Cribbs Down and Quinn Accused of Cheap Shot

There is no joy in Cleveland, the mighty Quinn has gone three and out; kick return man and wildcat Cribbs has gone down.

A fan at Cleveland Browns Stadium for the Monday Night debacle against the Ravens, held up a sign that said it all: “Hey, Baltimore, can you take this team, too?”

After suffering through another day of depression and frustration over the state of these Cleveland Browns’ pretenders, (remember, the Browns did not “come back” in 1999; late owner Al Lerner accepted a nameless, nearly talent-less expansion team and named it the Browns), Browns fans’ hope the end of the nine-game Coach Eric Mangini Era is near.

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Browns ’soul searching’ continues; GM Kokinis escorted out, Kosar could be in

Just hours after “soul-searching” about the fate of his Cleveland Browns, team owner Randy Lerner put his frustration to action with the removal of Browns General Manager George Kokinis, who was reportedly seen being escorted out of the Browns practice facility in Berea on Monday morning.

The Browns were not saying whether Kokinis resigned or was fired. However, late speculation from various media sources is, Kokinis was dismissed “with cause.”

The beleaguered — and largely absent — Kokinis, hired at the suggestion of Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini, seems to have been made the sacrificial lamb for the Browns 1-7 season, its anemic so-called offense, and the general frustration, malaise, and chaos that has been the Cleveland Browns organization since Mangini took the helm early this year.

As of Tuesday, Cleveland NBC affiliate, WKYC Channel 3 and the Lake County News-Herald have reported that Lerner has been speaking with former Browns GM Ernie Acorsi about the idea of possibly becoming the Browns next general manager with the purpose of grooming former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar for that role.

However, The Plain Dealer is reporting that Acorsi, is in retirement with no desire to go back to work.

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Browns owner Randy Lerner ’soul-searching’ for an answer to fix 1-7 Browns

Randy Lerner, owner of the Cleveland Browns, stood near the tunnel to the visiting team locker rooms at Soldier’s Field in Chicago Sunday — and by halftime appeared frustrated, angry and disheartened as the Browns fumbled and bumbled its way to a 30-6 embarrassing drubbing.

Lerner admitted to The Plain Dealer he was “sick” about the 1-7 Browns, the team which ranks at the bottom or very close in all aspects of play, including the offense, defense and special teams. And starting quarterback Derek Anderson had a quarterback rating of 0 at halftime, improving to 10 before the final whistle.

But “sick” as Lerner was, he also said he was not ready to fire head coach Eric Mangini — at least not during this Browns bye week.

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Brilliant Braylon for New York in Miami

Last week at this time wide receiver Braylon Edwards was lanquishing in Cleveland, waiting for a ball to come his way from a sputtering offense, while searching for nightlife downtown and throwing down with a Friend of LeBron.

On Monday Night Football in Miami, Jets v. Dolphins, Number 17 — wearing his new New York Jets uniform — was brilliant, showing off the moves, leaps and most importantly, the hands that Browns fans had not seen since 2007.

Edwards had five catches for 64 yards, one touchdown and another called back on a challenge with the ball placed on the one-yard line. The Jets scored on the very next play.

Despite the loss to Miami, New York fans were buzzing about the Mark Sanchez to Braylon Edwards connection.

Magical.

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Braylon Edwards’ Exit From Cleveland Five Years in the Making

Cleveland Browns contoversial wide receiver Braylon Edwards’ wildest dreams have come true. He is playing in New York, the city that never sleeps.

ESPN has reported, as chronicled just a bit ago by Jerod, that early this morning Cleveland Browns head coach Eric Mangini has traded Edwards to his old team, the Jets, just two days after Edwards was accused by a friend of LeBron James of cold-cocking him, resulting in a black eye and other bruises.

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Browns Lose Big, Mangini Loses Team?

Is it too late to give the Browns’ name, its colors, and history back to Baltimore?

When Art Modell sold the city of Cleveland down the river and moved the Browns to Baltimore, Clevelanders clamoured to keep the Browns’ name and create a new Browns out of…well, what would become a bunch of misfits led by poor schlep Chris Palmer in 1999.

After Sunday’s 34-3 humiliating annihilation at the hands of the former Browns, it is time to consider the 2009 Browns the latest group of misfits, and call the total new Browns a failed experiment.

But where to go from here?

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Eric Mangini Overseeing an Abysmal Mess in Cleveland

Okay, finally done with my so-called day job deadline so I can now truly reflect on the abysmal mess that head coach Eric Mangini has created with the once-proud Cleveland Browns.

Ironically, the imposters, the mismatched retreads, and rookies we call the New Browns are going to Baltimore to play The Real Browns, now called the Ravens.

But being from Cleveland, I’ll watch the game with my eyes partially closed, amidst the usual f-bombs, moans, screeches, and objects thrown.

