This is a saga haha ... Berry would be a good choice

I hope this all works out.

That Stefanski and whoever becomes the GM as well as the entire coaching staff all meet everyone's expectations.

For me I have reached a point that all that matters is how they play.

As I have said: I don't care if Paul Brown rises from the grave and leads the team. That they hire a HOF GM.

That according to all the draft experts that we win hands down in the draft. And we get the best free agents available.

Come September and the start of the regular season just win games. Win game one. And then stay above 500 and have a winning season.

No matter what takes place before then it doesn't mean all that much to me. Last season was a lesson learned.

It can all look great until you face another NFL team and it counts.

My feelings also.

Who knows what will happen. It could be a repeat of last year for all we know. I'm trying to have an I don't care attitude to any of the hirings. Win some friggin games. Your best point is win game ONE.

We could always have Jimmy take over like Jerry does in Dallas.

not sure why people think Berry would be a good choice. He was helping pick the players that lost 32 games

He didn't coach them though.

Don't get me wrong, I like to rag on Clueless as much as anybody. However, bringing back the right-hand personnel man from a 1-31 team to be the G.M. is a bit much. That would seriously be such a Browns thing to do.

Is the right hand man Paul DePodesta or Berry? I thought Sashi Brown was to blame? This is getting hard to follow.

Does anyone understand that we were trying to be bad in those years? We were trying to follow the astros / cubs model in Baseball.

The key word there is "helping."

It's not his fault that someone on the coaching side had little idea what he needed/wanted.

That's my biggest concern with taking time to get a GM. The longer it takes, the less time they have to get on the same page.

I feel like Berry is likely to stick to the processes and not go Lone Ranger/Full Dorse.

How well will we evaluate talent, that'll depend a lot on the scouts. I'm not sure what Berry would do there. I feel fairly confident he'd at least stick to the script, and a plan might actually get a chance.

I still have my doubts about it being a good plan, but they might actually follow one which would be a step in the right direction.

Haslam has already turned the Browns GM job into a circular firing squad. Now Jimmy just needs "a sucker" who is willing to sit in the middle of Haslam's management mess and take the bullets that are sure to come if the team doesn't win now.

Jimmy wants to be our GM, with everyone reporting to him

But, Jimmy already gave Depodesta more control over the roster to play his Moneyball game.
How much power will Depo have?..ANYONE KNOW?

GM candidates have to be asking themselves the same question.

Of course we don't know definitively, mac. Why don't you calm down and let this play out for a while...

How bad did the Moneyballers want to be?...

Did Haslam, Depodesta and Sashi expect to go 1-31 in 2016 and 2017?

I'm sorry, there is NO EXCUSE for winning only 1 game in two years.

Haslam, Depodesta and Sashi were not qualified to judge NFL talent and they didn't need some hairbrained plan to intentionally lose to gain draft capital...they were already the worst front office in the NFL, WITHOUT TRYING. They didn't need to intentionally

If you are a GM candidate and Haslam can't answer the question...HOW MUCH POWER WILL DEPODESTA HAVE?

...would you take the Browns GM job?

BTW, I'm calm and I will continue to speak out about the mess Jimmy Haslam is creating with this franchise. Some may not want to hear what I have to say, but I'm not the only one pointing out what a mess the Browns front office is in, under Haslam.

Modell moved the franchise, Lerner died, and Junior didn't care. At least Haslam cares and is trying to find solutions. Out of those 4, I guess I'd rather have Haslam.

Come on Mac ... going 1 - 31 was part of the plan ... ...

Hue secured us the 0-16 season and parade! We should all be thankful, Hue certainly is.

Would I take the job?

Yes, then I'd spend a hell of a lot of time with Depo trying to figure out all the things I didn't know that I didn't know. Stefanski, Wolf, Highsmith, and Callahan, too.

Jimmy likes being the owner just fine. He has no interest in being the GM. The GM works for him. I don't understand why the people that work for him reporting to him bothers you so much. To me, it'd be more strange if they didn't.

