DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum What will Haslam Do?

Not one of us would have predicted that Haslam Fired Chud and cleaned house the way he did last offseason! IMHO Haslam is a wildcard in what happens this year:

Will he stand behind his hires and give them more time?
Will he mix it up again?
Will Haslam say he is happy with the progress?
Will he have a meltdown?

Assuming that our injury riddled team shows up for the final game against Baltimore and plays hard for the coach yet falls well short of anything other than a moral victory, will the 7-9 record be enough for Haslam to give it another year with no significant changes? What if the team seems to quit on the staff in this last game? The days and weeks following the final game are going to be very interesting this year, because Haslam is a wildcard.

Most of us think the Staff should remain mostly intact and be given more time to gel and fix the things that are broken. We also thought this last year.

Just wanted to open this up for discussion and see what everyone else thinks might unfold. It will be interesting to see if Haslam is a solid owner that follows the proven concepts of the perennial winners by building continuity and allowing the football guys to develop the team or if he is a owner that tries to run the show himself and make knee jerk changes every offseason. Is he more like Kraft/Rooney, Davis/Snyder or Jones/Irsay?

I'm hoping that the Manziel experiment has convinced Haslam to stick to selling gas and cashing/writing checks...

I hope he doesnt change anything.

The one thing we havent had is stability. The old rule was that you give a coach 3 years. Its enough time to get his system in place, get players with the attributes to fit his system, and it allows time for the players to become overly familiar with the system.

We are moving the right direction, stay the course. Lets finish this season. We have 2 1st rd picks and very talented young team. Lets give them time to grow.

Patience is a virtue

I *think* you've become my favorite forum troll.

As to the original question. I wouldn't change anything. The team from top to bottom let us down this year for sure (and it had nothing to do with Manziel). With that said we still won more games this year than we did last and SOME of them actually looked like we deserved to even be an NFL team.

This coaching regime needs to have a few more seasons to see what can be accomplished. The revolving door needs to stop.

Exactly - it's not like we were 1-15 or only had 3 wins..we were 7-4 at one point. We had division wins (finally) and a chance to make the playoffs late in the season. We had a lot of injuries, we were 1-2 plays per game from closing them out, we had the poorest special teams play in years (??).

IMO, we seemed to show progress and a decent amount. At least the losing mindset is changing and even the fans expectations have switched to winning and not losing for draft picks!

What Haslam does should be determined by his measure of success and what his long-term plan is as an organization...

I really like the coaching staff we have, and I feel that they have quality coaches pretty much across the board.

Obviously the roster still has holes that must be addressed, but one good thing is that I truly believe that the coaches and the front office are on the same page as far as how to build the team, and the importance of that cannot be underestimated.

They have not been perfect, but who is going to be perfect in their 1st year? I do think that they have been more than effective, and have a solid base on which to build.

So, in short, I hope, and believe, that Haslam will stay the course with the people he put in charge.

I'm on board with that, YTown...

+1

I had to stop right there, I didn't realize we were dealing fiction. :P

I'm sorry I couldn't pass that up, it was too easy. Having said that, my shot was definitely at Haslam, it just so happens that the ammunition was Manziel. I don't actually intend to "troll", I just find that I don't comment as much on the things I consider positive posts because I don't want to just +1...

Anyway, I'm in complete agreement that we need to keep the FO and coaching staff as currently comprised and we'll be looking better than we have in a long, long time.

Everything in Cleveland is fiction this time of year

I know you don't like Manziel (from numerous posts you've made). But the Hoyer experiment went just as poorly as the Manziel experiment which may go just as poorly as the Shaw experiment and then after that the QB we draft this upcoming year experiment.

They've done a craptastic job as an organization providing any sense of stability especially in regards to QB.

Worst Case, we're 7-9 this season, best case 8-8.

Pretty good improvement over the previous years either way.

I hope that Haslam doesn't go off like Dan Snyder and reboots the whole dame thing again..

This FO and Coaching staff got us more wins and more respectability than many (most) of us expected..

We got blown out a few times during the season. We blew out a few teams during the season as well.

We also came up short in a couple of games that really could have gone either way.

Honestly, I think this is the best coaching staff we've had since 1999. (maybe with the exception of Bruce Arians as OC, boy has he turned out to be good or what?)

