the last five or 10 years. There's a lot of examples of smart, hardworking guys running successful teams that are not thought of as football guys. You can't hire an Andy Reid without knowing something about football.

Q: But do you watch film and do some scouting?

A: I don't think the Eagles drafted a guy that I haven't watched. I'll watch all of the top guys and any free agent we're thinking of signing. Later in the draft, they might give me five guys to watch that could be available in the sixth round. I also go to the Senior Bowl and the Indianapolis combine, but I'm also there to develop relationships with agents and people in the league.

Q: Who will report to you?

A: The coach and the GM will report directly to me. In Philadelphia, the director of player personnel reported to Andy, who was the general manager, and Andy had a direct report to [owner] Jeff Lurie and a dotted line to me. It's slightly different than what we did in Philadelphia because Jeff was more involved. But I was the one most directly working with the football people or negotiating contracts, negotiating the trades. I worked directly with and supervised the football people.

Q: Who will decided if a change at head coach/GM is necessary?

A: I will lead on all of the day-to-day type of things including if we're going to make a change and really be responsible for putting together the right list of people to consider for the change. I don't care who you are in the NFL, the owner has final say on everything. I'd put together a list of three or four people. He may say, "Who's your first choice?" Hopefully that'd carry some weight. I'll have a list of qualified candidates because of how well I know them or the people I can trust know them. Jimmy will have more ideas of who we should look into and obviously I will and then we'll kind of put that into a first list kind of thing.

Q: With your best people either already here or locked in with the Eagles, where will your list come from?

A: One of big weaknesses in the league is people's inclinations to hire people they know or they feel safe with. I know people through the league in all categories -- salesmen, marketing people, position coaches, general managers. I have good people in mind in every area and they won't be my friends or at least that's not what will drive it. It won't be driven by people I've worked with. For me, the pool of potential talent is the entire league and all the relationships I've developed over the years. I'm not just going to be plucking people out of my past. You see coaches come in and the whole staff is somebody they used to work with. They're not hiring the best of the best when they do that.

Q: You're firmly entrenched in the West Coast family. Will this continue to be a West Coast team?

A: My criteria has nothing do with what scheme they play or that they philosophically line up with me or Jimmy or anyone. I have my personal biases, but it won't have anything to do with who we pick.

Q: Will you assume the title of president or hire one after Mike Holmgren leaves?

A: CEO is more than enough. Everybody in the building reports to me. If I do hire a president, it won't be for the football side. Will there be a president, a COO, an executive vice president? That's part of what I'm deciding. I'm really trying to stay open-minded about the organizational structure and hope to decide that in the next one to three or four weeks. Right now I'm 60-40 on not naming a president, but that could change.

Q: Jason LaCanfora of CBS Sports reported you're considering former Browns personnel executive Mike Lombardi. True?

A: Since I haven't even decided whether I'm keeping the people that are here, at best it's wild speculation and in this case it's unfounded. Somebody's taking a shot in the dark.

Q: Did you leave on good terms with Reid and would he be on your list of coaching candidates if you make a change?

A: I had a great relationship with Andy. He's still a close friend. [But] I'm not going to answer that. That's speculation of course.

Q: Your biggest strength?

A: Being able to evaluate potential hires and put together really good people regardless of what area. I think it's my greatest strength and I think my history would back it up. You won't bat 100 percent. But you pick good people , create an environment for success and keep them together for a long time.

Did this interview make anyone else a little queezy?

How does Haslem know this guy exactly?

In Banner we (must) Trust.



Everyone was scared of Haslem becoming the Jerry Jones type owner.

Apparently we don't have to worry much about Jimmy...

Joe on the other hand..

I actually thought he answered in a pretty positive way. I think he said all the right things, and didn't really commit to anything that I would see as pro or con. I was expecting much worse to be honest.

Maybe "feeling bad for" Haslam/Banner isn't the right phrase...

But the timing of this sale is HORRIBLE for all parts involved...

H&H seemingly had things going in a positive direction, and then Holmgren is gone, and Heckert is likely to follow...