People assume the organization is a mess because the results have been bad. But is it the structure or the people? It seems like a lot of the problems come from people working outside of the structure: Football guys (AKA guys with big egos that happen to work in football who are unwilling to learn new things) going with their guts and ignoring voices of reason.

I feel like the bad results kind of led/lead to the organizational problems. People want to skip steps. Something doesn't work immediately, and they think they've got to do something else. Instead of doing what "we" are doing better, they throw the baby out with the bathwater, and typically end up doing something else (i.e, their own not so bright idea) worse.

There's plenty of blame to go around for 1-31. That was the worst 2 year stretch in NFL history.

Worst 2 year stretch ever-- worse than every other team that sacrificed in the short-term to gain assets (cap space, draft picks), worse than every team before there was even free agency to divvy up the talent across the league, worse than every expansion team, and so on.

And here's the thing. There are a lot of bad teams and poorly run organizations in this league. Always has been, and still are. So to stick out in that context is painstakingly bad.

Yeah, the talent wasn't good, still doesn't excuse going 0-16. Look at the over/unders before the season. You basically never see an over/under for a team at under 4.5 games. You're sure that the worst team in the league (as picked BEFORE the season) is going to win 4 games or less? Put your money on it it then. This year it would have been the Dolphins (who tanked harder and more blatantly than the Browns ever did), and you would have lost. Over/under was 4.5 wins and they finished with 5.

It's the NFL.. we have like 200+ college teams feeding 32 NFL teams. Even fringe players are actually really good football players. Couple that with the aforementioned incompetence in the league and you can win a couple games here and there even with shoddy talent and mediocre coaching (at least every other tanking, overmatched, and/or expansion team in the history of the league has been able to over a 2 year period.)

So you put all this together, and I just want nothing to do with the head coach, GM, and key assistants who put that mess together.

This shouldn't be that hard to understand. Although if there's any confusion, it's the convoluted and constantly changing front office setups the Browns have had. It's hard to figure out who was responsible for what, and when.

Exactly. We should have dumped Hue at the same time we let Sashi go. We needed to get rid of all the stench from that historic 1-31 run. I still can't believe there were people here who wanted to keep Hue around "to see what he could do with better players". Our team sorely lacked talent, but it wasn't the worst roster in NFL history. Sashi played a big part, but Hue coached them to that epic record.

There's a reality some may want to come to grips with.

It will never - NEVER - get better with Haslam as the owner.

And since Haslam will never not be the owner, there is no hope.

He still hasn't realized he's the problem. Most ego maniacs and narcissists don't.

Depo likes it because he has found the only owner in the NFL that will give him the kind of power he has. Are Depo's intentions good? I have no doubt. Should he have the kind of power he does? 100% no. But the Haslam Depo relationship allows both to live out their fantasies - one as a defacto GM of an NFL franchise and the other as a Jerry Jones-type owner. Haslam downplaying Depo's role is a self serving move. It allows him a public message of Depo as the advisor while the reality is it's the Haslam and Depo show.

I'm an "actions speak louder than words" guy. There have been no actions taken this offseason that indicate anything will be different moving forward.

You can bank on another double digit loss season next year.

You mean Hue splitting the tackles out wide only to bring them back to the line of scrimmage every snap didn't have you wanting more?

Can you imagine how confusing that was to the defense!? Better players could have really made something of that.

And while I'm at it, the Browns not landing Paton was a huge, and I mean HUGE, failure.

Him "backing out" tells you everything you need to know.

I would bet my life savings on he was ultimately uncomfortable with Haslam's and Depo's roles.

Why is Berry the front runner? Because he's comfortable with Haslam's and Depo's roles. Haslam, the con artist snake oil salesman, will pass it off as not being aligned - which is a fancy word that the candidate was not comfortable with his level of involvement.

But what would have been better for the Browns? What would happen if everyone involved put the Browns first and not their own personal desires? Paton would have been the choice. He is far and away a much better candidate than Berry.

So why on earth wouldn't the Browns do everything in their power to land Paton?

It's disgusting.

