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Cleveland Browns General Manager Tom Heckert would like to stay, but control of roster is important consideration | cleveland.com
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2012/12/cleveland_browns_gm_tom_hecker_20.html#incart_hbx

BEREA, Ohio -- Browns General Manager Tom Heckert, at times sounding almost resigned to being gone, indicated Friday that losing final say over the roster could be a deal-breaker for him and will be a key issue in postseason talks with owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner.

"I'm not going to lie," Heckert said in an informal chat with the media. "It's important. It's why I came here. I've said it before, everywhere I've been I've kind of been the personnel guy even though I didn't have final say. I'm not saying it's an end-all, but it's very important to me."

Heckert, who has two years left on his five-year deal, currently has final say written into his contract. But Banner, in an interview with The Plain Dealer last month, said he prefers the coach to have that authority, like Andy Reid does in Philadelphia. He also said he'd consider letting the GM have it if he were extremely talented.

Would Heckert remain if he were stripped of that power?

"I don't know, that's something I'd have to discuss with the powers that be," he said.

He stressed that being able to shape the roster is why he left his GM post in Philadelphia in 2010 -- where he worked under Banner -- to take this job.

"For me, it's the who picks the players and who makes the trades, all of that stuff," he said. "That's the stuff that I think is important."

Heckert said both he and Pat Shurmur have no idea if they'll be back, and that they haven't asked.

"That's the honest truth, and Pat's the same way," he said. "I think it's the right thing to do do. Just wait wait 'til the season's out. I can handle two weeks."

He said he anticipates hearing something not long after the season finale in Pittsburgh Dec. 30.

"We haven't been told exactly when, but I'd think right away," he said.

Heckert, who said he and Banner get along fine, actually hesitated for a moment when asked if he'd like to return.

"Uh . . you know what? Yeah, I do," he said. "There's a lot of things I'm sure we're going to sit down and talk about after the season. But right now, of course, I really enjoy the city and I really enjoy this team and so that would be the ideal situation."

Heckert, whose young team has rallied to win five of its past eight heading into Sunday's home finale against the Redskins, would most likely be in high demand if he leaves. He's stocked the Browns with exciting young talent such as Brandon Weeden, Trent Richardson, Josh Gordon, Greg Little, Joe Haden, T.J. Ward, Jabaal Sheard and Phil Taylor.

"If things don't work out, I'm pretty confident that I'm going to get a shot somewhere else," he said. "I hope that's the case. If I was like, 'Oh no, what am I going to do?' then maybe (it would be harder), but I'm not that."

He acknowledged that it would be disappointing not to finish what he started, especially considering the Browns appear on the verge of becoming contenders in the AFC North next season.

"But I do get it," he said. "It's just one of those things. I think there's a variety of reasons why that could happen, but I'm OK with that. I don't know how else to react. If it doesn't work out, I can't just sit around and pout about it, I've got to go try to do it somewhere else."

He chuckled when asked about the unofficial "save Heckert campaign" started by fans and some media members. Conversely, there's been a backlash against reports that Banner will replace Heckert with former Browns personnel executive Mike Lombardi.

"I get teased about it a lot upstairs, but what can I say?" Heckert said. "Just being out and about, a lot of people come up and it's great. I appreciate it. I guess it's kind of funny. I don't know if it's the lesser of two evils? That's what it seems like if we're comparing me to people. I don't know Mike (Lombardi) at all. It's just crazy. The positive part with me is fine. I don't know why the other stuff (the anti-Lombardi sentiment) is going on."

He said he doesn't think too much about all the Lombardi reports from national media members such as Jason LaCanfora of CBS Sports and Pro Football Weekly's Hub Arkush.

"It is what it is," said Heckert. "That happens all the time."

He said he hasn't asked Haslam or Banner if the reports are true "because I'm going to find out here in two weeks anyway." He also said he and his agent Bob LaMonte haven't put out feelers to other teams yet. "No, all of that stuff will take place after the season," he said.

