In an angry rant earlier today, Kozarik says many things, including the word “process” at least 50 times (I’m not exaggerating). Among the accusations he hurls to and fro: Browns are sheep; Browns management insanely tries the same things over and over again while expecting different results; and, he refers to the Lerner family as “the devil themselves”.

The line that will probably end up being the most memorable and notorious from this roughly 8:30 rant is this one:

Al Lerner himself is down in hell right now laughing with Satan, because do you know how much money he stole from Cleveland Browns fans?

Listen for yourself:

(hat tip to Glenn Moore, a producer on the show, who sent me a link to the audio earlier tonight.)

I also blipsnipped it if you want to listen to the parts I picked out as highlights:

For the record, Cleveland.com is the website for the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, which is the paper of record, so to speak, for the city of Cleveland. So for those unfamiliar with Kozarik of the Cleveland landscape, this is not just a random voice from a random source.

As for my thoughts, I appreciate the passion of Kozarik (pictured), and he definitely makes some valid points. His best point, I thought, was wondering why Browns fans should respect “the process” when it is showing marginal gains (if any) while franchises like Tampa Bay are able to turn things around in a single season.

However, he lost me with all the Lerners-are-the-devil talk. I understand that you may not like the Lerners, may be frustrated with how things have gone, and might not even respect Randy or Al and how they have managed the Browns. But to call them the devil? To say that Al Lerner, who passed away several years ago, is “down in hell laughing with Satan”? That’s over the line.

Unfortunately, no matter how much I respect the passion, it’s tough to respect even the more cogent of Kozarik’s thoughts when they are mixed in with classless hyperbole that compares a family and its dead patriarch to the devil. Browns fans should be upset, and Kozarik undoubtedly speaks for a lot of them, but next time he should try keeping the old dead guys out of it.

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The jist? The Cleveland Browns, in their infinite wisdom (you know, the same wisdom that has guided them to so many winning seasons since rejoining the league in 1999…), have decided that it is fair and reasonable to offer Josh Cribbs significantly less money than Andre Davis and Roscoe Parrish make per year.

Maybe it was the fact that I was watching IU play like crap when I read the article, but for whatever reason I immediately thought about the infamous secretly taped Bob Knight locker room speech that most of you have probably heard by now.

There is one particular statement by Coach Knight that perfectly sums up my feelings about how the Browns are handling Josh Cribbs’ contract situation.

Hit play below and you’ll hear the statement immediately. (Here is your should-be-unecessary head’s up: it’s Bob Knight we’re talking about here; obviously the language is very much not church-ready, so this is NSFW).

Josh Cribbs has given his heart and soul to the Cleveland Browns organization. He’s played hurt, he’s played hard despite suffering through almost constant losing, and he’s been team first despite playing for a team that’s refused to pay him a salary even close to commensurate with his value.

Somehow, the Browns have so fumbled this situation that it has led Cribbs’ agent to say the following, courtesy of the Plain-Dealer article:

They need to treat him fairly or he’ll never play for the Browns again,” said agent Peter Schaffer. “He will demand a trade and he will walk out of there and they won’t see him for the off-season — they won’t see him ever again.”

Schaffer said Cribbs will leave on the first day of the new league year, March 4, if he doesn’t have a new contract.

“We’re done,” said Schaffer. “There’s no middle ground anymore. We’ve upheld our end of the bargain and have done everything the Browns have asked.”

Browns fans are predictably outraged, and we have a right to be.

Remember the immortal line said by Terrence Mann (played by James Earl Jones) in Field of Dreams? It went a little something like this: “The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been base-ball.”

Well, if the movie had been named Field of Shattered Dreams, and the subject had been the last half decade of Cleveland Browns football, the line might have been as such: “The one constant through all the losing has been Joshua Cribbs.”

And, yet, somehow the Browns think that offering Cribbs $1.4 million per year – when former Brown Andre Davis makes $4.3 million and unproductive Roscoe Parrish makes $3.2 million – is reasonable.