Yes ... It was all Hues fault .... ...

I think the QB room he entered that season with had as many wins after the season as they did before it started .... ...

Its not like having a QB is important ....

Hue was so bad with QBs, he made Kitchens look good for half a year.

His inability to adapt was... impressive.

Hue's offense kept expanding, but he never solidified the basics with his QBs. And it was always his offense, he never tried to adjust to the players in a noticeable way.

Sometimes, throwing a kid into the deep end results in them swimming. Hue throwing a rookie into the ocean that was his playbook never had a chance. Especially when the pieces around the QBs we're also constantly changing.

Adapting, building, and working are gonna be key for the whole organization.

What qb’s were those? ... ...

Any of them young studs still in football ...

U gotta love revisionist history ...

Maybe it just wasn't a fit.

Well .. Robert Griffin is with Baltimore.. Kessler is with the Patriots .. McCown was just in the Playoffs with the Eagles and played one of the gutsiest games ever, while injured .. and atm Tyrod Taylor may be the starter for the Chargers. So yes, some of the QBs are still in football.. where is the revisionist history ?

It wasn't. It didn't fit with Depo's and Haslam's vision.

Whose vision would you trust more? Paton or Depo and Haslam.

Just because it wasn't a good fit doesn't mean it was right or that a "good fit" will ensure success.

The fit that Haslam and Depo seek is flawed.

Berry as well as the "FRIEND" of Stefanski an assistant GM from the Vikings (don't remember his name nor the next guy) Also in the running is a highly regarded personnel guy from the Patriots.

I think one of the 3 will be our next GM and I'm thinking the "FRIEND" from the Vikings is the front runner.

Berry might be, hate to say this, but the token minority interview which I believe is necessary by the bylaws of the NFL.

But he was very capable when he was here and I'm sure he gained ample experience to be a GM seems also to be a guy not to be thirsting for POWER he will be the GM that we would ask him to be.

Make no mistake...most of the draft and personnel decisions are being lined up by Wolf and Alonzo the GM will be an added influence I'm sure but those two are running the Personnel show right now and traditionally changes are made by new people after the draft and FA period.

jmho

What I love is that Hubris wanted RG III. He was going to make him a star again - "the earth moved". I would venture to guess old Hubris put the biggest Kibosh on drafting a QB that year because of one RG III. He got his QB and we got 1-15 and some draft picks.

And yet the Browns made young rookies + 2nd and 3rd string QB's look like rock stars this year and lost to them. Coaching has nothing to do with that right?

Maybe, maybe not is the only reasonable answer. You don't know.

Actually having a running game and knowing what to do with it - We had a great running game but rarely did we make that our character so that teams would plan on stopping it. We had no flow and our play action sucked rarely did we have a WR wide open as I see all these QBs running the crap out of the ball and then doing play action! Only us grrr don't get me started lol

Oh, he knows!

Quick question Rish, since you're so well connected. Here's a short list of other teams from a quick internet search of franchises interviewing Patton the last couple years...

49ers
Colts
Dolphins
Jets
Chiefs
Rams
Giants

None of them hired him. Are all of these franchises corrupt as well?

Tab.

The Viking assistant GM George Paton, Stefanski's friend, backed out.

The two who are left that have been interviewed are:
Andrew Berry currently a assistant GM with the Eagles.

And Patriot college scouting director Monti Ossenfort.

That's just it. We do know.

Haslam is the common denominator. It was in the best interest of the team to hire people that answer to him but remove himself from influencing decisions. We've tried his way over and over again and we know the results. He still wants to try it his way because he wants influence over things he shouldn't have influence over. Depo has his ear, knows the way Haslam operates, and uses that to his advantage to get what he wants. And round and round we go.

The results will be predictable. As a fan, it's your right to put your head in the sand and hope for something different. It's definitely more enjoyable that way to have a little bit of hope. But Haslam is what he is and what he has repeatedly proven over and over and over again.

It will never change until he removes himself from the equation.

