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.

Despite the discrepancies, one thing is sure: Kosar is expected to take on a more formal role in the Browns organization and football team he loves.

On Tuesday morning, rabid Browns fans “Dawgpound Mike” and “Mobile Dawg” appeared on the espn Cleveland affiliate WKNR-850AM “Really Big Show” to report they had just met with Lerner about the state of the Browns.

Lerner agreed to meet the two after the fans announced a protest to be staged outside of Cleveland Browns stadium at the Browns next home game on Monday Night Football, Nov. 16, against the Baltimore Ravens. The plan calls for the fans to refrain from taking their seats until after kick-off. This would give the national audience a view of a near empty stadium.

The move is aimed at giving the impression of the disgust Cleveland fans have for the 2009-10 Browns, its management, and organization. The ploy is also intended to embarrass the owner and move him to make the necessary moves to restore the Browns to the great and well-respected organization it once was — prior to the Move to Baltimore in 1995.

“Dawgpound Mike” and “Mobile Dawg” told the local radio show host Tony Rizzo that Lerner met with them for nearly two hours, Tuesday morning; that Lerner listened to their concerns and spoke passionately about the Browns. Lerner did not ask the two “dawgs” to cancel the protest and it is still on.

Randy Lerner also made mention of promising his father, Browns former owner Al Lerner, that he would take over the ownership and turn the Browns into champions, again. Randy Lerner intends to honor his father’s deathbed request.

At Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini’s press conference Tuesday morning, Mangini addressed the Kokinis dismissal — sort of: “George is a friend of mine and … for a variety of reasons things did not work out. Organizationally, (Kokinis’ dismissal) was the best decision in order to move forward.”

With that, Mangini refused to entertain further questions about Kokinis, and began droning on with the same old refrain: “Analyzing film, trying to improve…”

Perhaps Mangini, like Brady Quinn, should put his house up for sale. It takes several months to sell a home in Cleveland.

He had been on the job for less than a year and was reportedly at odds with head coach Eric Mangini as early as training camp. Rumors have since swirled that former Colts, Browns, and Giants GM Ernie Accorsi will be hired by Browns owner Randy Lerner soon.

We here at Midwest Sports Fans, however, are not so sure. Accorsi is a GM with a pretty successful track record and his hiring would almost seem to be too logical and sound a choice for the Browns.

So we put together top 10 list of candidates who – based on the Browns moribund history since being reinstated in 1999 -are probably more likely to be named General Manager than a former Super Bowl architect.

10 – George Kokinis, former Browns GM

That’s right, Kokinis. I know it sounds strange, but Randy Lerner went against the grain this offseason in hiring Eric Mangini less than ten days after Mangini was fired by the Jets. Before you pooh-pooh this one as being ridiculous and totally outlandish, ask yourself: would you really be 100% surprised?

This is, after all, the Browns we’re talking about here.

9 – LeBron James, Global Icon

Right now the Browns are bringing nothing but despair and embarrassment to the city of Cleveland. In this sense, they are much like the Indians. The Cavs, however, and their hometown superstar, are the one positive sports story the city has to grasp onto.

Until LeBron bolts for the East Coast.

Why not sweeten the Cleveland pot by giving him a the GM position with the Browns? He was a good football player in high school and could ultimately pull an MJ by coming down from the owner’s box and suiting up. Then the Browns would actually have an NFL-caliber receiver.

8 – Ryan Russell, Browns Fan Extraordinaire

You know Ryan from his work here at MSF. If you were at the Cavs’ game on Halloween night, you also know him from his incredible Eric Mangini costume, as chronicled briefly in the video below:

Clearly Ryan and Mangini would be on the same page when it comes to player fines. That’s a start.

7 – Gregg Williams, current Defensive Coordinator of the New Orleans Saints

Williams may not have credentials to be a GM, but that’s never stopped the Browns from hiring people before.

Actually, I propose Williams be named GM / Offensive Coordinator. Sounds strange, right? But think about this: the Saints’ defense has actually scored six touchdowns this season, whereas the Browns’ offense has only scored five. The numbers speak for themselves.