The flip side of that, is that now Haslam/Banner are "stuck" with the previous FOs rookie QB (not that they can't go a different way)

And were 6 months late on having two 1st round picks to be able to shape the team in a way they want...

Quote:

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Q: You're firmly entrenched in the West Coast family. Will this continue to be a West Coast team?

A: My criteria has nothing do with what scheme they play or that they philosophically line up with me or Jimmy or anyone. I have my personal biases, but it won't have anything to do with who we pick.

---

I would have to see the interview, but I think Banner just let the cat out of the bag on Shurmur.

The questions wasn't about a person. The question was about the philosophy.

Now I was one who said that if nothing else this is a win because anyone owning the team not named Lerner would be a good thing, but I certainly don't like the idea of a new owner who knows nothing about football being one of the "4 or 5 guys" sitting in the War Room on draft day making decisions. Banner? Sure, he's been there and done that. Haslam? Sorry, but that doesn't excite me.

Quote:

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Q: Who will have final say on the 53-man roster?

A: We'll determine that officially when we see who's in those roles. My bias is for the coach to make those decisions. Now, we may end up with somebody in personnel who's so good that I tweak that, but going in, my bias is that the coach will have the most say on the 53-man roster and the 45 who dress for games.

---

That should put to rest any fear that Banner will have control over personnel.

Good to know.

Quote:

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A: They have a realistic chance. I like them both. I do feel like I have a head start. I know a lot about Pat, so I'm not really starting from scratch. There's just elements of evaluating Pat that I need to see more and know more before I could come to a conclusion. I've always had a good rapport with Tom. I come in with a positive view of Tom and we'll see when we get to January how we feel about that. Tom left the Eagles because he wanted more input. It wasn't a negative thing.

---

Translation: Tom, I like Tom and believe he knows his stuff. Pat...no comment.

Connecting the dots, though, tells me that Heckert is gone. He came to the Browns to have control over the roster, but Banner is going to have the coach control the roster. So where does that leave Heckert?

Looking for a new job.

Quote:

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Q: Jason LaCanfora of CBS Sports reported you're considering former Browns personnel executive Mike Lombardi. True?

A: Since I haven't even decided whether I'm keeping the people that are here, at best it's wild speculation and in this case it's unfounded. Somebody's taking a shot in the dark.

---

Conversely, a proven guy wouldn't ever dream of coming to a job where an owner like Jerry Jones will sit with them on draft-day and make decisions.

That one can go either way.

I'm so confused.

We finally had a system set up for the first time. Owner-Pres-GM-Coach. Everyone knew what everyone else was going to do. Simple.

I'm not even sure Banner knows what his full job details are going to be next year...

This looks like a mess.

So in 5 years if we're not successful, does Banner get fired? Or is he the guy that gets to share in the success but never get blamed for the failures?

We did know what everyone's job was? You mean right up until Holmgren decided that it was time to throw his weight around? I specifically remember his quote where he flat-out asked Heckert if he was going to pick McCoy or if Holmgren was going to have to insist.

Frankly, I'm glad that Banner isn't going to limit himself on the structure. If he can get a Chin to come work for him, he'll give that guy more room than if a guy like Chip Kelly were to come here. That's the school of "build the structure around the pieces" instead of "cutting the pieces so they fit the structure."

I remember the quote as "Can I get my QB now?" or something similar.

I don't see the President asking to draft a 3rd round QB a big deal.

And I haven't seen anything that he pushed Weeden on Heckert, and everything I heard from Tom was that he loved him.

Did Tom want to trade 3 1st for RG3? I dunno...

My Overall Sentiment is that Tom Heckert is probably top 3 as it relates to FO people we've had here, and now we've probably lost him...

Yeah, not happy about losing Heckert, but my long-standing statement is that if losing Heckert means getting rid of anyone named Lerner being associated with the franchise, I'd make that deal 10 out of 10 times. In that regard, I consider losing Heckert a small price to pay.

If I'm Tom, and after this season, both Banner and Reid are now out of Philly...

Just saying..

Quote:

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Everybody in the building reports to me.