They did pick two guys in the 1st round that may end up being busts (I doubt Gilbert busts, Manziel I'm not sure of) But they are young with huge upside. Gonna have to wait that out I guess.

Lots of ifs out there as well. What if Gordon hadn't been suspended or Mack hadn't been injured?

All in all, I like the direction of the team. I'd stay the course with the current coaching staff and FO.

Hope Haslam sees it that way.

No, it didn't.

One was a UDFA signing we paid very little for, who performed well for a stretch before crashing down to earth.

The other was a project/flier we traded up for in the first, who looked every bit the low-round talent he was.

Hoyer cost us very little, in the end. We paid a premium for Manziel.

And he's not exactly a reclamation project you can slip in at 3rd string and hope to groom. His status as a person combined with his status as a draft pick means he'll always be lingering in the public eye.

I agree with you PDR.. Hoyer was a gift really.. It's obvious now that Manziel wasn't ready to play. He wasn't taking it seriously and that showed when he got his chance.

But we are where we are partially because of Hoyer.

Manziel may or may not blossom.. I just don't know.

I don't think Haslam will do anything. We were in it for a long time until the injuries caught up with us and bad QB play. Stay the course and hope for a good draft and FA period and we will be better next year.

Haslam cleaned out the front office last year after they looked like fools in the coaching search. I doubt he wants that kind of publicity again.

Haslam promoted Farmer. Farmer and Pettine seem to be on the same page.

I think that anyone can see that injuries destroyed this season. Now people can say sure, but good teams rise above it, and that may very well be true. They don't however rise above it when its the first year in a system, or a very young team.

I cannot believe for a minute that Haslam doesn't see that. Now its his billion dollars so he's gonna do what he wants, but i think he lets it be. I think he demands results, but i'm pretty sure he doesn't think he knows more about football than either Farmer or Pettine.

He's the CEO of a huge corporation, he has to know you can't micro-manage everything.

Add to the fact that he was part owner in PItt, and I think he knows full well what needs to be done...and that is give it some time. Now i could be wrong, but i hope i'm not.

I think after the Chud firing that Haslam backed Banner, but got more involved. Then when he realized just how dysfunctional that Banner and Lombardi were, he canned them and promoted Farmer. So while he may seem like an impatient guy, i'm not so sure that he is.

I think that there is one thing that he won't tolerate, and thats excuses...and that is one thing that Pettine doesn't do. I love the fact that he said he has a list of mistakes he made. I'm not happy that he made them, but I am happy that he called himself out just like his players.


Iirc Chud was fired because they said the team didn't improve. Now personally i don't think Chud had half a chance with what Banner and Lombardi where doing, but thats water over the bridge.

Despite its record, this team did improve. We have some depth, but its very inexperienced. Thing is though, now its a lot more experienced from getting thrown into the fire.

We have a promising young qb in Manziel, who has a ton of talent, that just got a huge wake up call. He's either gonna use it to learn and grow, or he'll be done. I'm betting that kid don't like losing, and looking like a fool. Gilbert has been called out as well. No free ride for draft status here.

We have a ton of talented young players. Now we can evaluate our weaknesses, and go into the offseason with a plan. This team never seemed to put it all together at the same time. Offense was good, defense was struggling, then it went the other way.

We have less holes than we ever did. Lets resign some guys, heal up, learn a bit more of the system, and go into next year with a lot more experience in the systems.

That's my hope anyway, and I sure hope it happens.

I agree with the last sentence but the Hoyer experiment got us 7 wins, I'd not compare the two. Even with that being the case I agree that he's not our long term solution although I wouldn't mind having him come back as insurance against Manziel's continued flame out...

Haslam will not do anything IMO. He'll shy away from commenting on JFF and he'll just say Pettine and the coaching staff are moving forward.

If he says/does anything else it would be idiotic.

I CANNOT believe someone would even give JF a second thought let alone continue to believe he will be even close to being ready to play next year or for that matter the year after.

You really wouldn't mind having Hoyer back. This goes along with the warning I gave way back when JF was fulfilling his life's dream (riding the pine in the NFL). Be careful with what you ask for.

It's as simple as this the Browns will re-sign Hoyer they have very little choice not too. And that will come with the guarantee that he will be the starter until he is out played by JF or some other unknown drafted player, but heading into camp he will be the guy..

Now you ask why do I think that is so??