6 – Krayzie Bone, rapper and Cleveland native

You know Krayzie Bone from his work with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and his subsequent productions as a solo artist. He is also a native of Cleveland who understands the longtime suffering of Browns fans.

Plus, rumors out of Cleveland suggest that Defensive Coordinator Rob Ryan is sick of being the only person referred to as “crazy” around the office. It’s not that he is offended, he’s just ready for a new nickname. Having Krayzie Bone around would give Ryan a chance to be referred to as “wacko”, “crazy man”, and his own personal favorite phrase: “$&@$!“.

5 – John Elway, Browns Dream Denyer

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, right?

John Elway always seemed to dash Cleveland’s Super Bowl hopes back during the time many, many eons ago when the franchise was competitive. Perhaps he can sprinkle some of his Elway Dust in Berea and reverse the obvious curse that has haunted the franchise since its return.

Sure, it might make the older generation of Browns fans wretch, but wouldn’t everyone get over it if the team made the playoffs? Most every Browns fan I know would sell their souls to the Devil himself for a playoff run. Hiring John Elway would be close, but not quite that bad.

4 – Doc Brown, Inventor

Does the phrase 1.21 gigowatts mean anything to you?

If you’re a Browns fan it should, because imagine all the great things that could be done with Doc Brown as GM and his magic Delorean at the organization’s disposal.

• Go back to 1965 and convince Jim Brown to play another couple of years, thus making more championships possible during the early years of the franchise.
• Go back to 1987 and have someone grab and twist John Elway’s ankle in the middle of the 4th quarter. We wouldn’t want to injure him seriously (well…) but enough so that he couldn’t engineer the famous game-winning drive that haunts the Browns to this day.
• Go back to 1988 and convince Earnest Byner to protect the ball a little bit better.
• Go back to 1999 and draft any of the following instead of Tim Couch: Donovan McNabb, Edgerrin James, Ricky Williams, Torry Holt, Champ Bailey, Andy Katzenmoyer…wait, scratch the last one.
• Go back to the 2008 offseason and not hire George Kokinis…thus rendering his firing yesterday impossible…thus rendering the hiring of Doc Brown impossible…thus erasing all of the previously changed events…thus restoring all of the unhappy memories that define Browns football.

Damnit! We were so close.

3 – Derek Anderson, current Browns starting QB

Think about it: if Anderson has to take over the GM duties, then he can’t play quarterback. We would then be spared from having to watch the only QB in the NFL playing worse than JaMarcus Russell.

The fact there is even a QB playing worse than JaMarcus Russell is mind-boggling…and depressing. And who knows, Mangini might still keep Anderson out there anyway.

Scratch this one. Anderson would probably just give his responsibilities to someone in an opposing franchise anyway…kind of like what he does with the football on a weekly basis.

2 – Jon Gruden, Super Bowl winning coach and Monday Night Football announcer

Have you ever heard this guy say anything negative about anyone on Monday night? In fact, have you ever heard this guy refer to anyone as anything other than a great player or a genius?

I can’t wait to hear what this guy has to say Browns players next week when Cleveland plays Baltimore on Monday Night Football.

On Derek Anderson: “This guy, he’s just an excellent quarterback. He has size, he has a rocket arm, and he’s a guy you can build a winning football team around.”

On Eric Mangini: “This guy, I tell you what, I’ve watched film with him before and he’s a coaching genius. We need to get more press for this guy and get him some Coach of the Year votes.”

I mean, this guy, Jon Gruden, he’s taken to his new position as an announcer and just done a great job. He’s an announcing genius. Not to mention a coaching genius.

Imagine bringing him in as GM. Surely his strategy of positive reinforcement would come with him once he has another NFL job. Hmm…on second thought…

1 – Cleveland Brown, star of The Cleveland Show

The Browns have won only one more game this season than a bunch of cartoon football players would have won, so why not hire a cartoon character to lead the organization? And could his name be any more perfect?

Honestly, this is a match made in Berea.

And from the underwhelming reviews that I’ve seen of The Cleveland Show, it might actually be FOX’s equivalent to the Browns. A perfect match!

Randy Lerner, as sad as it is to say, I think we’ve found the perfect candidate for your franchise.