Feel free to put your head in the sand. I get it. As a fan it's more enjoyable that way to have blind hope. I don't blame you.

As for Paton, the Browns brought him in twice. He has a close relationship with the coach. Haslam has said that's what he wanted, a coach and GM in sync. Why on earth would he come in twice if he wasn't interested in the job? He was looking for certain things that would make it comfortable for him to take it. Why not give him those things? He checked all the boxes.

Maybe he just wanted a couple of free trips to Cleveland so he could go to B Spot.

Seems to discount the interview resulting in rejecting the club as well. I don't see it as a one-way street. If he likes where he is, say no. Either side or both sides may have said no, obviously had to have done so.

Just using the past results to dictate the future is too exclusive for me. Let this play out some more. I hope different parameters yield different results. It may not. I am relieved enough to be rid of Kitchens.

That's just it. It you believe in root cause analysis and you haven't eliminated the root cause why would you expect different results?

That's just wishful thinking and hope.

You manufacture conspiracy theory, I present facts.

My head is in the sand.

Got it.

Facts? That he interviewed for other jobs? Sure. Can you provide some more details of those interviews? Did he get to the finish line on each only to turn down the offers? Did he back out before they made a decision? Was he a leading candidate for any? Did he interview more than once? Did he have demands that wouldn't be met?

I don't know the answer to any of those questions. Would those answers potentially change my mind on what went down with Paton in Cleveland? Possibly.

Would any of it change my mind on where this team is headed with Haslam and Depo? Not for a second.

I thought that Paton turned down an interview with the Jets .... two different times.

Actually, I saw reports that he was completely fine with the structure, and that a ton of people thought this would finally be the job that he left Minnesota for, but that he decided to stay. He has turned most interviews down in the past.

Plus, he met with Minnesota after the 2nd interview. I'm assuming he got a raise as well

Ok, you guys win. Paton loves Minnesota and will never leave. He'll continue to take interviews for the frequent flier miles and the free meals. He's got quite the racket going. I hear they've saved up enough for that trip to Europe now!

He had no issue with the structure. He was completely content working with Haslam and Depo. Their track record of success would be hard to turn down for anyone. A lot of people banging on the doors of Berea for that chance.

Haslam got it right this time, whoever he hires. Because Haslam always gets it right and always gets his guy. Playoffs next year baby!

Stop rolling around and crapping your pants. Nobody said it was all Hue's fault. He just took them to the worst record in NFL history.

Maybe if Stefanski has some success (i.e. wins), MR. Haslam will back off and let things run differently. That is possible.

Maybe he'll finally realize that when he hires good people, and lets them do their jobs, he gets much, much smarter.

I don't believe that's what it says at all. I do however think it says a lot and not just about the Browns.

Paton, by your own list you compiled, is a very hot commodity. It seems several teams have at least considered him as their GM. Now what your list doesn't tell me is Which of those teams chose not to hire him and which of those teams he chose not to take the GM position with. Knowing that would either help bolster your point or undermine it depending on the outcome.

What we do know is that it was "his choice" to take his name off of our list of candidates. To me that simply means he didn't see the situation as one where he felt it would be a positive move for him. You don't come back for a second interview if you're not serious about taking the job.

All it tells us is when he finds the right option for him, where he thinks his odds of success are good, he'll rake it. He isn't giving all of these GM interviews because he doesn't want to be an NFL GM.

Now if you could provide us with the list of GM interviews he's taken where it was "his choice" not to take the job, that would be helpful. Otherwise we have no idea if it was his choice, or those teams choice to hire a different candidate. We know the answer to that one here.

Before Paton took his name off the list, he met with the Minnesota hierarchy and it is believed he received a raise.

I don't need to bolster any point bro. The laundry list of interviews just shows that he is only going to what he considers and ideal situation. He's not in a race to be a GM. He obviously is very well appreciated, compensated and comfortable in Minnesota.

My point is a simple rebuttal to the posters that have decided that it must be DePodesta's fault.

