DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Farmer Responsible For Text To Sidelines: Browns Coud Lose Draft Picks

Now we have confirmation of who sent the text(s). The obvious remaining question is what did they contain...

Browns owner says team didn't know about Johnny Manziel's personal life
By Greg Cosell

Jimmy Haslam must not have access to the Internet.

That's really the only way to explain how the Cleveland Browns' owner could have not known about Johnny Manziel's off-field red flags when the team drafted him in the first round last year. Here's what Haslam said about Manziel during a press conference on Wednesday:


"I don't know how much of Johnny's personal life was known by everybody then," Haslam said, according ot the Akron Beacon-Journal.

Come on.

There's two ways to view that quote: Either Haslam is lying or the Browns are the worst organization in sports. For the sake of Cleveland fans, don't answer that.

Manziel's penchant for going out was a massive story when he was at Texas A&M and leading up to the draft as well. Here's a passage from ESPN.com's Wright Thompson's story on Manziel, from July 30, 2013. This was written by Thompson nine months before the Browns drafted Manziel, with references to Manziel's father Paul and Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin:


"Paul thinks Johnny drinks to deal with the stress. After his arrest, Johnny's parents and Sumlin mandated he visit an alcohol counselor; Johnny saw him six or seven weeks during the season."


Dr. Saturday wrote extensively about Manziel's life in the spotlight. Everyone did. The extent of Manziel's issues that caused him to check into a treatment facility might not have been clear, but if Haslam and the Browns' front office didn't know anything about Manziel's off-field life, they were the only ones in the football world who were unaware.

But that's practically inconsequential going forward. The Browns invested a first-round pick into Manziel just a year ago and want to make it work. And Haslam said he thinks it can work.


"It's way too early to give up on Johnny," Haslam said, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "We certainly haven't given up on him. Everybody's been too harsh."

Haslam said he didn't know when Manziel would return to the team, but he supported his decision to go to rehab.

It would be enormous for the Browns franchise if Manziel can become a franchise quarterback. And the Browns franchise could use some good news.

The Browns have a lot of issues but one of the most pressing ones is the NFL investigation into Browns general manager Ray Farmer sending texts to the sideline during games. The messages were relayed to the coaches on the sideline, and that's not allowed by the NFL. The punishment could be as harsh as the loss of a draft pick.



"He said he feels he made a mistake in sending those texts," Haslam said, via the Plain Dealer. "But it does not affect his standing with the club. I don't think Ray intended to gain an unfair advantage."

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdo...-215143724.html

Haslam said in a meeting with the team's beat writers. "Ray feels terrible about it. Ray's a guy -- I've known a lot of people -- I think has utmost integrity."


I think he has integrity and he is a guy and I have known a lot of people. Well we know how Haslam plans on defending himself to the FBI. He pleads stupid.

Doink!

The quote wasn't that the team didn't know anything about Johnny's personal life.

The quote was "I (Haslam) don't know how much of Johnny's personal life was known by everybody on the team".

Haslam is a good one to speak about integrity. LOL

I am not sure that I agree w/the thinking that Farmer is just a yes man. The guy comes across as hard-headed, stubborn, and arrogant.

And why are we hearing excuses about a first year regime? We sure as hell didn't hear them last year. All we heard was the outrage over The Three Stooges and how they needed fired immediately.

Funny how that works.............

The more Haslam opens his mouth, the more I wish he'd shut up.

The more he opens his mouth, the more people get thrown under the bus.

J/C
The statement by Haslam is as close to an admission of Farmer's guilt as I need to go on record that this failure was unconscionable. It was a colossal blunder. This was FUBAR to the tenth power. Farmer will have to exceed the standard of conduct he so hypocritically calls for Josh Gordon to meet in order to redeem himself in my eyes.

Damn!

You know.........I don't think the NFL should punish Farmer harshly for the texting. It does not seem like that big of a deal to me.

My problem w/what he did is that it is screams of an arrogant, meddlesome GM who has created a toxic atmosphere that will lead to many coaches and players not wanting to come here.

"He said he feels he made a mistake in sending those texts," Haslam said, via the Plain Dealer. "But it does not affect his standing with the club. I don't think Ray intended to gain an unfair advantage."

iin other words...

Farmer sends wife a text during any of the last 6 games...

"what is for dinner? This game is terrible- we suck"

Ok, I admit it....I just fell off the turnip wagon. What does your post mean?

Haslam also said that Farmer has learned from his mistake.

Have you ever made a mistake Vers?

Unless his wife was employed as a coach on the sidelines, I don't think that's what it means.

I will add that I am sick and tired of this piling on mentality and am happy that Haslam is sticking with Farmer.

I believe people can learn from mistakes. I also believe when you make mistakes, it takes a lot of time for people to see if you've actually learned from them or not.

It's something Haslam said as a PR statement, but let's face it, only time will tell whether that is true or not.

I'm not sure the point of your post. You are stating the obvious.

There are two choices here. Move on from Farmer and bring in the next guy. Or believe that Farmer can, has, or will continue to learn from his mistakes and let him finish the job he was hired to do.

Considering our history, I know which one I would like to see.

Yes, I have. However, I actually own up to my mistakes and vow not to repeat them.

Rish........I am NOT asking you to agree w/my takes, but your hostile attitude towards me and others who don't agree w/you is getting old.

Don't tell me what to think. I am NOT telling you what to think.

It's a freaking message board. It's about debate. Quit trying to stop debate. Make your point and move on w/out making everything so freaking personal.

My only point is that it's far too early to know whether Farmer has learned from his mistakes or not. He may or he may not but only time will answer that.