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What about the dude who just paid $1 billion for the team?

Quote:

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We finally had a system set up for the first time. Owner-Pres-GM-Coach.

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The owner didn't want to own. The President was the de facto owner, didn't conduct a thorough head coaching search, and it was unclear what he actually did. The GM seems to be competent. The coach is among the worst I have seen.

Just because you have a system doesn't mean it is the correct system. And if it is the correct system it doesn't mean you have the right people. Going forward with a system with people who are bad at their job is almost as bad as having no system.

One thing I over-looked:

Quote:

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Q: Who will report to you?

A: The coach and the GM will report directly to me.

---

So we have our structure.

Haslam - owner
Banner - CEO
Team President - May or may not exist
GM - Answers to Banner and/or Team President
Coach - Personnel guy

I found it very interesting that Banner laid-claim to having picked Andy Reid. I didn't know that's how it happened. If it did, then Banner knows more than I thought he did, and I already thought he knew quite a bit.

Q: What will your role be in football decisions such as the draft?

A: I will be one of the four or five people in that room. I'll have a voice. In some instances, it will go through me, but our goal is always to drive a consensus. That's always been my role as it related to the football part of the operations.

Q: Speaking of football guys, you're perceived as more of a business/salary-cap guy than a football guy. Is that accurate?

A: I think that definition has properly evolved over the last five or 10 years. There's a lot of examples of smart, hardworking guys running successful teams that are not thought of as football guys. You can't hire an Andy Reid without knowing something about football.

Q: But do you watch film and do some scouting?

A: I don't think the Eagles drafted a guy that I haven't watched. I'll watch all of the top guys and any free agent we're thinking of signing. Later in the draft, they might give me five guys to watch that could be available in the sixth round. I also go to the Senior Bowl and the Indianapolis combine, but I'm also there to develop relationships with agents and people in the league.

Q: Who will report to you?

A: The coach and the GM will report directly to me. In Philadelphia, the director of player personnel reported to Andy, who was the general manager, and Andy had a direct report to [owner] Jeff Lurie and a dotted line to me. It's slightly different than what we did in Philadelphia because Jeff was more involved. But I was the one most directly working with the football people or negotiating contracts, negotiating the trades. I worked directly with and supervised the football people.

Get a clue Toad.....

Yeah it doesn't sound like "pencil pushing" is what he plans to do here. He'll have a big say in the draft, in contract negotiations which equals a big say in what personell comes and goes to and from the Browns just as I had suspected he would.

I hope it's just me but the words that pop into my head every time I look at or listen to this guy are (clueless, penny pinching, power hungry, idiot) I really, really, really hope he proves me wrong

Obviously, Banner is trying to remake his image and repair the reputation he made for himself, while in Philly. But, can someone who has been a certain way his entire football career, change, just like that?

Good article...best part is toward the end..

Joe Banner Couldn’t Help But Reveal Battle With Reid

sure Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie was shaking his head when he read about former team President Joe Banner laughing about the deal the Birds signed with speedy wide receiver DeSean Jackson.

Lurie along with Banner, head coach Andy Reid and team COO Don Smolenski had put together a charade a couple of weeks ago to give all of us the impression that Banner wasn’t fired but had merely decided to go elsewhere in pursuit of a more stimulating challenge.

They all did a good that during the news conference except for when Lurie made a couple of mentions about he had to do what was best for the organization. I was about to swallow some of it until he said that. Now we all know it wasn’t really what had happened.

Banner let the cat out of bag because he couldn’t help but make his side of the arguments that have been going on in the Nova Care Complex be known publicly. Lurie’s life long friend communicated his side of the story in an interview with the Boston Globe.

According to Greg Bedard of the Globe, Banner is “having a good laugh” at the Jackson deal. Here’s what he wrote.

“In his office that is still inside the Eagles’ NovaCare facility, former team president Joe Banner is having a good laugh. Jackson received his $47 million extension, in good measure, because Banner had his contract power usurped. Banner never would have done that deal”.