Paton doesn't sign - DePo's fault
McDaniels doesn't bring his circus to town - DePo's fault
Sun doesn't shine tomorrow in Cleveland - DePo's fault

Every thread, over and over, blah, blah, BLAH.

No one is saying, or at least I'm not saying, it is Depo's fault. He's just playing the game to get what he wants.

What I am saying is it IS Haslam's fault.

If your argument was to include all those Paton interviews as some bolster for Depo, then you missed the point completely.

I figured I missed the point lol.

I find it curious how you can draw such a conclusion having no idea of how many times it was the team he interviewed who decided not to hire him. We have no idea how many of those teams you listed chose someone else for the job.



i have no way to pinpoint what his decision was based on. But it's obvious that there was at least one element and maybe more he didn't find comfortable.

[quote
I find it curious how you can draw such a conclusion having no idea of how many times it was the team he interviewed who decided not to hire him. We have no idea how many of those teams you listed chose someone else for the job.][/quote]

And there is no way of telling if the guy would have even been good at the job. People are acting as if this was the only guy who would have done good here. For all we know he might just keep turning down jobs because he doesn't want the responsibility involved. Think about it, the actual GM would take the blame in Minny if the team fails. Maybe he is happy where he is at. Being comfortable at a job, is a great reason not to want to leave.

But I'm sure it's Haslam's fault.

Those remain good things. If the parameters change the way the root is addressed there is potential for variance. But saying it has always been thus and so makes it thus and so forever is the recipe for hope and such. You have not proven the future. I am okay with faith, and I have been wrong before.
I choose to live that way. Not sure what you get out of your approach. My beliefs are not subject to your poaching or belittling. Speak for yourself.

For starters Taylor wasn’t brought here by your hero ... ...

WOW ... impressive .... and i was talking about the 2nd QB room ... u know the names no sense me re-hashing them ... but lets look at your list ...

RG3 - back up who was out of football for a year ....

McCown - how many games was he healthy for ... what did he ate 2 0 3 3 whole starts that year ....

PS. If u want to bring that year in it would be very menZaesque cause then we get to talk about Jesus and a few others that should not be held against anyone but if u wanna play like u just did ... i can too ...

Kessler is with the Pats ... guess that’s checkmate ... ...

Kizer in the league also ... not sure if he’s second or third string behind that legend Nate Peterman i think his name is ...

Guess u schooled me ...

Dude ... u impress way to easily ...

Coaching has a lot to do with it ... IF U get something to work with .. based on your theory of it was the coaching with these dudes ...

Guess every coach that has had the BUMS your hero brought in to play for us all stink too ... lets see ... that makes ...

John Gruden and Mike McCarthy clueless since neither of them could turn Kizer around ... or is it the new packers HC that must stink ...

We’ll learn an awful lot about that Billicheck’s ability to coach based off how Cody blossoms ...

And lets see ... where did the BUM from Stanford start .... i believe it may have been under that ABYSMALLY NO NOTHING Andy Reid ...

U got me ... i leave with my tail between my legs ... ...

Crapping my pants ... ...

Y’all wanna pretend the crap he was given to work with had nutting to do with it ..

I’ll be crappin all over u and your revisionist history as long as u continue to look at only 1/2 the problem ...

Get used to it ... ...

Personally I think you are full of crap, but trying to leave personal out of the matter, you just don't know., and that's the reality, just like I don't know.

Keep rolling and crapping trying to put something into the story that isn't there. I absolutely said we had a roster that lacked talent and was glad Sashi was fired, but it took a "special" coach to get us to 1-31. I think you were one of those that wanted to keep the worst head coach in NFL history to see what he could do with better players. Now here's a spot for a rolling on the floor guy.

Damm straight i did ... i think everyone deserves a fair shot and if u think he had a fair shot the first two years all i can say is god bless u ...

I said before both those seasons started if u had Vince as HC ... Walsh & Billicheck as O & D coordinators you’d be lucky to win 3 games ...

And dawg ... i don’t read much ... the first post i read of yours in this thread wash your response to me ... .

Kevin Hogan got his start in KC because some BUM of a GM drafted him to the astonishment of the scouting department and coaching staff.