Asked if the Browns should retain both him and Shurmur to keep the train rolling, he laughed and said "Yes! . . Anytime you make changes it's going to affect some things. I'm not saying you have to start all over, but it's not going to be just smooth, it's just not. I guess that's the only way I can answer it. Apparently if they do it, they think it's OK."

He declined to say if he'd stay if Shurmur were fired.

"I don't even want to go down that road," he said. "We'll see what happens."

He acknowledged that this has been a dream job for him because his dad, Tom, was a scout for the Browns in the 1980s and Heckert became hooked.

"There's no question about it," he said. "I was around when the fans were crazy and that'd be awesome to be back. Our fans are great now, but it was different because we were winning. The fans have been phenomenal. Just from our games, I can tell they kinda see where it's going. They should be happy. Eventually they're going to see this team's going to be pretty good."

Heckert says Weeden "has everything you want" and that Richardson is everything they hoped he'd be. He said the team is poised to take off and that the staff isn't surprised by the current run. "We thought we'd make the playoffs (this year)," he said.

Heckert said if he leaves, he hopes Banner retains a lot of the people Heckert hired.

"They'd be crazy not to keep them," Heckert said. "This scouting staff is phenomenal. We have some great, great people working in this building. Obviously without those guys, it doesn't mean anything. That's the hardest part. If things don't work out, it changes people's lives."

I just don't know how much more uncertainty I can take, as regards this team. Since The Return, the only constant we fans have ever known is that things are always changing. I wrote one of my long-winded epics here before the Mangini hire, stating that the average life expectancy of a FO regime in Cleveland was 3.2 years, since 1999. And now, the sickest irony is coming to potentially bite us in an entirely new way.

Marinate on this, for a moment: After years of being falsely accused as a "do nothing owner" (I say 'falsely,' because Randyd made changes left and right, during his tenure), We finally get a FO in place that showed actual growth. That showed an actual plan. That staffed the halls of 76 Groza with people who knew their jobs, and did them at a true NFL level.... and Randy SELLS the team.

Now, we have a rookie owner. A rookie prez. Who are- trust me- going to make rookie mistakes.

IS there ANY way to extricate us from the "perennially snake-bit" role in the NFL?

There's only one way that I can see... and here it is:

Jimmy Haslam simply MUST understand that as much of a fan as he might be, is a newbie in a high-stakes game with seasoned players. As such, he should want to surround himself with the best hedges against adversity that he can get. At that moment of realization, he should conclude that his best course of action would be to stay the course for at least one year.

This would accomplish three very crucial things:

1. It would give him time to acclimate himself to The Game of Ownership, without taking on too much responsibility
2. It would give the current system one more year to produce results... results that we're seeing being born right now
3. It would give him en entire year to put out feelers to the best possible replacements.upgrades that could be found.

IMHO, doing nothing is actually the best course of action, given the current state of things. If the Heckert/Shurmer FO is a mirage, 2013 will prove it. If the current staff is really onto something, Haslam has saved himself one helluvalotta hassle and turmoil, and can hoist a Lombardi sooner than he ever could, if an overhaul is enacted.

Jimmy has already said that he wants to own a winner. He might already have one (in potential)... if he doesn't just leaves things alone for a year or two.

Wow. Think of it: Buy a team. Sit back. Hoist a Lombardi 3 years later. Easiset legacy ever earned. Slam-dunk.


The old saying rings true more often than not: "Sometimes, less in more."

how about this bold new theory? A young first time head coach is actually learning from previous mistakes and improving.

His $1 Billion dollars trumps every word of every fan.

If he wants to start from scratch he has every right to and I wouldn't begrudge him.

It might not be the most prudent decision. But I could understand and accept it.

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His $1 Billion dollars trumps every word of every fan.

If he wants to start from scratch he has every right to

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This part is totally correct. It's his money and his team. He can do what he wants, when he wants.

However, that does not mean I have to agree or like his decisions. I can vote with my wallet. I'll tell you right now that if he dumps Heckert and hires that boob Lombardi I'm done. No ifs, ands or buts. Because if he does that this team will suck worse in 2-3 years than it did in 1999.

You know it and so does anyone else with half a brain.

You may not begrudge our truck-stop hero his failings but if he F's up this team I sure will.