I simply don’t understand it.

According to our friends at the Orange and Brown Report, there is no misunderstanding either. Apparently Mike Holmgren and Dawn Aponte, who was hired by Eric Mangini as VP of Football Administration, feel perfectly justified in their position.

The OBR article I am citing is part of their premium content (sign up…it’s worth it), so I’m not going to excerpt. But let’s just say that the $1.4 million offer is, in fact, being positioned as the Browns’ “final, final offer” and is the same number that was offered to Cribbs during the season.

Of course, it was followed up during the season by promises that the team would “negotiate in good faith” with Cribbs at the end of the season. And yet here we are.

How can anyone who claims to be committed to building a winner in Cleveland look at the Josh Cribbs situation objectively and not feel compelled to get this guy what he is asking for? If you are Randy Lerner, at what point do you get fed up seeing your second most valuable asset (after LT Joe Thomas) being treated like he’s an insignificant and dispensable piece of the puzzle?

Josh Cribbs took to Twitter last night to express his frustration:

Thanks everyone, I love playing for the browns & put my all in to it, but it doesn’t look good 4me at this point on returning…

I’m sorry to all the fans that u have to endore this, but I now see that this is business for them and loyalty means nothing & wait 4 what?

Should I wait for OTA’s, the draft, another season to prove my worth?..

Can you really blame him?

I’ve heard the argument that he has three years left on his contract (which runs through 2012) and that he should play it out, and that the Browns would be setting a dangerous precent by renegotiating with Cribbs right now.

Once again, in the immortal words of Coach Knight, I say that’s absolute f—–g bulls–t.

Everyone who watches the Browns knows that Josh Cribbs’ situation is a unique one. He is the heart and soul of the Browns and the undisputed fan favorite. AND, (oh yeah!) he is a terrific player who has proven that he can be a valuable offensive contributor while still being one of the greatest all-around special teams players in the history of the NFL.

Yet, he’s due to make $720,000 next year.

Clearly no one is sending around a collection plate so that Josh Cribbs can eat tomorrow. He’s not destitute, nor has he ever claimed to be or tried to play that ridiculous sympathy card (a la Latrell Sprewell and others of his ilk). All Josh Cribbs has asked for is: a) to be treated fairly; b) to be paid in a way that is commensurate to his on-field worth; and c) to have promises fulfilled.

The Browns have done none of those three things, and they are totally in the wrong. Let me repeat: totally in the wrong.

If they had never strung Cribbs along with promises that they’d re-do his contract, the organization would have a much stronger leg to stand on. But they have made promises to Cribbs and they have not fulfilled them. Randy Lerner should be just as outraged about all of this as the fans and Cribbs are.

Because in the immortal words of my mom: it sucks.

Yes. Yes it does. It also doesn’t make any sense and is absolutely infuriating.

I hope that Mike Holmgren simply failed to understand Cribbs’ situation. I hope that he failed to realize just how low $1.4 million per year is for a guy of Cribbs’ character, talent, and production. And I hope that Holmgren failed to realize just how much it will piss off Browns fans if getting Cribbs taken care of is not among his first actions as the Browns new czar.

Everyone is excited about Holmgren because of his pedigree and the long list of successes on his resume. But he will be getting off on a very tenuous foot with Browns fans, and the locker room (I’d presume), if he allows Cribbs to continue to be treated like this. There is simply no objective, well thought out reason for how the Browns are handling this.

Pay the man, Mike Holmgren.

Pay Josh Cribbs.

Incredibly, Cribbs is not even asking for Roscoe Parrish/Andre Davis money. According to reports I’ve read, Cribbs is looking for between $2.5-$3 million plus incentives. I realize that the Browns shouldn’t be hamstrung by the poor contracts signed by other teams, but they do have to respect the basic landscape of the market.