Given the power each then wielded, the stock criticism of Dorsey—that while he’s incredibly respected as an evaluator, he’s more scout than manager—was validated with a level of disorganization that was noticeable before the hyper-organized Ballard departed, and obvious after he left for Indy.

As one source explained it, “It wasn’t dysfunction so much as it was decisions were being made that seemed to come out of nowhere. So that existed, but the people here weren’t aware that ownership was aware of it. … You look back now, how it worked out, and ownership was more aware that it didn’t need to be run that way.”

There were also a few flash points to prove it out over the past 18 months:

• The selection of Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan in the fifth round of the 2016 draft. That move stunned scouts and coaches, based on the evaluation and meetings leading up to the draft. Hogan didn’t wind up making the team four months later, and started last season on the Browns’ practice squad.

https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/06/29/kansas-city-chiefs-john-dorsey-fired-nfl-notebook

Imagine watching the 2019 Dolphins with a worse roster winning 5 games and still thinking this....

All it took was Brian Flores (another DePo guy ), not Vince Lombardi and Bill Walsh, whom apparently would not have done better than the guy that jumped in the lake!

You always think I'm full of crap. That isn't anything new.

But I'll tell you what I do know. Haslam is one of the worst, if not the worst, owners in all of sports.

And his fingerprints are all over this structure, the hires, the "alignment".

That does not bring me comfort.

It sounds like the majority, especially those who favor a structure where Depo has power, are optimistic that it will work. Never mind that it has never been about analytics or Depo. Or non-analytics and Dorsey. It always has been and continues to be about Haslam.

Can't wait until Haslam asks Chad O'Shea on the practice field out of the blue what he thinks of the job Stefanski is doing. Good times.

Ryan Fitzpatrick vs Kizer. Kessler and Hogan ...

Devonte Parker vs Kenny Britt and Corey Coleman ...

Should i keep going ...

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz....

We should be hearing something fairly soon, right?

Should I assume whoever we hire has been attending the Senior Bowl?

Ryan Fitzpatrick? The Dolphins leading rusher!

Yes, keep going, it's a hoot.

Hat tip to Mr. Jackson

Actually I expect the GM decision will be announced or leaked today.

Bite your tongue

Thinking about Hue upsets my stomach and gives me spastic colon, too.

If Flores was our coach in 2016, we might have made the playoffs!

People always seem to forget we had McCown and Osweiler as well... and Hue CHOSE to go with Kizer against the recommendation of the front office.

That's very bad coaching, not bad GM'ing.

Why he didn't start all those great QB's over Kiser is amazing! That QB room sucked.

Because he's a bad coach. Were you not paying attention?

With a bad roster he had to work with. Until last year.

And the Dolphins roster is worse and they won 5 games this year. Pretty telling I'd say.

That is a subjective belief. But if you are asking me to stick up for Hue that's not going to happen. I'm not foolish enough to stick up for someone who sucked at the job they did. And you?

No. You won't see me sticking up for Hue.

I know I'd take either Fitz or Rosen over Kizer.

If those were the choices at hand, so would I.

That's not what I asked. But I can understand why you wouldn't want to address the actual question.

The #Browns have zeroed in on #Eagles VP of Football Operations Andrew Berry as their new GM, sources tell me and
@MikeGarafolo
. A deal should be done shortly.

https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1221845269358268417

Oh boy , are we excited now !

Getting the band back together!

Berry will control the 53 man roster, eh?

But I thought it was DePo that was controlling everything!

Here's to a great relationship between him and KS!

when thinking of hue ... i *LMAO* and wonder how we got here and why were talking about him ... *L* ...

Deshaun Kizer? ... Drake was a STUD with Zona after spending more than 1/2 the year with the fish .... him vs Crow who may also be out of football ...

U really wanna defend Kizer vs Fitz .... maybe u oughta quit while your behind ...

I agree. Just kiddie stuff.

We now have a new GN, EVP. Time to talk about him. I think we have a nice group in Berry, Stefanski, and Depo. All Ivy grads, all played college fooball.