Apparently a quick disintegration of his relationship with Eric Mangini helped spur his ouster.

ProFootballTalk was all over this story tonight. Here are the links to their coverage:

• Mangini, Kokinis marriage was doomed from the start
• Browns officially address firing of GM George Kokinis
• Report: Kokinis fired “with cause”

Also, there is this, from the News-Herald:

• Kokinis Out, Ernie Accorsi In

As little underlying support there is, these Josh Cribbs rumors are not fun

He is exactly right.

Who knows how legitimate the Cribbs-to-Miami or Cribbs-to-whomever talk is, but there is nothing fun or exciting at all about the Browns’ clear fan favorite being mentioned in the same sentence as the word “trade.”

All the rumors about Cribbs got me to thinking: is he the second most untradable sports figure in Cleveland?

(I think we all know who the first is.)

Let’s think about it for a second.

Is there anyone on the Cavs right now other than LeBron that Cleveland fans have a really strong connection to? I would suspect that Big Z is in that category, but considering his age and contract, I’m not sure Cavs fans would be too up in arms if there was a parting of the ways soon.

Shaq, despite his profile and the excitement surrounding his arrival, has yet to play a regular season game for the Cavs. There has been no time for a connection to develop.

Do you see anyone else on the Cavs roster with 1/10th the fan love of Josh Cribbs? I don’t.

Let’s then move on to the Indians where, unfortunately for Indians fans, two fan favorites have already been dealt away over the past two years: C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee. I would definitely have placed Sabathia right there with Cribbs, if not above.

Who else on the Indians roster might qualify in Cribbs’ class?

Fausto Carmona and Travis Hafner were on their way a few years ago, but then decided to suck and have fallen out of favor. The only person who could legitimately enter the conversation is Grady Sizemore.

Sizemore is a very, very good player, but for years I have felt that he was somewhat overrated.

Don’t get me wrong: he’s among the top 25-30 players in baseball, especially when you factor in his tremendous defensive ability. I just don’t consider him among the elite of the elite as some people do.

When it comes to fan love, however, Sizemore does pretty well for himself.

Guys like Grady because he’s a 30-30 threat who can help their fantasy team and has been the one consistent offensive force on the Indians’ revolving door of a lineup over the past few years. And the ladies like him because, well…I guess because he has dimples, or something? (Money, you idiot…it’s the money! And the shirts…)

And then we get to the Browns, where talented former 1st round picks like Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards have recently been traded away without much fan consternation.

The only player whose popularity could approach Cribbs’ is that of Brady Quinn. However, considering Quinn’s underwhelming performances when given an opportunity, it’s not like the majority of Cleveland fans honestly feel like they have a prettier version of Bernie Kosar sitting on the bench right now.

In fact, while there is a subset of Browns fans who would be pissed and upset if Quinn got traded, there is no such subset of fans who would be pissed and upset to see Cribbs go.

ALL Browns fans would be devastated to see Josh Cribbs gone. ALL OF THEM.

Every single one.

If you can find me a single Browns fan who would be even remotely excited about the loss of Josh Cribbs, I will grow a mustache, name it Zastudil, and interview it on a podcast.

Seriously.

For all of the ill will that Eric Mangini and George Kokinis have generated since their arrival, it would pale in comparison to the fan backlash that would result from trading Joshua Cribbs for anything less than a franchise QB or an already established superstar defensive player.

Cribbs is the one guy who gives us all hope every time he touches the ball. He has been the heart and soul of the organization since he became a star in 2007. He has continued to play hard this year despite little hope of team success and little progress on a contract extension that was promised to him.

There is not much good about the Cleveland Browns right now, but whatever ounce of good exists is manifested almost entirely in the play of Josh Cribbs.

You can get away with trading malcontents like Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards. Browns fans understand that. And if you’re going to be cheap, stupid-line-in-the-sand hardasses about Cribbs’ contract, and not pay the guy what he deserves, then I hope the Browns do trade him…for Cribbs’ own sake.

Josh Cribbs deserves to play for an organization that understands and respects his value to the team, fans, and city. Mangini and Kokinis just need to realize that said organization needs to be Cleveland, with no excuses.