To Jrod: Yeah, the first two weeks have flown by fast. Unfortunately, the season, after two games, seems on a runaway elevator catapulting down to the basement.

First and foremost: Mangini is a Madman, a paranoid schizophrenic who talked Randy Lerner into this gig.

It is like having your hometown ruled by a crazed dictator who charges players $1,700 for a failing to pay for a bottle of water; he talks a lot and says nothing, still refuses to discuss injuries, and totally f…ed up Brady Quinn by never naming him as starting QB (spies are out there, listening, ready to steal our playbooks.)

Moreover, he forced Quinn to change his stance and methodically check off, resulting in a QB who is caught holding the ball too long and getting sacked nine times so far.

Not only does Mangini demand the team march in lockstep, he has the players memorizing impossible schemes that won’t work because he allowed choice draft picks to be drafted so he could get twice as many has-beens, especially from his old team, the New York Jets who are all in hog heaven under the affable Rex Ryan.

I would name the ex-Jets has-beens who now wear Browns uniforms, but I just can’t remember their names.

Here is the reverse logic of Mangini’s Day at the Draft last April: I will let Mark Sanchez go; pass on Ray Maualuga and let him to haunt us from Cincy; I believe we also had a shot at getting Clay Mathews Jr. (his old man probably told the kid he was lucky not to be in Cleveland.)

First draft pick: Alex Mack, who sometimes has a hard time at center getting the football into Quinn’s hands instead of over his head or rolling on the turf. In the second round, rookie receivers Masaaquoi and Robiskie were chosen. But now Mangini doesn’t want to play them for some reason. Maybe they talked back to Coach, or worse, forgot to pay for a Pepsi — who knows?

About the only thing Brady Quinn has going for him is that Braylon Edwards is catching the ball again. (Although he will not fight for the ball, wrench it out of a defender’s arms, etc.)

Brian Dabold, the brand spanking new offensive coordinator has Brady Quinn posing like Tom Brady, calling signals as he lifts his foot, jerking his head right and left. Looks good until the snap goes awry.

As Quinn’s credence as a quarterback falls lower each day (at least on Cleveland sports radio), Quinn himself has to do something about it. Audiblize, do play action, run, something. Forget the meetingspeak crap and just try to win the game. (You’re gonna get yelled at on the sidelines, anyway, why not make it count?)

Bill Curry, former center for Johnny Unitas said that if a teammate ran the wrong route, he would order him out of the huddle and call for a replacement.

Football is different these days. It is rare for a QB to call his own plays. Quinn has got to step up and show he does have the cojones to risk an interception, to run out of the pocket, to dive for a first down, to change a play in the huddle.

Maybe the Browns won’t win the game Sunday (gee, you think?) but Quinn could orchestrate a few more first downs to give the defense time to catch its collective breath before facing Flacco and Co.

With so many things going against them — along with a continuous heap of bad luck — it is doubtful the Browns will contend any time soon. A 21-point underdog, this Sunday? That seems about right.

After two games and one offensive touchdown so far this season, the year 2007 — dubbed by local radio personalities as “The Season of Dreams” — is fading into obscurity. It seems, now, that the fabled 10-6 season was not a turn in the right direction. It was just a blip on 10 years of bad teams.

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* – Eric Mangini photo credit: The Cleveland Leader

Popular Hometown Hero Joe Jurevicius Released by Cleveland Browns

Keeping with their plan to purge the lifeblood of the Cleveland Browns, General Manager George Kokinis and Head Coach Eric Mangini have cut Cleveland-born wide receiver Joe Jurevicius.

The former Lake Catholic High School (Mentor, Ohio) star returned to Cleveland in 2006 to play out his career near family and friends following the tragic death of his infant son, Michael Joseph. Jurevicius pointed his finger to the sky whenever he scored a touchdown in honor of his son.

Jurevicius, 34, was one of the most prolific third down receivers in the NFL during the Browns 10-6 season of dreams in 2007, but a knee injury that year led to an infection and seven surgeries later, the wound finally healed. Jurevicius told the media his goal was to retire a Brown. He described ending his career by walking off of the field at Cleveland Browns Stadium, orange helmet in hand, his two young daughters by his side.

That is no longer possible thanks to the Mangini-Kokinis regime of stomping out anything orange and brown that is good.

As late as Dec. 18, Joe Jurevicius said, “I want to play here in Cleveland. If that doesn’t happen, then the show goes on the road. But I’m going to play football next year,” according to Tony Grossi of The Plain Dealer in today’s story about the Browns releasing Joe Jurevicius.

I will be rooting for Joe, a true team leader and class act, on whatever team lands him.

In announcing the fate of Jurevicius, George Kokinis used the usual managerial line that the two sides tried, but could not agree on terms of a new contract. But this was no multi-million dollar San Diego Chargers vs. L.T. deal.