They aren't just numbers guys as some think. They are also football guys.

Lol.

Yes ... depo and berry proved that in spades with their boy Sashi running things ... it was GOOD TIMES FOR SURE ...

Maybe with the talent KJ left they can get to 3 0r 4 wins a year ... WOOOOOOOHOOOOO ... i can’t wait for part 2 ...

I'm going to say this again...

From 2016-2017, we were trying to lose. I honestly think we were taking high risk / high reward picks to see if they paid off. ( Kizer / Coleman ).

We weren't picking players to be good in THAT year.

None of the picks really paid off AND we somehow found a way to go 1-31.

Kizer being a turnover machine and absolute garbage fire of a QB made that happen.

Based on what the mob is saying.......

I understand what you're saying, but I think if we were "trying to lose" then no one would have been fired.

Just wait buddy boy....keep the island stocked. It's going to be full.

Be heading there shortly my friend ...the isle will be ready ... were redecorating to Harvard Crimson ...

Maybe we need to have folks pass an IQ test to get off the dock?

You do? If it's beyond just me wanting to make a silly remark about 2 awful football rosters (QB rooms), then I'd love for you to fill me in on why I posted.

What are we arguing about, again?

I'm not arguing. I just asked a question I hoped you would answer.

I feel like I'm missing something. You asked who else would start from that QB room (Kizer vs Hogan vs Kessler(?)). We all agree that our QBs were awful. They were so bad, I would've taken either Dolphin QB...

I mean, I guess I would've started Kizer...? That's my answer as long as 'pack up and quit until next year' is completely off the table.

They were trying to lose. The problem is it was much more than Haslam expected and he caved to the pressure of making a change.

Then you won't have any of your buddies with you.

If Berry doesn't follow Depo's advice he's doomed.

Haslam got out of the roller coaster line when he saw the big hill. DePo grabbed him by the hand and got him back in line.

They weren't trying to lose. Losing was expected, however.

Semantics.

We agree. I just don't think trying to lose is the opposite of trying to win. We weren't doing either, we were just playing football for the future.

And the pressure came from Hue....the weak kink in the chain. Remember, you think Haslam is a complete boob. And remember that Jimmy hired Hue.


So there you go. You can't have it both ways my friend, and I do consider you a friend even if you have been acting irrational the last few months.


You are a fan, we tend to do that from time to time.

Have we hired Berry or not? I wish him well.

Win us some games.

Yes and Amen

We should revisit the "rational" discussion same time next year.

Come on, bro. Everyone knows that Kizer, Kessler, and Hogan went on to great things after they escaped the dreadful Hue Jackson.

Same goes for guys like Kenny Britt, Corey Coleman, and Ricardo Louis.

The analytics guys did a great job of drafting and bringing in free agents. All those guys are stars after getting away from Hue.

Damm bro .... that’d sure empty the place out with all the menZas on here ....

Is the dog OK bro? .... ...

I like your Colbert persona. Masterfully done.

I didn't know accuracy needed a persona.

linkage

With the Cleveland Browns hiring of Andrew Berry, Jimmy Haslam must change

Updated 9:53 AM; Today 6:00 AM
TOGETHER AGAIN

By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns now have a 32-year-old general manager and a 37-year-old coach.

That’s what I was thinking when the Browns announced the hiring of GM Andrew Berry, who now is to be aligned with Coach Kevin Stefanski.


I’m not going to make fun of analytics, “alignment” or any other Browns buzzwords under Chief Strategy office Paul DePodesta.

Will it work?

Probably not, if Owner Jimmy Halsam keeps acting like Owner Jimmy Haslam.

Berry/Stefanski is the fifth GM/coach combination put together by the Haslam family since buying the team in 2012.

Neither man has had experience in his current job.

So let’s admit mistakes will be made. Former GM John Dorsey made some big ones, and he is a veteran and respected NFL executive.

How did the Browns end up with these two bright but still very inexperienced guys in key positions?