I don’t care if he’s “just a special teams player.” Watch the damn games, watch the effort, watch his teammates respond to him, assess the value of what you’d have to pay him for the myriad tangible and intangible positives he brings, and watch the fans stay interested in the miserable overall product because of this exciting player with the never-say-die attitude and never-quit motor.

Josh Cribbs is a special player. Period.

I’m not saying pay him like a #1 WR or a top-flight defensive lineman or anything like that. Just pay the guy what he deserves for his value on the field and his value to the organization, with his value to the fans being a major part of that.

Pay him, and don’t trade him.

I’m coming to Cleveland next weekend for the Packers game. If Josh Cribbs isn’t there too, I am not going to be happy. Not one bit. I’ve never booed my own team at home — and I’d never boo the players so long as they’re giving effort — but I’d boo Eric Mangini as hard and as loud as I possibly could if Cribbs is not around.

And something tells me the other 73,200 people at Cleveland Browns stadium would join me.

Luckily, it sounds like the Cribbs rumors are just that: rumors. And from everything I’ve read, the Browns are not actively shopping Cribbs. They are merely listening to offers considering Cribbs’ desire for a new contract.

Fine. I understand that…so long as it results in an amicable resolution in which Cribbs gets a new contract and we all have some security that our favorite player will be around for a while.

Update: Cribbs’ agent thinks that the Browns are being unfair by not trading him or redoing his contract.

**********

* – Grady Sizemore photo credit: Luello.com

* – Joshua Cribbs photo credit: AP Photo/Keith Srakocic

Don’t.

Do.

It.

In the Plain-Dealer this morning, Mary Kay-Cabot wonders if the Browns will do just that, despite the fact they already paid him a $3.5 million bonus this offseason and that his only backups are the current injured Jerome Harrison and 6th round rookie James Davis, who has apparently become the next Jim Brown after one 81-yard scamper against the Detroit WinlessLions.

A quick excerpt:

Could Browns running back Jamal Lewis be cut today when the Browns trim their roster to 53?

NFL sources said rumblings began a couple of days ago that Lewis, who turned 30 last week, could be one of the dozen players the Browns let go, and ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter on Friday put Lewis at the top of his list of big-name players on the bubble. Nationalfootballpost.com’s Mike Lombardi also speculated Lewis will be cut.

Among the many reasons why I think this would be a terrible move:

1. It makes the $3.5 million already given to Lewis basically just a colossal waste of money.
2. Lewis has done a tremendous job of accepting that his role will likely be reduced this year and has taken to mentoring Davis, who went to the same high school as Lewis. For a rookie RB, this must be invaluable.
3. Jamal Lewis may be too old and slow to be a featured, wear-’em-down type back any more, but he can still churn out tough yards and get goalline carries. Have Jerome Harrison of James Davis proven they can do this?
4. As much as we all want to hope that the Browns can engineer a Dolphins- or Falcons-like turnaround in 2009, the fact of the matter is that the Browns are more likely than not building for the future. Unless there is something we don’t know about Lewis’ willingness to play the role of good soldier under the regime, there is no reason to cut him and prevent Jerome and James from having his experience and leadership at their disposal.
5. Jamal Lewis is one of the few leaders on this offense. With Brady Quinn, a first-year starter, likely to take over as the QB, why not give him the support of a veteran in the backfield who can allow Quinn to grow into his leadership role.

I could go on and on. Yes, the Browns would save some money cutting Lewis, but I think it would be a terribly myopic decision. Hopefully when the final cuts are announced, Lewis’ name will not be among them and we can put this foolish story behind us.

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.

———-

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

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

Breaking News 10/7/09: The Browns have traded Braylon Edwards to the New York Jets for two players and two picks.

A few days ago I was informed of a rumor heard on the radio that there could be a potential trade brewing between the Browns and Giants that would send WR Braylon Edwards to the G-Men, ostensibly as a replacement for Plaxico Burress, with the Browns getting DE Mathias Kiwanuka in return.

Not knowing what to think, I did what I usually do in these situations: email Barry McBride at the Orange and Brown Report and see if there was anything to it.