Before Jurevicius’ contract was terminated on Wednesday, he was due to make $2.4 million in the final season of a four-year contract he signed in 2006. The Browns may have tried to bring him back at the NFL minimum salary of $845,000 for veterans of 10 or more years—the same concession made by offensive lineman Ryan Tucker, Grossi reported.

But of course this fact was neither confirmed nor denied by the Browns. If true, that kind of “offer” had to be an insult to a proud man who wanted to go out with style on his own terms.

Kokinis stated, “Joe’s done a lot. I know what he means to this team.”

Apparently not, A-hole.

In a statement issued by agent Mark Humenik, there was more than money involved in the Browns’ decision. Jurevicius’ statement said, “As a Cleveland native and lifelong Browns fan, I always hoped to finish my career in brown and orange with my family and friends in the stands, and was even willing to take a steep pay cut to keep that dream alive, which is why I have such a heavy heart today.”

Jurevicius, a Chardon native, said he will “forever cherish the three seasons that I spent here and will never forget the chills that I got whenever I stepped foot on the field on the shores of Lake Erie.”
He thanked Browns owner Randy Lerner, the coaching staff, the Browns organization and their fans “for the overwhelming support … especially the past 14 months.” Joe Jurevicius caught six touchdown passes during his time with the Browns. He says his knee now feels well enough that he hopes to play somewhere next season.

“I know there is still plenty of good football left in me, so please don’t throw any dog biscuits my way when I return to Cleveland Stadium,” he said.

My guess is, when Jurevicius plays for an opposing team at the stadium, loyal Browns fans will give Joe a standing O – and deservedly so. Jurevicius missed all of last season after a staph infection set in following a routine knee procedure in January. Complications required a total of seven surgical procedures, ravaging the knee. But after the last one, which he had done by the prestigious Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., Jurevicius was heartened that he would be able to play another season.

The Browns have tried to underplay the team’s staph infection problems. Apparently, the new treatment plan under Mangini consists of ridding the team of staph by getting rid of the infected players. Yeah, that will work. Get rid of the patients and the problem disappears.

Browns tight-end Kellen Winslow was recently dealt to Tampa Bay for a second and fifth draft picks. Winslow was hospitalized in 2008, missing several games, purportedly after his third staph infection.
He was suspended for one game after calling out former General Manager Phil Savage for trying to cover-up the problem by telling Winslow to keep silent about what was reported an “undisclosed illness.”

But it was Jurevicius’ support for the Savage-Romeo Crennel regime in December that may have sealed the wide receiver’s fate under the Mangini regime. Jurevicius blamed the Browns 4-12 season in 2008 to injuries and player immaturity, appealing to Browns owner Randy Lerner to stay the course.

A fan favorite, Joe Jurevicius played in three Super Bowls with three different teams in his career before signing with the Browns in 2006. In that off-season, he joined local products LeCharles Bentley and Bob Hallen, both centers, and punter Dave Zastudil, in using free agency to return home to play.
Three years later, only Zastudil remains. Bentley left Cleveland a bitter man after a staph infection contracted while with the Browns destroyed his football playing days.

More bad news: The Browns intend to pay a $5 million roster bonus owed quarterback Derek Anderson. The bonus is guaranteed so the Browns had no choice. Rumors have swirled around the league that the Browns were trying to trade Anderson, but no one took the bait.

If the 2009 season turns out to be another quarterback competition between Anderson and Brady Quinn, the Browns will have taken a giant step backward, further into NFL mediocrity and deeper into oblivion.

The only upside of this Nomangenius regime’s latest move is Jurevicius winds up on a team that respects his talent.

Go, Joe! Godspeed.

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Top picture of Joe Jurevicius photo credit: John Kuntz / The Plain Dealer

Second picture of Joe Jurevicius photo credit: Joshua Gunter / The Plain Dealer

A Look at the Kellen Winslow Trade From the Perspective of K2 and the Browns

The Browns stuck with their 2004 Number One draft pick Kellen Winslow Jr. after losing his entire rookie year to a broken leg on the football field, after suffering injuries from flipping over a motorcycle, and even after confronting former General Manager Phil Savage last season for disguising Winslow’s staph infection as an “undisclosed illness”.

However, the Winslow era has ended today with the announcement of the high-profile player’s trade to Tampa Bay for undisclosed draft picks. I will miss Winslow’s intensity, his passion for the game, his toughness to play through injuries, and his ability to catch passes amidst defenders ready to lay him out. I will also miss his leadership qualities, his calm in the midst of storms, and his tears of joy while describing sweet wins in Cleveland. Number 80, a fan favorite, will be missed.

However, Winslow is probably more than satisfied with the trade. He will not only get to practice and play in the warm climates of Florida, but he won’t have to suffer through the aches and pains of being tackled on the frozen tundra of Cleveland Browns Stadium, or fight off frost bite from the whipping winds coming off of Lake Erie.