Because JF sucked, and anyone that would let Hoyer walk and hang their hat on JF needs a brain transplant. With all the MMQB's on this sight or within the fan base in general if the Browns let Hoyer walk and JF falls flat on his face (likely) they will be run out of town on a rail literally, and this would be the one time the fan base would be totally justified in doing just that.

Thinking that QB's are a dime a dozen who can play like Hoyer makes me think a great many of you haven't learned the lessons of our recent past, so I ask this question? Explain the past 15 years....

I don't necessarily disagree with you and I hope we do make him an offer and that Hoyer does decide to come back but the truth is that we're very unlikely to move on from Manziel after such a short evaluation period. I think the two can co-exist until Manziel proves (or more likely doesn't prove) that he should be on the field. I just don't see the FO moving on after such a short period of time. That is unless an homeless man tells Haslam that Johnny's gotta go...

You really think Hoyer wants back here? I'm not so sure.

Back before we tanked, i wanted Hoyer resigned, and for him to keep playing, while Manziel sat for awhile.

After switching to Manziel, I don't know how you go back. I certainly didn't like the results of Manziel's play either, but i really don't see how Hoyer is back here.

I want the qb circus to end as much as anyone. Hoyer is a free agent, so he is up in the air.

We have Manziel and Shaw to choose from, or we draft a rook, or pick up a vet.

If we have to pick up a vet, then it should be Hoyer, but i don't see it. Only way we surely keep him is to tag him. We going to do that now?

I just don't see resigning Hoyer as an option. He is on record as saying he wants to be a starter and he wants starter’s money in his next contract. The Browns aren't going to give him either with a first round draft pick on the roster. I doubt seriously any NFL team will. So he is destined to be a backup. There are a number of places he can be a backup, Houston and St. Louis come to mind so why stay in Cleveland? I seem to recall in one of his last public interviews he said he just wanted to go to a team where the fans and players would support him. No mention of his Cleveland ties and how much it means to play here anymore. Plus, everyone saw his demeanor when he has benched. Did he look like a guy who wanted to be in Cleveland? So the Browns can try to resign him, but unless Haslam offers him the keys to Fort Knox, I see no way it will happen. Baring a miracle, for better or worse JM is the starter next fall. When he goes on IR the Browns will be starting whoever in his place.

I would be very surprised if Hoyer came back here.

There's no way we can go into next season with Manziel and Shaw, no matter how Shaw performs on Sunday.

That leaves vet signing, or a draft pick.

I've said before...I expect to see a trend soon of teams looking for their guy in the second or third round.

I would hope we look for someone we like in that range, though you can't really blame them if they opt to go high.

In all likelihood, I don't think we'll take another crack at a high QB until 2016.

Assuming they are both healthy in the offseason, seems like even if JM plays well in camp, starting him next season would be a step back for the short-term. Is the FO willing to take a year stepping back after a measure of success?

IF Hoyer is the proof that playing backup for a while {even years} does not make you a long-term starter, when why wait on JM? Toss him in and let him develop - if he is the future of the franchise?

I still am wondering what the coaches saw in practice that allowed them to think JM was ready to replace Hoyer - was it just crossing their fingers and hoping for a miracle?

Why not pick our QB day 1- develop a playbook that accents his skill - and become a running first team that can pound the ball?

Haslam will not be making any coaching or front office moves.

He won't revisit the saga of last year with a hundred foot pole. The team has improved and another year of players and coaches is needed more than any change of direction could possibly achieve.

The Browns may change some of the coaches where improvement is desired from a coaching perspective not as a result of poor player performance.

We all know that the special teams have been terrible. I can't say if it is coaching or players, or the coaches belief in his players. That area will probably be closely evaluated during the off season.

The team will expect to lose Hoyer and identify a replacement either via draft or FA. It will tell how much faith in Manziel that they have by their actions.

I don't think it was the coaches decision.

Just my opinion, but it was evident throughout that Pettine didn't want to start Manziel.

Hoyer's play put them in a rock and a hard place, but I've never seen an NFL HC talk about a guy so reluctantly. It made the end result make so much more sense.

jc

Tabor has got to go

Okay, that right there is funny.

And where would that be?

As disappointing the finish was for this team at the end of the year. I don't want to see anything change at all. Pettine and his staff deserve more than a year. If Haslam makes any changes, no one will want to work for that type of knee jerk reactive owner.