He posted the Braylon Edwards-Mathias Kiwanuka trade rumor and had this to say upon initially hearing about it:

The deal makes sense for both teams on several levels. The Giants would be looking for a credible replacement for WR Plaxico Burress, and are keeping Kiwanuka as a defensive end in a three-man rotation after he switched from linebacker last year.

The 6’5”, 265 Kiwanuka is a classic tweener would like like an interesting option for the Browns manning an outside linebacker spot in the 3-4 defense. Kiwi successfully made the transition from a Boston College defensive end to a linebacker with the Giants, but was moved back as a defensive end following a season-ending injury to Osi Umenyiora.

Also of interest from Cleveland perspective is that Kiwanuka is under contract for two more years. Braylon Edwards can be a free agent after this season.

Kiwi as another OLB bookend with Crabtree perhaps available in the draft? Hmmm… count me in as interested.

The next day, after doing some digging, Barry posted about the Braylon Edwards-Mathias Kiwanuka trade rumor again, this time saying (half seriously and half tongue-in-cheek):

I love this Kiwi-Edwards rumor.

It’s just logical enough to be believable. Infuriatingly, it seems to make sense on some level for both clubs.

Sensing this, the Giants have done nothing but have done their best to torment us with their subsequent moves over the last few days. They went ahead and signed DT Rocky Bernard, and OLB Michael Boley, and DE Chris Canty, all four or five-star defenders according to our rankings.

Cool, cool. They got to have no more room at the inn for Kiwi now, right?

Right?

It all makes sense.

Only problem is that I reached out to a NY Giants beat writer, who told me that he got an email from one of the organization’s higher-ups saying that there’s absolutely nothing to it.

…

Pro Football Talk says that the Bucs were sworn to secrecy about K2 (other than that annoying chatter about a Winslow deal on the OBR prior to the trade), and maybe this front office guy is just lying to us.

In fact, IF they were talking about deal, they would DENY it, which means that by DENYING IT, they PROVE it’s absolutely true. The logic is flawless!

So, not a whole lot of hard parts to grab onto here. With Braylon Edwards heading into the final year of his contract, and a new regime at the helm in Berea, it is no secret that Eric Mangini and George Kokinis would like to sign Braylon to a contract extension — assuming Braylon is on board with the philosophies of the new regime and, you know, remembers where he misplaced his hands. However, Mangini and Kokins will also no doubt want to know either way whether Braylon Edwards can be counted on moving forward as they attempt to build a new foundation for success in Cleveland.

So if they can’t reach a contract extension…

Anyway, yesterday I obviously became enthralled with the basically unsubstantiated rumor that started making the rounds that the Browns and Broncos were discussing a trade of Jay Cutler and a 3rd round pick for Brady Quinn and Shaun Rogers. You know how the sports news cycle moves these days. It was only about 36 hours old, but the delicious conjecture of Braylon Edwards for Mathias Kiwanuka was already old news, and there wasn’t really anything else to go on.

Until this morning…kind of.

Over a ProFootballTalk, Mike Florio discusses the plethora of defensive lineman being assembled in New York and ends his post with an interesting, though non-specific, bit of his own conjecture:

As Thornton points out, the Giants now have nine defensive linemen under contract: tackles Fred Robbins, Barry Cofield, Barry Jay Alford, and Bernard, ends Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, Mathias Kiwanuka, and Dave Tollefson, and tackle-end Canty.

…

One possibility would be to move Kiwanuka back to linebacker. However, coach Tom Coughlin said at the Scouting Combine that Kiwanuka will be staying put.

Or maybe someone is getting traded. Maybe for a receiver. You know, a good one. A guy who commands double coverage, like the guy who blew a double hole in his leg with a single bullet last November.

I don’t know about you — and perhaps I’m reading too much into it — but I cannot think of too many other wide receivers rumored to be on the trading block that would fit the bill more perfectly as a replacement for Plaxico Burress than Braylon Edwards. And as anyone who has watched the Browns in recent years knows, one of the team’s biggest deficiencies has been its inability to consistently rush the passer. Slapping Mathias Kiwanuka on the other side of the talented and athletic, but highly inconsistent, Kamerion Wimbley would certainly upgrade the Browns’ pass rush.