Clearly the former Eagles President didn’t make this deal and wouldn’t have made this deal with Jackson if he had been in charge of the negotiations.

This is one of the reasons Jackson was quoted on Philly.com last week talking about how “crucial” the 2012 season is to everybody in the organization. Jackson and his future with the Eagles is on the line and the guy who fought for him and his new contract, Reid have got to deliver with a big year.

Surely Reid has sat down with the key members of his football team like Jackson, quarterback Michael Vick and let them know what the situation is here with the football team. They must at least have a big year and go deep into the playoffs.

Truth is they want more than that so they can validate the decision by Reid to stand up to Banner and initiate the battle that led to the ouster of the Boston-native from his team President position.

Reid had been the good soldier in the past when Banner had refused to allow him to hang onto a player, who he thought could help the football team. The situation had changed now because Reid’s job is on the line going into the 2012 season.

He was no longer willing to stand aside and let Banner make de facto roster moves by low-balling players Reid wanted to keep but he wanted to get rid of.

The Jackson negotiation was a central point of the team’s post season meetings. Reid was on one side and Banner was on the other. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times by Sam Farmer (Farmer article is below), Reid laid it all on the line when he gave Lurie and the Eagles an ultimatum. Either he gets the power to overrule Banner on roster moves or he’s ready to leave the organization.

Obviously, we can see the Reid was the winner of the battle and Lurie knew during the struggle that it was time to say good-bye to Banner and his methods of running the football team.

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The Sam Farmer article noted in the article above...note the date of the article, March 22, 2012...



League has one of its biggest weeks for off-season news, and here are a few more tidbits.

March 22, 2012|Sam Farmer

•Two NFL insiders, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic, said that Philadelphia Coach Andy Reid was ready to walk away from the Eagles if he didn't get more personnel control, and now he has it. We've seen a flurry of decisive moves by the Eagles in recent weeks, including finally cutting a blockbuster deal with receiver DeSean Jackson; extending two good soldiers, defensive end Trent Cole and right tackle Todd Herremans, outbidding the Ravens to keep guard Evan Mathis; and trading for Pro Bowl linebacker DeMeco Ryans.

Something else about the Eagles: Reid wanted to jump in the Peyton Manning sweepstakes, despite the signing of Michael Vick to a six-year, $100-million contract last season. Talks never got too serious, the insiders say, because Manning didn't like the idea of playing against his brother Eli, quarterback of the New York Giants, at least twice a season.

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Another Banner article on him being fired in Philly..


Philadelphia Eagles: Why Joe Banner Stepping Down Was the Right Move

By
Manav Khandelwal

(Analyst) on June 7, 2012

Since Joe Banner was inserted as the president of operations for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2001, they've been one of the most successful franchises in the league. They've been to five NFC Championship games and even one Super Bowl, winning numerous division titles in between.

Two things Banner hasn't accomplished? Winning the Super Bowl and earning the respect of his players.

Banner and Andy Reid have had a constant power struggle for years, no matter what either has said over the last few hours. The difference between them? Reid is a "players' coach" and Banner has been called "unlikable" by half a dozen former Eagles, including Jeremiah Trotter, Brian Dawkins and Brian Westbrook.

Banner's "tough guy" negotiating style has left many Eagles—especially ones that were drafted and developed under Andy Reid—feeling bitter about their time as an Eagle. He's ostracized guys like Duce Staley in 2003, Brian Westbrook in 2005 and DeSean Jackson last season.

These issues have often spilled over into the season. Westbrook had one of his worst seasons in '05, as the team went a horrific 6-10. Last season, Jackson didn't seem like the DeSean of 2010, and the Eagles slipped out the gate on their way to a disappointing 8-8 finish. Banner's methods may be shrewd, but they haven't paid dividends on the field.

Westbrook, on with 97.5 the Fanatic hosts Tim McManus and Eytan Shander, even went so far as to say that Banner was fully a business entity and that he was unapproachable and not necessarily a guy the players liked.



Why did Banner always need to lay down the iron fist? Even with the salary cap, the Eagles were never afraid to throw money at big-name free agents.