In one way, it is not surprising Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini pulled the trigger on the trade. After the Shaun Rogers fiasco, Mangini is probably ridding the team of another outspoken leader. Winslow has proven his fearlessness in taking on a general manager – much less a new head coach. Mangini knows that with Winslow gone, there is one less malcontent in the locker room. The Winslow trade takes Mangini closer to controlling the team, to making the Browns march in lockstep with him. General Manager George Kokinis said in a prepared statement, “…the draft picks we obtained through this deal will give us greater flexibility as we look to infuse more talent and create competition and depth on this football team.”

Before the trade, the Browns were without picks in the third, fifth and seventh rounds, reported Tony Gross of The Plain Dealer. Winslow and the Browns had numerous differences in their five seasons together. In only his second game as a pro, Winslow broke his leg and dislocated an ankle while trying to recover an onside kick. He missed the remainder of his rookie season. The following May, Winslow was practicing tricks on a high-powered motorcycle and suffered severe injuries to his right knee. Later, a staph infection set in after one surgery and resulted in complications that plague him to this day.

Winslow has had a surgical procedure on the knee every year since. Last season, Winslow sparred with Savage over issues related to an “undisclosed illness” that caused Winslow to be hospitalized. Winslow later said he was hospitalized for another staph infection and blasted the club for trying to keep it secret. The Browns initially suspended Winslow for one game, but then rescinded the suspension after lawyers got involved and Winslow’s PR representative disclosed emails from a club employee, reminding Winslow not to talk to the press. Savage was fired after the season. The club employee left recently after receiving a 30-day notice of a layoff.

And now Winslow is gone.

Who will be next?

Mangini Acts Like a Mini-Belichick to a Miffed Shaun Rogers

Here we go, again, as another Cleveland Browns drama unfolds in the recurring soap opera, “As Brownstown Turns”, subtitled, “The Young and Angry.”

After just six weeks, new Cleveland Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini is acting like a meanie, mini-Bill Belichick – or to be more accurate, like the young and inexperienced Belichick of 15 years ago when as the new sheriff, he arrived in town massaging a massive ego, but lacking the cajones to back it up.

As explained on MSF earlier today, Browns defensive nose tackle Shaun Rogers is so “disenchanted” with Mangini, that he would rather give up a $6 million option-bonus payment from the Browns due him next month, and be released – despite still being owed another $15 million in guaranteed money. This, according to Adam Schecter of NFL.com.

It seems Mangini failed to acknowledge Rogers at the Browns training facility in Berea, and at a sports banquet in Cleveland, honoring Northeast Ohio’s high school and other athletes.

Neither spoke to one another, according to several sources. In fact, the Browns Big Man and Mangini ignored each other while both sat in the small Green Room while waiting to be presented on stage. Both men have huge egos and neither would blink first – or make eye contact.

When asked about it afterward, Mangini told reporters, “Gee, I didn’t even know (Rogers) was there.” Lame, Eric; very lame. Rogers is about 6’7, goes well over 300 lbs. — the proverbial elephant in the living room.

Mangini, as essentially Rogers’ boss, should have been the bigger man and offered his hand. Why didn’t he? Only Mangini, who seems to have acted in similar fashion with the New York Jets, can answer that. But if this major slight toward the Browns best defensive player is an instance of proving Mangini is the man in charge, it will backfire as surely as Belichick’s first stint as an NFL head coach with the Browns.

Cleveland is not New York or Boston. Cleveland sports fans tend to have small town values and want their coaches and players to be hard-working but friendly, professional but polite.

Mangini comes off as arrogant as his mentor turned nemesis Belichick.

From day one in Cleveland, Belichick managed to piss off the Browns players with his motivational words of wisdom: “Don’t f**k this up for me.” He turned off the media by being secretive about the most mundane moves, and when pushed, issued curt one-liners with zero information.

Belichick caused a firestorm among Cleveland fans when he released the most popular Browns football player since Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown: Quarterback Bernie Kosar.

Belichick’s reason? “Diminishing skills,” he said. But the way the Kosar firing was handled showed complete disrespect for a man who is still beloved and admired by Browns fans today.

To this day, Kosar refuses to confirm the rumor that he punched Belichick during a skirmish in the Browns tunnel one Sunday – and Belichick ain’t talking.

Belichick got a taste of his own medicine when former Browns owner Art (the most hated man in Cleveland) Modell moved the team to Baltimore in 1994 and told his head coach not to bother packing for the trip.
Mangini, a disciple from the Belichick tree, was hired by Browns owner Randy Lerner to instill discipline in a Browns team known for being coddled by former Head Coach Romeo Crennel who referred to his players as “kids.”

Determined to change the Browns training culture from the no hitting allowed, running around barefoot, boy scout camp of last year into one with disciplined, hard-hitting, fighting machines, Mangini played the I’m in charge card from the start, and pissed off the Browns best defensive player.