Update — 3/3 10:55 am: I forgot that Florio addressed the Edwards rumors two days ago. The headline of the post says it all: No Truth to Braylon Trade Rumors — Yet. He went on to say:

We’ve received multiple inquiries over the past couple of days regarding the possibility that the Cleveland Browns are shopping receiver Braylon Edwards.

A source with knowledge of the situation predicts with a high degree of confidence that Edwards isn’t on the market, and won’t be traded this year.

That said, who would have imagined three days ago that tight end Kellen Winslow would be shipped to Tampa?

Read the rest of the first PFT post on the Braylon Edwards trade rumors from 3/1.

So, like the Cutler-to-the-Browns rumors, take this one about Braylon Edwards for Mathias Kiwanuka for what it is: informed speculation and conjecture. But I have to say that a trade of Braylon Edwards for Mathias Kiwanuka, assuming Kiwanuka is back to full health with no lingering issues from last season, is an intriguing option, especially with Michael Crabtree potentially sitting there at the #5 slot in the upcoming draft to fill the void of talented, diva-eque, productive-but-not-overly-fast #1 WR.

(Editor’s Note: I misspoke in the previous sentence and got Kiwanuka mixed up with Braylon’s 5 Hour Energy buddy Osi Umenyiora, who was injured last season. Kiwanuka was injured the year before, when the Giants won the Super Bowl. Last year, Mathias Kiwanuka had 8 sacks and 51 tackles.)

The fun part about these Browns trade rumors is that we know we will get almost nothing concrete or substantial to go on from inside Cleveland. The new regime will be as tight-lipped as they come, and I have no problem with that at all. In fact, in this day and age of the NFL, I think it’s probably the right way to go — as long as they understand the need to get in front of certain rumors if and when they do slip out. (And we saw from the Kellen Winslow trade to the Bucs, when deals do happen involving the Browns, they will likely come out of nowhere.) But with so little “hard” info to go on, something will have to fill the void as we patiently await next season.

And there is nothing more intriguing than seemingly legit trade rumors involving Braylon Edwards, Brady Quinn, and Shaun Rogers — three of the most significant current players on the roster.

Eric Mangini proved right away that he wanted to create a new era of Browns football, a new identity for the organization, and distance himself from the last decade of on-field and off-field struggles. Dealing three of the key players involved in last season’s collapse, after the surprise of 2007 — not that it was all their fault, especially in the case of Rogers, who was actually great — would certainly be one way to start with a clean slate.

UPDATE 3/23: There have been a few updates on the Braylon Edwards trade front since we posted this item.  Since it is still driving significant traffic, I figured I would update the post with the latest.  The OBR reported yesterday that the Browns and Giants have, in fact, discussed a Braylon Edwards trade.  However, Mathias Kiwanuka was apparently never in the mix.  The purported discusssion centered on Braylon Edwards to the Giants for a couple of draft picks plus another WR.  The Browns wanted Steve Smith while the Giants were only willing to part with Domenik Hixon or Mario Manningham.  Nothing has obviously gone further, but this apparently is not going away:

OBR: Latest on Braylon Edwards-to-Giants Trade Rumors

So what do you think?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

With all of the rumors floating around right now, what do you think will actually happen? What do you want to happen? The comments are open…let the speculation fly.

Braylon Edwards photo courtesy of AP Photo/Tony Dejak

Mathias Kiwanuka photo courtesy of Evan Pinkus/WireImage.com

The Cleveland Browns have traded tight end Kellen Winslow to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for undisclosed draft picks. As of yet, I have not been able to track down what the draft picks were. I’m about to run into meetings at work, so please leave any further information in the comment section if you have it.

Update: Our very own Midnight Writer posted a solid analysis of the Kellen Winslow trade from the perspective of both Kellen and the new guys in charge of the Browns, Eric Mangini and George Kokinis.

Here is the statement about the Browns trading Kellen Winslow from new Browns GM George Kokinis, per ESPN.com:

“We appreciate his passion for the game and wish him success in Tampa Bay,” Browns general manager George Kokinis said in announcing the move. “The draft picks we have 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.”