In fact, until this past offseason, the Eagles rarely re-signed more players than they brought in; that isn't good for a locker room, especially one that has been as close to winning as Philadelphia has. The frustration is so large it could bubble over, which it has at points.

After all of that, we still have the "Gold Standard" comment and the ridiculously defensive statements Banner always makes about his team. Comparing the Eagles to the Steelers just isn't fair in any context, but to say that this team has been as successful is, unfortunately, not true.

Sure, the Eagles have similar numbers of playoff and later-round appearances, but the difference is pretty clear: The Steelers have two rings in the last decade; the Eagles don't.

Firing Banner, however, could go a long way to changing that.

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I don't think he's a clueless idiot. But you got the other two correct, IMO.

At this point I really don't care if Shurmur goes or not. Mainly because, no matter what Banner says, I think he's already gone uinless by some miracle he wins out.

But Heckert leaving bothers me and I'm pretty sure he's gone, too. Banner strikes me as a guy that cannot wait to start putting his mark on the team. Make no mistake, that means just about everyone short of the janitor will be gone by the end of the Super Bowl.

Get ready for reboot 6.0

Those who believe Banner was picked by Haslam to run the Browns "after Haslam did his due diligence"...that is simply not the truth.

Here are some sources that point to "the fact", from early June 2012, when it was announced that Banner was leaving the Eagles, Banner stated long before he became involved with Haslam and the purchase of the Browns...that he wanted to be involved with an investment group so he could be the guy to run the team...in other words, Banner wanted to be the President/CEO of whatever team an investment group bought.

Banner simply came with deal, when Haslam joined the investment group Banner was part of. Banner devised a way to insure himself of a job as Pres/CEO and be in charge of the football side of a franchise for the first time in his career.

All this talk from Haslam about doing his due diligence in selecting a Pres/CEO...SPIN.

IMO, Haslam should have simply told the truth, understanding we are not bunch of idiots here in Cleveland and would figure out exactly how Banner got the job as the Browns Pres/CEO.

So now we have a rookie owner in Jimmy Haslam and a very good "bean counter" who has never been in charge of the football side of a franchise, in Joe Banner.

IMO, the "egos" of Banner and Haslam will not allow them to continue the rebuild started by Holmgren and Heckert. I look for mass firings of the coaching staff, front office and many of our young players will be gone...one very well could be Weeden.

I expect Haslam and Banner to announce a NEW 5 YEAR PLAN, after the season is over.



Banner faces long odds of finding situation as desirable as Eagles...June 10, 2012

Joe Banner, the longtime Eagles president who stepped down this week, said he hopes to put together an investment group that can buy a struggling franchise, with partners who will allow him to run the team and attempt to turn it around, much as he helped do in Philadelphia.

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Banner says he's looking for his next challenge...June 08, 2012

As he leaves his role, Banner hopes he can re-create that transformation elsewhere in the NFL.

"I love football. I feel like I've learned so much, feel like I've contributed so much, feel like I have a lot to offer," Banner said in an interview in his office. "My hope is to be part of a group that's going to buy a team and be in a position to operate it."

Banner hopes to gather potential owners willing to put up money to buy a team and entrust him to run it. He said he does not have a specific team or area in mind, but is more focused on situation. He'd like to take over a struggling franchise confronting issues similar to those he faced when Jeffrey Lurie bought the Eagles in 1994.

"That way, I think I get kind of a new, fresh challenge," he said. "My personality, my strengths fit better for a turnaround situation. It's very likely that what I do next will involve something that probably isn't going in the right direction . . . and to try to get it fixed."

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I'm not all that concerned about Haslam sitting at the draft table, as the owner he has that right.

He's a smart guy and I doubt he will usurp the experts at the table.

I kinda hate throwing stones at a guy that hasn't actually done anything right or wrong yet. But what it sounds like to me is that Haslam has made a giant sized mistake bringing in Banner.

I mean, I'm like everyone else, I don't have a choice, this is the hand we were dealt so I sure as hell hope it works, but I do have my doubts.