The Browns organization issued a press release, stating that Rogers never asked the team for his release.

Nor do the Browns plan to let Rogers go since the organization would have to not only lose a thorn in the side of opposing quarterbacks, but have to count more than $9.7 million earmarked for Rogers against the salary cap.

Money talks and apparently trumps egos since, according to the Browns, Mangini is optimistic that he can change Rogers’ mind once the two men speak. Mangini is said to have recently reached out to Rogers.

Stay tuned to “As Brownstown Turns” to discover whether Rogers accepts Mangini’s olive branch and plays hard again this year.

With Randy Lerner in absentia, following his Astin-Villa futbol (soccer) club’s progress in England, and good ol’boys Mangini and his buddy George Kokinis in charge of signing and drafting new players, 2009 appears to be another season of the lunatics – albeit a different kind – running the asylum.

Indians to finish third in AL Central? Say it ain’t so

It happens every Spring – or at least in February when the Cleveland winter snow turns to slush. That’s when hearts and minds turn to baseball, and hope springs eternal from each fan who believes his or her team will win the World Series.

For the first time in 15 years, the Tribe returns to Arizona, this time setting up camp in Goodyear. Indians pitchers and catchers report on Thursday, joined by the hitters on Feb. 18. The first Cactus League game opens on Feb. 25.

Despite Travis Hafner’s mysterious shoulder ailment and current condition, and the big empty locker that was C.C. Sabathia’s, Cleveland Indians baseball fans are counting on pitcher Cliff Lee to win another 22 and hope to heck the Tribe has another long streak similar to the hitting that came after Sabathia was already dealt to Milwaukee. This season, of course, the big man will be in an evil pinstripes uniform.

But even before the first pitch is thrown, Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer’s Indians beat writer, has declared the Tribe is the third best in the AL Central.

Odd-numbered years have proven to be good years for the Indians since the 21st century – but not this year, writes Hoynes. The Indians won 93 games in 2005 and 96 in 2007 before losing a 3-1 lead to Boston in the ALCS. (But Cleveland won the World Series in 1920 and 1948, the pennant in 1954, only to collapse in four straight to the San Francisco Giants.)

Unfortunately, Hoynsie picks the Minnesota Twins to take the division and Chicago White Sox to come in second place (sorry JRod).

Maybe Cleveland would have a chance for a ring if owner Larry Dolan didn’t order his henchman General Manager Mark Shapiro to trade away our best players for stars of the future. This includes Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Bartolo Colon, Sabathia, Casey Blake, Rocky Colavito –(whoops, going back a bit too far).

But that has always been the Indians’ modus operandi — trade the best guys for prospects of the future.

Memo to Dolan: When does the future ever become the present? The future is now.

Shapiro hardly creates any excitement with his typical assessment of the upcoming season: “It’s a winnable division for all five teams.” Very awe-inspiring, Mark. You don’t have to stick your neck out or anything or show any fan loyalty.

Here is Hoynes’ take for the AL Central: Minnesota first, Chicago, second: The Twins catcher Joe Mauer won his second league batting title in the last four years. Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera led the league in homers. Kansas City shortstop Mike Aviles led all AL rookies in batting average. The only thing that derailed the AL MVP run of Chicago’s Carlos Quentin was a broken hand late in the season.

There are two major flaws in Hoynes’ assessment.

One, the Minnesota Twins usually peter out early in the season and rarely ever rise to its early expectations.

And two, although the White Sox know how to start and sometimes how to finish, the team lacks consistent hitting and pitching. No, this is not the White Sox year.

I predict a fast and furious finish to the final out between the White Sox and Indians, with Indians’ two-time Cy Young winner coming through and leaving the mound with a W and the Tribe on top of the AL Central by one game.

Hoynes has his own reasons, listing the teams in order of finish: Minnesota, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and Kansas City. Follow the link to read his full preseason prospectus for the AL Central.

Browns Banter: Mini-era of Mangini Disappointing, Disheartening

In the aftermath of the Super Bowl, there is no joy in Cleveland.

But new Browns Coach Eric Mangini has said little for fans to rejoice about, done nothing to restore hope that the 2009 Cleveland Browns will be competitive.

Mangini’s weekly “press conferences” have left a lot to be desired.

After Browns fans and sports talk show hosts were critical of Mangini white-washing over a mural of Browns Hall of Famers at the team training facility in Berea, Mangini held a meeting with the media on Thursday to clear things up.

He denied the move was used to dis Browns greats such as Jim Brown, Paul Warfield, Leroy Kelly, Otto Graham, etc., or send a message to the current players. Rather, he was simply giving the building a “new look.”

The Browns organization plans to put the removable mural in a more prominent place for fans. That’s all.

We want the fans to appreciate the mural, too, he said.