Kellen Winslow play four star-crossed seasons with the Browns. Over those four seasons he only played 44 games because of injuries and last year’s suspension. He totaled 219 catches, 2,459 yards, 11 TDs, and made the Pro Bowl in 2007. Winslow was the Browns’ 1st round pick in the 2004 draft, after trading up one spot with the Lions to get him.

What do you think? Good move for the Browns? On its face, this seems somewhat curious to me. I realize the Kellen has been something of a headcase and created his share of problems while developing a me-first reputation, but he is one of two legit play-makers on a Browns offense (with Braylon Edwards) that lacked play-making ability last season. We’ll see if the Browns have any plans to add receiving help in free agency, or if this move now compels them to go offense with the #5 pick in the 2009 draft.

Either way, the loss of Kellen Winslow (assuming he would be healthy and play well in 2009) leaves a gaping hole that will somehow need to be filled.

This move has been expected for the past few weeks, as Kokinis even spent a few days at the Browns facility in Berea, OH last week. He and Eric Mangini will now be able to go about getting the remaining staff organized for the draft, and plugging the rest of the holes that need to be filled on the coaching staff.

Here is the official press release below.  Read it, and then head on over to the OBR Rumor Mill for more.

For Immediate Release
January 25, 2009

BROWNS NAME GEORGE KOKINIS GENERAL MANAGER

The Cleveland Browns today announced the hiring of George Kokinis as the club’s general manager. Kokinis returns to the club where he started his NFL career with a total of 18 years of front office experience, including the last 13 years with the Baltimore Ravens and the last six as the club’s director of pro personnel.

“The Browns are excited to bring George back to Cleveland where he began his NFL career,” said Browns owner Randy Lerner. “He is a tireless worker that has spent his entire career evaluating talent and knows the type of player it takes to be successful in this league and in our division.”

“I would like to thank Randy Lerner for the extraordinary opportunity,” said Kokinis. “Cleveland is a football town and I look forward to working alongside Eric Mangini and the rest of the organization.”

Kokinis began his NFL scouting career with the Browns in 1991 after serving an internship in the team’s operations department. He then spent five seasons with the Browns scouting department (1991-95), including two working alongside Browns current head coach Eric Mangini, before the team relocated to Baltimore.

In his time in Baltimore, Kokinis worked closely with general manager Ozzie Newsome in analyzing NFL rosters and coordinating and evaluating the free agency market. Kokinis also made personnel recommendations and assisted in contract negotiations.

Kokinis assisted in the acquisition of Pro Bowl alternate running back Willis McGahee from the Buffalo Bills in exchange for future draft choices. That year, the club also resigned linebacker Jarret Johnson. In 2006, Kokinis negotiated the contracts of draft picks Dawan Landry and Ryan LaCasse. The team also acquired quarterback Steve McNair in exchange for a 2007 draft choice, resigned linebacker Bart Scott and also signed a number of significant free agent contributors, such as defensive end Trevor Pryce, who led the team with 13 sacks, running back Mike Anderson, defensive tackle Justin Bannan, cornerback Corey Ivy and linebacker Gary Stills.

With the Ravens, Kokinis spent four years as the team’s Northeast area scout from 1996-99. He was promoted in 2000 and spent the next three seasons (2000-02) as the club’s assistant director of pro personnel. His primary responsibility was the advance scouting of opponents and providing reports to the coaching staff. In 2003, Kokinis was promoted to the Ravens’ director of pro personnel and was responsible for all aspects of the pro personnel department.

Kokinis graduated from Hobart College with a B.A. in psychology and earned his master’s degree in sports management at the University of Richmond (1991), while working as a graduate assistant coach for the Spiders’ baseball team. He played both football and baseball during his collegiate career, earning ECAC Baseball Player of the Year honors in 1989 as a pitcher for the Statesmen, and was selected to represent the conference in a New York vs. New Jersey All-Star Game played at Yankee Stadium.

A two-sport athlete at Wethersfield (CT) High School, Kokinis received the John Warren Potter Memorial Award, which recognizes competitiveness and outstanding character. George and his wife, Elizabeth, have a daughter, Marissa, and twins Peter and Ella.