The hostile attitude comes from your constant badgering of posters who don't agree with you. In your eyes, your the only one allowed to say what's on your mind without demanding proof and if it's not from a court of law, then it's not a fact

There are only two choices? That is absurd. Aren't you the same guy who accused me of seeing everything in black and white?

Rish, there are hundreds of choices.

Thanks, love you too.

Awwww shucks, Luv ya to Bro. Your still a Browns Fan. All that matters

Do you want Farmer to call you personally? Maybe start a thread on the board owning up to his mistakes?



They're not hostile takes. If you are reading them that way, that's a you problem. I hardly use emoticons. I hardly use exclamation points. I hardly use all caps. Maybe your interpretation of my tone is the issue.



It's not personal. I don't know you. And this board is rarely about debate. It's mostly about airing grievances. See airing grievances is easy. Blaming people is easy. Demanding performance is easy. Expecting perfection is easy. Believing every word in every article is easy. Complain, complain, complain. I've made a conscious decision that I don't want to do that anymore.

Did you complain last year about the FO?

legit question:

how is it fair that an owner or GM can call his QB/coaching staff from the booth/suite to the sideline........ or walk around on the sideline

however... they can't text them?

is this a possible rule change? I mean... seriously?

They show replays on their Microsoft Surface pro notebooks during a game.

Who did Farmer text? My understanding is that Farmer texted someone team-related, but not the coaching staff. The intermediary then informed a coach or coaches...

Sure, he learned from his mistake. And it only cost us the best OC we've had since the return. And a draft pick. Though the way Farmer drafts, I'm not sure that will hurt us all that much. You know, if Farmer had hit it big in last years draft then this incident might not have been SUCH a big deal. But blowing the draft, then running off the best OC we've had in a LONG time to boot? Well, lets just say he better grow a brain and get over his idiotic hatred of the wide receiver position. And he BETTER find us a damned quarterback. Because if we go 7-9 or worse this season. And if our offense doesn't really SHINE this year? He needs to GO. FAST. He's reminding me of Phil Savage. A guy everyone loved, right up until the time he was run out of town for inept drafting and an arrogant nature. So Farmer better figure out a way to draft us a couple players in THIS first round that actually PLAY. That actualliy help the TEAM. Not just sit on the bench gathering splinters all year. And they better not be two more head cases. He drafted enough of those last year. He better find us a real threat at WR. Better yet, a COUPLE. And finding a servicable QB would be really nice right about now. Trade for one, draft one, sign one.... doesn't matter how he gets us one, just DO IT! If Johnny Hype is under center in September, this time next year we'll be talking about our new Head Caoch and new GM. And no, Hoyer isn't the answer either....

Norv was with the Vikings last year.

Would take chud, Norv and bruce over Shannanahan and Shannahan was a good OC

It has to do with not allowing information to be gained outside of the coaches ability to observe on the field or from within the stadium. Think of it as part of the game that that they have to play within the coaches ability to observe. That is the intention anyways.

To me a GM texting the staff leads to the question of why the hell are their cell phones even allowed on the field to begin with. Phones should all be banned PERIOD.

Then again I am old school. I don't think a coach should be allowed anywhere except on the sidelines of the field. If he can't observe things from there then he is just not a good enough coach IMHO.

I realize you are just being difficult, but what about Norv's offense did you prefer over Shanny's?

Did you prefer passing more or second most in the league and abandoning the run? Is that what it is?

Or, are you neglecting that we played most of this past season w/out 3 Pro Bowl players? How many teams go through that?

Did you really despise all the wide-open WRs and TEs this year?

I liked Norv, but man, the guy became so one dimensional. We had zero balance. I am not saying that he is a bad OC, because he isn't. However, I thought it was really evident how much better the play design and the play calling was this year.

I know you guys don't want to admit it because that would mean it would kill the argument that you are all standing by that the Brown's FO is perfect and the only problems w/the Browns are LaCanafora, Shanny, and the lasting evilness of Banner.

LOL..........y'all crack me up. Seriously. I repeat some of the things you guys say to other people and they don't even believe me.

whoa whoa whoa.



somebody on this board said our current FO was perfect? Link please.

I know you won't do it (either out of stubbornness or not knowing how), but go back and look at my comments on Banner (and Lombardi). Also, go back and look at who was defending the Shanahan hire last off-season.

Norv Turner is better than Kyle Shanahan. Kyle Shanahan is also good.

Shanny has prettier trees man. Prettier trees.

No offense .... but who did we have at RB in 2013? I mean, seriously. No balance? Of could we didn't have balance. Our best RB all year was Baker, and he did get some yards rushing at the end of the year.

We had such a great RB corps in 2013 that we dumped every one of them in 2014.

Sometimes it's scheme, and sometimes it's scheme plus talent on the field.

Good point.

We had McGhee, who would've been the perfect back for us.... Fiver years earlier.

We had oby who was decent but fumbled a lot
Fozzy showed potential.

Baker was the best, but we picked him up too late.

On top of our best option at QB was a third stringer who ended up tearing his acl.

A journey man in Campbell.

And weeden.

Excuse me while I cry myself to sleep.

That's the Cleveland Browns fan motto...

I wish they would hand out the punishment already so I know what's going before the draft.

look no offense,but dont you say that about the Browns every year."we are on the verge of something good"
I can't get excited about a defense that finished dead last vs the run and offense thats starting all over yet again. no you throw in questions at QB and WR.
I'm sorry I see another last place finish for the Browns.
I don't see the 3 other AFC Norths teams as dysfunctional as the Browns right now.
They have less questions and front office blunders than the Browns.