Good answer, Eric! I wonder why it took you more than a week to address these concerns. Is it because you only just thought up the perfect answer? Whatever. He is sticking to his story.

But maybe Coach Mangini has been too busy scouting for talent – and firing the scouts that have already done the bulk of the legwork and paperwork for the upcoming football season.  The latest Browns employees to get pink slips were Midwest scout Kevin Kelly and national scout Daniel Jeremiah.

Kelly, the longest-tenured scout in the organization with eight years on the job, was told at a personnel meeting this past week that his services were no longer needed, according to The Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot.  The Super Scout was responsible for convincing Josh Cribbs to market himself as a returner or receiver – rather than a quarterback – Cribbs’ position at Kent State University.  Kelly also pointed Cribbs in the direction of the Browns as an undrafted free agent, rather than sign with his hometown team, the Washington Redskins.

Forget about the so-called psychic scouting ability of former Browns General Manager Phil Savage. Kelly was the first to spot Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas, 2007 Pro Bowl receiver Braylon Edwards and quarterback Brady Quinn.  And over Kelly’s eight seasons with the Browns, seven of his undrafted free agents, made the roster.

Both Kelly and Jeremiah, who spent two years with the Browns, toiled and traveled endlessly this past year preparing for the NFL draft in April, compiling extensive reports on hundreds of draft-eligible players, Cabot wrote.

Does this mean Mangini can’t use the ex-scouts reports? Or did he order the men to leave their reports behind, thus having the extensive information at his fingertips for no extra dollars.

I suspect we’ll soon hear of Kelly reporting to the Baltimore Ravens.

Speaking of those pesky Ratbirds, with defensive maniac and kingpin Ray Lewis refusing to accept a “home town discount”, he is sure to go into free agency for the upcoming season.  Browns owner Randy Lerner needs to keep his eye on this defensive stud and team leader and dangle some bling – and bucks – before him.

Mangini claims to love the Cleveland Browns, to understand the rivalry and the Browns fans — but some critics worry Mangini’s ego may get in the way of sound decision-making.

At least he probably won’t allow Braylon Edwards to run around barefoot at practice, anymore.

While NFL reports the Browns are shopping quarterback Derek Anderson, Mangini refuses to comment on any personnel changes.

I just hope Mangini likes Brady Quinn more than Brett Favre, and Quinn gets finally get his chance to lead his team down the field – and even into the long-deserted Red Zone for an offensive score.

Go, Browns!

Browns Banter: Mangini to Bring Belichickian Level of Secrecy to Berea – And Hopefully Wins Too

Wow! What a surprise!

You mean, George Kokinis will be the Browns general manager!?

I think it is safe to say that the Eric Mangini Era will be a bit Belichick-esque in keeping secrets from the local media.

Although Cleveland sportswriters and radio sportstalk jocks reported a couple of weeks ago that Kokinis was the man, and then predicted a formal announcement would come after Baltimore was knocked out of the play-offs last week, the Browns organization (which consists of absentee owner Randy Lerner and Top Man in Berea Eric Mangini) — refused to confirm.

On Friday Mangini was slated to be interviewed by WKNR AM-850 Sports Director Mark Bishop. But Mangini’s people called the station to beg off, stating that on Monday Coach Mangini would have more to say.

But in a move that seemed to thumb its nose at the Cleveland sports media, Cleveland Browns fans read about the Kokinis hire on the crawler lines flashing across the bottom of the television screen on ESPN’s NFL show.

The formal announcement is expected Monday, but the fact that the news was leaked nationally first appears to be a statement to the local media from Mangini: “Don’t ask. I will tell you guys something on a need to know basis. When I am good and ready.”

In the meantime, The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Terry Pluto has said Cleveland Browns fans are begging them for news of the new regime.

So far, it seems as if Mangini, like Belichick, wants to control the information.

As a reporter trying to do his job, I am angry at the slap in the face. But as a Browns fan, I really don’t care what Mangini and Kokinis do behind closed doors and in closed practice sessions — as long as the Browns win — a lot.

Last year, thousands of Browns fans went to open practices at the Berea facility. Vendors set up shop on the far side of the field, selling Slushies and ice cream, Browns shirts and parphernalia. There was even a bleacher section set up along the sidelines to watch the first and second teams practice to classic rock music piped out from the locker room.

Fans got to see the players in shorts doing simple pass, catch, run drills without any tackling. Afterward, kids and some adults lined up for autographs.

Six weeks later, the Browns would start the season after a 0-4 pre-season record and quarterback Derek Anderson recovering from a concussion.

The Browns 4-12 season, without an offensive touchdown in the final six games, made more than a few fans wonder if the team should have been a tad more prepared, perhaps practiced harder for the debacle that was the 2008 season.

Former Head Coach Romeo Crennel was always polite to the press, dignified and honest in his comments and always had his players’ backs.