Because Haslam continually firing people has made the job off-limits for some men who might otherwise be intrigued by a chance to turn around the Browns. I don’t know if Minnesota Assistant GM George Paton pulled out of consideration after his second interview because he wasn’t going to get the job . . . or he didn’t want it.


I do know the Browns are a hard sell to some family members of candidates when no coach or GM has even lasted three full seasons under Haslam. Furthermore, no coach or GM has left here after being fired by Haslam and been hired elsewhere to a comparable position.

You can argue that’s because Haslam hired the wrong people in the first place. In some cases, that has merit. Former head coach Freddie Kitchens is the latest example.

But this has to stop.

WHAT’S NEXT?

That brings us to Berry and Stefanski.

Berry has a good pedigree, having worked for the Colts and then was the No. 2 man behind Philadelphia GM Howie Roseman.

Berry was with the Browns from 2016 to 2018, but it’s hard to know how much influence he had in the major personnel decisions.

Former Colts executive Bill Polian has raved about Berry. DePodesta and Haslam were impressed with Berry when he worked under V.P. Sashi Brown.

But now, the drafts and free agent signings go next to his name – along with major input from Stefanski.

By stressing their age and inexperience, I’m not writing off the Stefanski/Berry combination.

I am underlining what should be obvious: These guys need and deserve patience.

So fans say, “So what if they get fired? They have 5-year contracts. They’ll get paid.”

Nearly all of these guys are multi-millionaires by the time they become GMs or head coaches for the first time. They like the money, but they love a chance to win.


TIME TO GO YOUNG?

Given the poor reputation of the Browns in the NFL, the idea of taking a shot with Stefanski and Berry makes some sense.

Granted, my policy is to give nearly anyone in a new job a fresh start and a fair chance.

It’s possible Berry is the next smart, savvy, young executive to take over an NFL team.

It’s possible Stefanski is the next Sean McDermott or Kyle Shanahan.

The odds are against it, but both young guys are anxious to prove they can succeed together and they avoid singing the Browns Blues.

But if they are to make beautiful football music together, they need an owner who will not only support them with resources and cash (as he usually does), but with a healthy dose of patience that lasts far more than the usual two years.

I agree, and as usual I think it will.

I was hopeful with Holmgren, until it was clear he just wanted the check.

I was hopeful with Petine...until he kept sticking with the goofy DC.

I was hopeful with Sashi and Hue, until it became apparent it was a toxic mix from the beginning. I leaned towards Sashi because I didn't like looking at Hue and him telling me to trust him. A perfect example of why alignment is important. Everybody on here leans one way or the other between those two. We were all wrong.

I thought Dorsey was finally the guy, until it was evident he doesn't know how to hire a football coach and couldn't listen to opposing views. His short pants and sweatshirts got a bit old too. Maybe it is just me, but I like people to look the part. A coach can get away with it to a degree. Not a senior executive. Dress up once in a while.

The way he dressed?

I had high hopes for all our hires. But it's easy to see why they were destined to fail.

I disagree with Pluto. Although he briefly touched on it, but Jimmy's problem isn't necessarily giving time to regimes he hires, it's hiring the "correct" regime to begin with... Jimmy has already changed based on his hires and this is the first time we've had everyone on the same page.

Giving them time will not be an issue for Jimmy.

I'm not sure if they are on the same page or not. It might be the first time they legitimately work to get on it. There was always lip service to team efforts, but lots of I drive the bus/I flexed comments that suggested otherwise. Don't get me started on the apparent Kitchens/Monken mess.

Here's hoping we get everybody rowing the boat the same direction. Stefanski's staying in Minnesota through multiple staffs indicates an ability to adapt and work with different people. People with different approaches on the front office side have had nothing but good things to say about Berry.

No guarantees on success, but I think they'll at least work together.

Using the word I saw in another post, his trajectory has not been good in that department. We have zero evidence to this point that you are correct.

Although very rare, I've been known to be wrong in the past.

Most of the time when I've been wrong is when I thought Haslam was going to stick to a plan.