It seems that suddenly, people around here are missing Randy L.

Stability.......I'm going to be very, Very VERY disapointed in our new owner if he lets Tom Heckert go or makes it difficult for him to stay, we've all seen people "not let go" but pushed out or as they call it "left on thier own accord" ya were smarter than that, As for Shurmer, I hope he stays, he's earned it, I do think he's learning how to be a good coach, I think he's earned another year or more,

To me if our new owner comes in and changes everything just so HIS people can have jobs, than to me he lied to us Browns fans and dosent really mean what he's said There is no reason to change what or how Tom Heckert is doing, it ant broke, and finally it's fixed, dosent take me a billon dollars to figure that out....If Heckert goes, so does my trust with this new ownership....I'm hoping he isnt one of those talkers who tells ya what ya wanna hear so you'll buy tickets and them does something diffrent, but still assures ya it will be ok and it was for the best intrest of the Browns....Please dont be one of them, us Browns fans can smell them a mile away, we've had enough hot air blow up our butts to ....well you know.

Haslem your move........

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It seems that suddenly, people around here are missing Randy L.

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That's quite a leap you make. So big, in fact, that I believe you probably fell when you did it. I hope you had your Life Alert on....

No, I do not miss Randy. How could anyone miss someone they never saw?

I only stated what I felt that I must do to retain what little sanity I have left if Jimmy Joe decides he has to remake the team in his own image.

Well, reports yesterday from Jimmy Donovan on WKYC said that Heckert wants to remain, but doesn't know his fate. I put up an article a few posts up that kinda covers that whole thing about his contract and all.

I look at this team, and it's not just because we've had 3 wins in a row, and I see something happening. Can't quite put my finger on it, but they have a solid D and ST are playing well and that's against all opponents. The O still needs work. Richardson hasn't been the workhorse we expected but injuries will do that to a back. I'd like to see him 100% healthy to start a season and then see what he looks like.

Our WR's are starting to look like something to be proud of, the Oline is playing better, Watson is doing his job and Weeden is probably a little above average as a rookie. And, we are on the road to having depth. Still weak in the secondary, maybe another DE and OG depth and another OT would be nice. But otherwise, fairly deep.

On paper, we have one of the most experienced coaching staffs you could ever imagine.

And we are young. Very young and we're about to get younger with another draft coming up. My guess is 35 of these guys will be 3rd year or less by August.

That's going to cause growth pains next season, but I doubt it's worse than we just experienced.

No No people, Love them or hate them, Heckert and Shurmur and the coaching staff have basically done a decent job with this very young roster.

I'm really starting to like this team.. I honestly think Heckert at the very least has to stay and the staff needs to remain, the only guy to me on the Bubble is Shurmur and for me, I'd like to give him one more year.

The defense went young last year, and more this year,

However, the defense also has veteran leadership at every level.

DL: Rubin
LB: DQ
DB: Brown, Haden, and Ward


The offense had youth at many spots, and the veteran leadership was really on the OL and at TE. (Thomas, Mack, and Watson) These are usually not the biggest leadership positions. We had rookies at QB, RB, and WR.

I would think that the defense, which took a year after going young to pull it all together, is a blueprint for the offense. I would think that next year, maybe even halfway through next year, would be when we see the offense really start firing on all cylinders.

I agree with Heckert being kept. He has earned an extension, say two years to round up talent; use him up before discarding him.

I donot want the same Shurm back I have seen. If he is given some different requirements and a playcaller, then maybe. I think we can do better, but it all starts here. And I hope that the Has is not one of those who believes all change is sexy and automatically superior. Keep Heckert.

Mourg, I had a post on here a few days ago that brought up the thought of McDaniels and that he might not be a bad option. You've just made me rethink that. Thanks for depressing me even more. Never thought about that vet vs. young guy angle. The staff here has done awesome in developing young players. I've never seen anything like it.