As far as I’m concerned Mangini can be the biggest a–hole ever to the media, could be a despised prick to his players.

As long as the Browns are contenders in 2009.

Those of us living in Brownstown are not desperate for information and availablility.

We are desperate for wins.

Go, Browns!

Browns Banter: Mangini Paints Over Browns Legend Mural While We Await Official Word on Kokinis

Cleveland Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini allegedly conspired to deface a depiction of the Browns proud tradition by ordering a mural of Hall of Famers painted over, thus driving a stake through the heart of true Browns fans.

The mural, located inside the team practice facility in Berea, featured Browns members voted into the Football Hall of Fame in Canton including: running backs Jim Brown, Leroy Kelley and Marion Motley; quarterback Otto Graham; and wide receivers Ozzie Newsome, Paul Warfield and” Glue Fingers” Dante Lavelli, who died earlier this week at the age of 85.

As a second-generation Browns fan, I’m glad I was not ordered to smack a paint brush over the face of Jim Brown. I could not have done it.

“I guess Coach Mangini just didn’t like the way the wall looked,” said Patrick McMannamon, beat reporter for the Akron Beacon-Journal, who wrote about the whitewash for ohio.com. On Friday, McMannamon told Tony Rizzo, host of “The Really Big Show”, WKNR AM-850 that he noticed the new paint job earlier this week.

There must be a reasonable explanation, Rizzo opined. (Besides Mangini showing a latent interest in interior decorating, that is.)

A media source close to the Browns organization confirmed it.

Mangini feels the Browns are not living up to its tradition and wants to start anew, the source said.
Since “coming back” in 1999, the Browns have lacked its own unique identity. Browns gear and clothing are embossed with the Brownie sprite logo reminiscent of its heyday in the 1950s and ‘60s, to the Kardiac Kids moniker orchestrated by quarterback Brian Sipe in 1980 to the “Big Dawg” mascot inspired by defensive linebackers such as Frank Minnifield and Hanford Dixon in the late 1980s to early ‘90s in the Bernie Kosar era.

The solid orange helmet – the only lid in the NFL minus a team logo – has been the most outward symbol of the no-frills, just-football philosophy since the Browns joined the NFL in 1950.
The Browns have struggled with its wardrobe, from the traditional all-white uniforms at home and the brown jerseys away, to the garish orange jerseys and the god-awful skin-tight black pants, abandoned after wearing only once in 2007 after a loss. (It looks as if the Browns donated those black tights to the Baltimore Ravens, who had quite a run in those pants before getting tripped up by Pittsburgh in the AFC championship game, Jan. 17.)

Local sportswriters and broadcasters have been critical of Browns owner Randy Lerner for failing to establish a Browns culture from the top down. Lerner, an oft-absent owner who inherited the team from his father, Al Lerner, is a successful businessman with offices in New York and a pad in London to keep his eye on his Aston-Villa futbol club.

Some say Lerner should be in Berea, sleeves rolled up and nose in college rosters. But Lerner is no Jerry Jones. He hires the head coach and general manager – then hands over the reins.

While Mangini has begun to erase the old, he is also setting the stage for a new era under Brady Quinn who holds the fate of Mangini and the Browns in his hands. Let’s hope Quinn will play better than Mangini’s last quarterback for the New York Jets — Brett Farve, who ended a promising season in injury and interceptions.
I
f not, Mangini could be out of the door, Quinn on the trading block and Browns fans facing yet another cold and grey winter.

Kokinis, MIA?

While the Cleveland media has promised the announcement of George Kokinis as general manager, as of Friday afternoon no word had come from the Browns. Kokinis, a personal friend of Mangini’s, has already been spotted in Berea, hanging out with Eric at the Browns headquarters, despite still being formally employed by the Baltimore Ratbirds.

After Pittsburgh beat Baltimore in last week’s AFC championship game, (stop gloating, Mr. MNRC), Kokinis wasted little time cleaning out his desk and heading to Cleveland, according to The Plain Dealer’s Tony Gross.

Mangini added five assistants, four of whom were also on the New York Jets staff for three years. The new hires are Bryan Cox (defensive line), Jerome Henderson (defensive backs), Andy Dickerson (defensive quality control) and Rick Lyle (assistant strength and conditioning).

The fifth coach, quarterbacks coach Carl Smith, actually first showed to coach the quarterbacks under former Head Coach Butch Davis from 2001-03. Smith left the Browns in 2004 to join Pete Carroll’s powerhouse at Southern California as quarterbacks coach. The past two seasons Smith was offensive coordinator at Jacksonville.

“These men are outstanding teachers and their energy and expertise will have an immediate impact on our team,” Mangini said in a press release.

Cox, a 12-year NFL linebacker, joined Mangini’s Jets in 2006, while Henderson, who played eight years in the NFL as a defensive back, joined the Jets in 2006 as director of player development, and moved into coaching the following year.