I should probably tell you, this guy has made me nervous since the first time I saw him at a press conference. Nothing has taken place to change the feeling. But then again to be fair NOTHING outside of Holmgren leaving, has taken place.

I was starting to really like Haslam then this curve ball was thrown into the mix.

Honestly, so much is up in the air, I just don't know what to think. I just feel uneasy with this guy.

Maybe it's just change itself that is bothering me, Dunno

j/c

So...if the GM and HC report directly to the CEO, does that mean the new coach will be hired without the input from the GM?

If the HC has so much input on the roster, what is the actual role of the GM? What GM worth his salt would want that kind of a job?

I did not lead myself to believe that Haslam would want a structure where so much power is in the hands of one guy...or seemingly so anyway.

I'm working one of these right now.

Just clicking.

Fellow dawgs, can we just wait until something actually happens with the new regime before we go throwing poop all over the wall? I know it's hard because we've been waiting for 13 years, but what can we do at this point?

Thanks.

I don't think anyone is throwing crap against the wall. But some of us do have legitimate concerns about the perceived direction of the FO.

Honestly, if, after reading a good bit about Joe Banner and the way things went when he was with the Eagles, you're not even a little bit worried about having him in charge I don't think you're paying attention.

Of course, we can't do a whole lot about what happens in Berea. But if it's disturbing enough we can certainly vote with our wallets.

my first concern was that he would make the same mistake that Holmgren did and not make immediate decisions to set up "his" structure with "his" people because he felt people deserved more time. he has stated that will not be the case. this is good (regardless of what you think about anyone we have) because if Banner/Haslam do not fully trust the people, then it'll just continue to be more churn.

the second concern i have is that he won't pick the proper people to fill all those roles. but, i cannot worry myself about that for now because it's idle worry (nothing we can do other than throw stuff on the wall because we have no idea who he is even considering)

From my perspective Banner is approaching the organizational evaluation in the proper manner.

First Weeden:

"The only reason I'm leaving he door open is, you could think he's the right answer and a year from now go, "Oh, gee, I thought he was but he isn't,' " Banner said. "So it's not like you're etching it in stone, but you certainly have to at least for your next off-season plan, make a determination as to whether in two years from now, when we're trying to be a championship-caliber team, is he good enough to lead us there?"

I am in total agreement.

On Weeden this is the right approach. If there is a QB in the draft that fits the bill of a championship caliber QB he has to be considered.

Banner said the quarterback decision is tied for No. 2 with general manager and behind head coach as the most important decisions a team must make.

"You can't win big without a great coach and a great quarterback," he said. "And frankly, if you have a great enough coach and quarterback, you can afford to make a few more personnel mistakes. You've got to lock them in."

The rest of the article in my opinion is exactly what I want to hear.

"One of big weaknesses in the league is people's inclinations to hire people they know or they feel safe with. I know people through the league in all categories -- salesmen, marketing people, position coaches, general managers. I have good people in mind in every area and they won't be my friends or at least that's not what will drive it. It won't be driven by people I've worked with. For me, the pool of potential talent is the entire league and all the relationships I've developed over the years. I'm not just going to be plucking people out of my past. You see coaches come in and the whole staff is somebody they used to work with. They're not hiring the best of the best when they do that. "

A very important point again this is what I want to hear.

Overall this is a very encouraging article to right this ship.

My takeaways:

1. Shurmur is gone. A lot of slips of the tongue in that interview. A lot of double talk.

2. Heckert is gone, and he'll probably want to be because if there is even the remote chance he is welcomed to stay, why would he? He'll be stripped of what he does best.

3. Weeden is gone. Barring some miraculous 7 game winning streak to finish the season, the QB is the one player that owners, presidents, GMs, and coaches look at differently than any other player ... they want THEIR guy. They are going to hitch their wagons to THEIR guy, not someone else's. And we are likely headed toward a high enough pick to get THEIR guy.

4. We are starting over AGAIN. Oh joy.

5. This team will begin quitting next week. Too many distractions, too much uncertainty, lame duck coach. I don't expect to win another game this season.