Did anyone see the second episode of Road Tested the other night? The most interesting part was a 15 second clip of Gil Brandt talking with Haslam. Brandt told Haslam he really liked our young team. Haslam seemed genuinely surprised by this statement. Then Haslam went straight into "tell me more" mode ...kind of cool really...Haslam has been described as a sponge trying to soak up and learn as much as possible and you could visually see his brain working that way ....he pressed Brandt and Brandt said he liked about 20 of our guys....then he pressed Brandt for names....then the clip cut away.

If you are a body language guy like I am it was a great clip. In 15 seconds I thought it revealed a few things about Haslam and our situation. My only hope is Haslam is really listening to guys like this and not that twit Banner.

It's a really good show btw. Really well done. Hope it lasts.

Here's the clip.

http://www.travelchannel.com/video/might-go-home-with-a-victory

I took it more that he wanted to try and get another evaluation of the team from an outside source.

Considering the good things we (hopefully) see on the horizon, If the new owner fires Heckert and we get new coaches and new scouts and perhaps new systems, it will show how dumb he is. A lot of NFL people will be scratching their heads, esp. if Heckert is gone.

Bottom line.

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Well then that tells me (if the extra year means anything) that we're going to have a good O next season..

So doesn't that kinda mean we should stay the course?


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That was kinda my point.

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If we can see this, I sure as hell hope that Haslam/Banner can see this and don't put personal agendas ahead of the positive that's happening here.

One thing about Banner, if hes the one controlling the purse strings, he is going to become very annoying in Cleveland. He will go out and sign big name free agents, that's a given. He did that in Philadelphia. He has a problem though keeping players after they hit 30. So don't fall in love with players if Banner is controlling the cash. Hes a capoligist(sp?) You'll have plenty to spend under the salary cap, trust me.

Randy was not legally able to sell the team until the month he sold it.

Any other info is false

Well I don't know about that inside stuff that you know ...but if his name was worse than Modell who could've been??

Never heard before he couldn't sell the team for 10 years, sure someone on here would of been crying about that!!!

It was all over the media when it came out that Lerner was selling the team.

Evidently Al Lerner had asked that the team stay in the family for 10 years after his death.

That 10 year period was up in October of last year.

I have some thoughts I've been kicking around for a few weeks..

In most of the criticisms of the Browns I've heard one of the ones I hear often is that we have no continuity, we change systems, hire and fire coaches willy nilly and the ownership / powers that be listen to the fans and make their decisions.

Having said that, I'm not sure I know ANYONE that wants to get rid of Tom Heckert. If the fans are clamoring for more Tom Heckert, why should this ownership listen to us if one of the faults of the way the Browns have been run is because they listened to us?

For the record, I want NO part of Lombardi and I'd be okay with a spray painted bed sheet draped over the dawg pound wall saying "Just say NO to Lombardi" and point it at Haslam's loge.

Calling on the preseason predictions of board members as a measuring stick as to how this team should have performed in retrospect is ridiculous and deserves no further discussion.

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For the record, I want NO part of Lombardi and I'd be okay with a spray painted bed sheet draped over the dawg pound wall saying "Just say NO to Lombardi" and point it at Haslam's loge.

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Best idea I've heard this year.

Let's see how this season plays out. There are 3 games to play. 6-10 is not going to cut it. We need more evidence of progress.

I am not in favor of blowing it up for the sake of blowing it up. If Heckert/Shurmur are fired the FO has to have better people to come in and fill those roles. Cleveland is a place where careers go to die.

We need upgrades and tweeks. We do not need to hit the reset button. (again)

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We need upgrades and tweeks. We do not need to hit the reset button. (again)

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This one simple line says it all perfectly.

NRTU...

Thoughts about Shurmur now?

My thoughts... Keep Heckert...

Shurmur, I don't really care either way. I've hated him as a coach for a long time, but this team is getting better. I do think he still has things to learn, and I don't think he ever will.

If we do get rid of Shurmur, I do not want to abandon the offense/defensive schemes. Keep the WCO and keep the 4-3. I do not want to switch either, in particular defense, and have to deal with having the wrong personnel for it for the next 3 years, causing us to have yet another reboot...

We can and should completely scrap the WCO ... never understood the appeal ... and especially if we keep Weeden.

We absolutely must keep the 4-3.