Dickerson began with New England in 2004 and then followed Mangini to the Jets in ‘06.

Lyle, one of coach Bill Belichick’s favorite players with three teams (Cleveland, Jets and New England), also followed Mangini to New York in ‘06, according to The Plaind Dealer. He doubled as the team’s nutrition coordinator.

These additions raised to eight the number of assistants hired by Mangini. He previously named his coordinators, Brian Daboll (offense), Rob Ryan (defense) and Brad Seely (special teams).

Vacancies remain at linebacker, offensive line, receiver, running back, tight end and perhaps a few more quality control positions.

No word yet whether Mangini has called for more painters.

Browns Banter: Horrible Weekend Ahead and Lerner Continues Pursuit of Kokinis

While Browns owner Randy Lerner frantically searches for a general manager for his rumpled, crumpled Cleveland team, the idea has not been lost on him that the team’s major rivals are fighting for a shot at the Super Bowl.

Another un-Pleasant Allegheny Valley Sunday in Pittsburgh., Pa., the land of the coal black and gold.

For Browns fans, it is another Sunday of holding our noses while watching the Pittsburgh Steelers and Benedict Arnold/Art Modell’s Baltimore Ratbirds go to war. The winner of the defensive battle will face off against the victor in the Philadelphia Eagles vs. the Arizona Cardinals for the chance to play in the Super Bowl, Sunday, Feb. 1 in Tampa, Fla.

With the Browns last championship season in 1964, beating the Baltimore Colts, 27-0, Cleveland has never even set foot upon the hallowed ground of the biggest sporting match of the year.

Once again, choosing the lesser of two evil empires, I will be rooting for Piss-burgh while I wipe tears away with my own terrible towel. I don’t want to remind folks again that Art Modell, the most hated man in Cleveland, sold millions of loyal fans out by moving the Browns to Baltimore in 1995. So really it should be Browns vs. Steelers on Sunday.

That’s why I nearly choked on breakfast the other day while listening to ESPN’s Mike and Mike in the Morning show. Guest sports analyst Mel Kiper Jr., a Baltimore shill, extolled the virtues of Joe Flacco’s big arm and the grand schemes coming from Coach John Harbaugh’s big head.

Then Kiper decided to rewrite history.

“Baltimore has the greatest fans in the world,” Kuiper crowed. “For 13 years Baltimore kept getting passed over by the NFL while other teams were granted permission for expansion teams.

“Finally, Art Modell arrived in Baltimore and gave us our team.”

No, Mel. Actually Modell gave you our team, the Browns, and simply renamed them after the black bird in the Edgar Allen Poe poem.

In the early 1980s, Baltimore fans were rightfully upset when Robert Irsay and his Mayflower moving vans left Baltimore in the middle of night and dumped the Colts cargo in Indianapolis.

Despite having their guts and hearts pulled out by Irsay and Indianapolis, Baltimore accepted the stolen goods that represented the proud franchise of the Cleveland Browns, and never looked back.

Modell got his 30 pieces of silver, a new stadium, the love and adoration from fans that he craved – and a Super Bowl ring.

Here is hoping Ben Roethlisberger has the greatest game of his life.

Lerner might not even watch the game. He will probably still be trying to nail down a general manager.

Lerner moved fast in hiring Eric Mangini to replace Romeo Crennel as the Browns head coach.

And while The Plain Dealer has reported Lerner is still interested in Baltimore pro personnel director George Kokinis to replace fired GM Phil Savage, Kokinis is not showing his cards.

It also comes to no surprise that Scott Pioli, Lerner’s first choice for GM, took the Kansas City Chiefs job. The Achilles heal of the Pioli hire was that he would insist on making Kirk Ferentz his head coach. The Cleveland media ran with that, but no one actually bothered checking the rumor out.

Now we hear that Ferentz has no desire to coach in the NFL, and he will stay put in Iowa, thank you.

So Cleveland would not have had to take a college coach with the deal, after all. But no way was Pioli going to work in the same city as Mangini, a former buddy who uncovered Spygate, tattling on Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick and by association, top man Pioli. While Mangini may have taken some satisfaction in watching Belichick’s non-apology, he ended up losing very powerful friends in New England.

The word was, others on Lerner’s GM short list, such as the Atlanta Falcons’ Rich McKay and Eagles’ Tom Heckert, dropped out of contention after Mangini was hired.

Former Denver Broncos general manager Ted Sundquist has reached out to the Browns about interviewing for the general manager position, but as of Thursday, no interviews had been scheduled, according to The Plain Dealer..

If I was Lerner, I’d forget about watching the game on Sunday. I’d be on the phone finding someone to come to Cleveland and help make this the winning franchise it once was.

Who knows, may some Sunday in January of 2111 (I mean 2011), we could be watching the Browns in the Super Bowl.

It could happen. Couldn’t it?