Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
A blowout loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. A GM being fired before the game even started. A head coach being shown the door soon after.
These were all things we expected from the Cleveland Browns today, and naturally, they all took place. So, since most fans knew these things were going to happen, the reaction was merely that of “same old Browns,” nothing much more than that. Nobody thought there’d be any more news which would make Cleveland look any more dysfunctional than it already is.
And then owner Jimmy Haslam held a press conference.
Well, first he released a letter through the Browns’ website vowing to get it right this time around. Said letter was sure to include a link to the team shop in case any fans were still jaded enough to buy jerseys after this season, but that’s neither here nor there.
However, feeling this written statement wasn’t enough to quell the concerns about this franchise which only knows disarray, Haslam invited a few beat writers to sit in on a conference so he could explain what the plan is now that Ray Farmer and Mike Pettine have been axed.
For anyone who was hoping that, after getting rid of his third regime since 2012, Haslam may have finally figured out how to drag this team off the ground, I have very bad news. Cleveland’s owner did indeed reveal his plan for how things will go from here on out, only it sounds asinine. Somehow, on a day when the Browns lost their 13th game of the year and fired another coach and GM, Haslam made things even worse.
Here’s a comprehensive look at how Cleveland will be running its upcoming coach and GM search. I would advise you provide your full attention, as it’s pretty easy to get confused.
Haslam has promoted Sashi Brown from executive vice president and general counsel to executive V.P. football operations. Brown has been in the league for a while, also working with the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, the majority of his time in the NFL has been as general counsel.
Keep that last fact in mind when you realize that Brown, not whoever becomes the new GM, will have final say on Cleveland’s roster. This includes the draft and free agency.
Yes, Haslam is entrusting the team lawyer with putting together a competitive roster.
If that was all we learned tonight, it would be quite a mess. However, it only gets better.
You see, the Browns are going to move forward with finding a coach before filling in the GM opening. Said coach will eventually have a say in who the team hires as GM.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because Cleveland did it in 2009 when hiring coach Eric Mangini. He handpicked his GM, George Kokinis, who lasted about eight weeks into the following season before being escorted out of the team facility by security.
So, yeah, it doesn’t sound like a successful way to do things, but what do I know?
In addition to all of this, Cleveland’s future GM will report directly to Brown (who, again, has never had much input in football operations outside of contracts). The new coach, however, will report directly to Haslam.
In conclusion, the Browns are letting their general counsel have the final say on the roster, will hire a coach first, and will then try to find a GM who will willingly accept the fact he will not have control of the roster, nor will he have even the slightest say in the coaching staff.
Wow. Just, wow.
As you can see, Haslam’s plan of attack sounds completely kooky. He’s letting someone with no GM experience put together a roster because he’s apparently an “analytics guy.” He’s telling any future GM candidates that said analytics guy will be their boss. At the same time, it certainly sounds like whoever takes the GM position will have minimal say in anything related to the team.
This, Browns fans, is how Haslam plans to fix the franchise. By giving non-football people the power to make football decisions. By putting the cart before the horse and hiring a coach first. By making the title “Cleveland GM” one of the most powerless positions in sports.
Personally, I was hoping we’d get a breather of at least a day or two after today’s loss and the ensuing firings before things got crazy again. Instead, we got about an hour and a half.
Haslam has a plan on how to eventually build the Browns into a contender, but at first glance it sure sounds like it’s only going to set them back further.
Casey Drottar is the Cleveland Beat Writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter or “Like” him on Facebook