I'd be very ashamed if this staff makes any changes outside the world of Chris Tabor who has put together probably the worst special team unit we've seen here in many, many years...

There shouldn't be too much shakeup, organization wise, this year with "shouldn't" being the key word.

All JMO

I've read the Browns aren't high on Hoyer at all and dont seem to have much interest in bringing him back.

Just my two cents. Haslam is not like a Jones. Seems l more like the Rooneys. JM was a good move financially (for awhile) and it is a business. Few expected such poor showing. I believe Hoyer had to sit if Pettine was true to his word, and I hope CS surprises us pleasantly.

I also think some of the FO mess last year was his to fix and he did so. His end of the organization showed him taking control. He may not have fixed problems he perceived, but I also believe that they were about to get much worse. The door for Farmer opened, we found some promising youngsters. But also Pettine had a hellish coaching year handed to him. I think he has done well adjusting and growing his staff though I still do not care for Tabor.

Keep it intact for once. Fix some more stuff.
Just win, baby!

I suspect after last years Massacre Haslam will let sleeping Dawgs Lye .. Not sure if we should lay the return game egg in front of Tabor or Farmer??
Not a fan of Shanny at all , but guess they will keep him and take some serious review time on why he couldn't beat the stacked box ..

i totaly agree.
other then Tabor everyone deserves another year

Tabor has got to go.

Forgot about how horrendous our ST was, I agree with you guys if any changes are made that would be a good one.

[quote=OldColdDawg]Not one of us would have predicted that Haslam Fired Chud and cleaned house the way he did last offseason! IMHO Haslam is a wildcard in what happens this year:

Looking back, If you put Shurmur and Chud side by side, you'd have a hard time deciding who's who. Both seemed like they were the guy that the real coach would send out to talk with the media. You never knew who was in charge. When Pet comes out everybody knows who's in charge. There's no contest. That's why you can't compare Chud and Pettine. You just know who's the better coach. Haslem had no choice with Chud, as it was pretty clear he was not cut out to be a head coach. Pettine seems to be a clear cut step above anything we've had here in awhile.

Pettine & Haslam on the "same page"?

By August Fagerstrom
Beacon Journal sports writer

December 24, 2014 - 10:02 PM

BEREA: Browns coach Mike Pettine has a list, and he’s checking it twice. It’s not a Christmas list. It’s the list of things the first-year coach plans to do differently next year.

Pettine and his staff, of course, are focusing on Sunday’s season finale between the Browns (7-8) and the Baltimore Ravens (9-6) before they can begin thinking about the offseason. But Pettine knows his second year as a head coach in the league will feature some changes from his first.

“I’ve got a whole list,” Pettine said Wednesday. “I just haven’t put it together yet. I’ll do a lot of things different. I made a ton of mistakes. I admit that. It’s all stuff that’s critical for us as a staff to look at and us as an organization to put it all together — do our own self-scout, our own audit, post-year. We do one every week, we’ll do one at the end of the year and get those locked in and make sure they don’t happen again.”

And Pettine knows which organization he coaches for. It’s the same one that has had six full-time head coaches since returning to the league in 1999. Owner Jimmy Haslam, who bought the team in 2012, fired coach Rob Chudzinski after just one season last year.

The Browns lost their final seven games under Chudzinksi and 10 of their last 11.

This year’s Browns have lost their past four games and five of the last six.

But Pettine isn’t concerned because he believes he and Haslam are on the same page.

“There’s no doubt in my mind,” Pettine said. “I get together with Jimmy for a minimum of an hour every week. We are very much on the same page as far as our vision for this team today, our vision for the team this weekend, our vision for the team moving forward.”

Pettine called the Browns’ potential to finish 8-8 “disappointing,” knowing that the team left some wins on the field.

“You’re a couple Sundays away from being a coach of the year candidate to being the village idiot hall of fame candidate,” Pettine said. “To me, it’s been a roller-coaster ride, as expected. It’s been tough, because you’re gauged ultimately on how you finish.”

Pettine’s father, Mike Pettine Sr., was a legendary Pennsylvania high school football coach, who won four state championships. The elder Pettine often shares his views about the Browns.

In the midst of a four-game losing streak, Pettine hasn’t been so great at answering his father’s phone calls.

“I think he’s known a couple times that he’s said the wrong thing at the wrong time and I found a mysterious way to not pick up the phone when he was calling,” Pettine joked. “Thank God for caller ID.”