-BROWNS

A deal between George Kokinis and the Browns has been expected for some time now. He has reportedly been to Cleveland and according to one site I read (I don’t remember where, probably PFT) if Kokinis is not hired as GM, he is going to have an awful lot of inside information to take back to the Browns’ division rival the Ravens.

Of course, one thing holding up Kokinis joining the Browns was the Ravens deep playoff run. Now that the Ravens have gracefully bowed out of the playoffs, nothing is standing between the Browns and George Kokinis moving forward in the “ManKok” era of Cleveland Browns football.

Another interesting note: At the Orange & Browns Report rumor mill today, there is an interesting item regarding the chain of events that led to Eric Mangini interviewing with Randy Lerner and the Browns. There has apparently been some rumored speculation that Lerner extended Mangini and interview as a favor to Mangini’s agent and father-in-law, Ron Shapiro. Head over to the OBR to read more. (And by the way, for my PSA to all Browns fans today: my suggestion is to buy the premium OBR access. You don’t need it to read the post I just linked to, but their premium stuff is well worth the nominal charge and you won’t regret it.)

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?

One source told The Plain Dealer that Kokinis may be leaning toward staying in Baltimore.

Lerner was said to have scheduled an interview with Kokinis Sunday. But it was unclear whether this job interview occurs only if the Ravens were eliminated from play-off contention.

Of course, if you watched the game Saturday, you all know that Tennessee shot themselves in the foot about four times, allowing Baltimore to defeat the Titans in Nashville, 13-10. All the numbers point to a Titan win, but Baltimore’s defense showed up big time. And while the media is making a big deal about a rookie quarterback – Joe Flacco – and rookie coach – John Harbaugh – making history by winning their first two play-off games, it really was all about the defense. Can you say Ray Lewis?

George Kokinis was a frontrunner for the Browns general manager job, to replace the fired Phil Savage, because of his experience working under the traitor Ozzie Newsome. (Okay, I know, Art Modell offered the Wizard of Oz the job in Baltimore and it apparently was too good to refuse.)

The very fact that Newsome does not want to part with Kokinis, makes him even more valuable. Plus, Kokinis is a personal friend of Eric Mangini, the Browns new head coach, and the two could have worked together. This would be different than Romeo Crennel and Phil Savage, who clashed on everything from choosing players, to quarterbacks. Crennel wanted Brady Quinn after Derek Anderson proved to have the worst QB rating in the NFL. And the well-spoken and dignified Crennel certainly frowned on Savage’s explicit email after the Browns defeated Buffalo.

Now a Mangini and Kokinis marriage is in jeopardy.

Perhaps worrying that he won’t be able to coax Kokinis to come to Cleveland, Lerner has widened his GM search to include former Denver GM Ted Sundquist and Chris Polian, Colts vice president of football operations, as potential candidates, according to The Plain Dealer
.
The Browns also have interviewed T.J. McCreight for the position. McCreight was player personnel director under former GM Phil Savage. (Oh, yeah. Now that would be a great hire. Someone working beneath Savage? I wonder if McCreight writes f-word emails. Think again, Mr. Lerner.)

Lerner has said in interviews that naming a general manager will take a back seat to assembling Mangini’s coaching staff. Mangini is poised to officially name Jets quarterbacks coach Brian Daboll offensive coordinator and Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Ryan to the same post here.

However, Mangini said in his press conference that the first step would be to hire a general manager. But that was when Kokinis was considered a shoe-in.

Lerner’s very first interview was with Scott Pioli of the New England Patriots. Most Browns fans and local media voiced their preference for Pioli, but then he went West to interview in Kansas City, and when Lerner chose Mangini as head coach, Pioli’s name kind of went by the wayside. Lerner apparently did not think the gumbas could kiss and make up after Spygate. (In the spirit of full disclosure, my mother was Italian.)

Back to the play-offs.

I hate to say this, Much Needed Delusional Czech, but if it is Baltimore vs. Pittsburgh next week, I hope the Ravens lose.

But even if Baltimore blows it, will Kokinis turn his back on the City of the Dirty Birds and come to the Browns?

Only the Raven knows.