Ask Mike Holmgren if the market influenced what his agent asked for when he was negotiating with Randy Lerner. You know it did.

I am going to trust that at some point, cooler and wiser heads will prevail in Berea and this will get done. I simply do not see what leverage the Browns have here, other than the obvious leverage that Cribbs is under contract and has to play for Cleveland for his current salary if he wants to play football next year and the team chooses not to trade/pay him.

But the PR disaster of such a move, in my opinion, would be far worse than another 5-11 season.

Josh Cribbs is a special player, a special person, and has a very special relationship with the city he plays in and the fans who cheer for him. Even if the Browns (erroneously) only think that Cribbs’ on-field abilities make him worth $1.4 million per year, Randy Lerner needs to understand that Cribbs’ overall value to the organization is worth, at least, the $1.1-1.6 million difference in what he’s seeking.

There is only one way this ends well for the Browns: pay the man! (Or, as scores of pissed off Browns fans say on Twitter, #paytheman.)

Mike Holmgren and Randy Lerner will certainly be galvanizing their fan base if they choose to let this Cribbs nonsense linger through the offseason. It just won’t be in the direction they’re hoping for as the Holmgren Era kicks off.

The Josh Cribbs Era has been alive in Cleveland since 2005, and Cribbs has been underpaid since 2007. It’s time for the Browns to fix this very fixable situation.

Otherwise, the unthinkable could happen: Josh Cribbs could “not set foot in that facility again.”

The Browns have an amazingly loyal fan base, but don’t think that there isn’t a portion of them that might strongly consider doing the exact same thing themselves if their favorite player continues to be treated like he doesn’t matter.

Pay the man, Mike Holmgren. And do it now. It doesn’t speak very highly of your judgment if one of your first decisions is to alienate the second most important player you’re inheriting.

Unless, of course, you have some irrationally diabolical plan to piss everyone off right off the bat. And if that’s the case, congrats. You’ve succeeded.

Now stop playing games and treat Josh Cribbs like he deserves to be treated. Enough is enough. Pay him.

Update: A couple of quick points I want to add after discussing this issue with a few other people who have been following it:

1. Holmgren went down a similar road with his superstar left tackle Walter Jones in Seattle and Jones always showed up and played. Good point.
2. There is still a looooong time between now and the regular season. It is perfectly understandable why the Cribbs camp would want to dig in their heels right off the bat, but there is plenty of time for the organization to get something done and have everything be hunky-dory come training camp time.

With all that said, it is still inexcusable that it got to this point.

Whatever excuses anyone wants to make about Holmgren only having three days on the job, there being a long time until training camp, blah, blah, blah…the fact remains that this has been strung out long enough. Cribbs deserves better than to have to fight a PR battle with the Browns.

So make any excuses you want for the Browns/Lerner/Holmgren. At the end of the day, the organization has created a situation in which a player who has proven his loyalty now feels like Cribbs feels. It is not Josh Cribbs’ fault that there has been so much turnover in the organization.

The whole thing is unacceptable, and though I’m calling out Mike Holmgren above because he’s the new “czar” and has the power to get things done, the buck really stops with Randy Lerner on this one. He should make sure Cribbs gets taken care of, and so far he has not.

Update: Our buddy Scott over at Waiting For Next Year has a predictably fair and balanced post on the Josh Cribbs contract mess in Cleveland. And so does Cleveland Frowns, who looks at it from the Browns’ perspective. (And no, I’m not just saying that because they quoted/linked to our article.)

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* – Josh Cribbs photo credit: Cleveland.com

* – Mike Holmgren photo credit: The Scores Report

Sitting at 1-11, the conventional wisdom was that Eric Mangini was basically coaching out the string, essentially a placeholder for whoever the Browns future “football czar” were to choose to be the new head coach.

After two straight victories – importantly, one of them against arch-nemesis Pittsburgh – two of the most influential voices in Browns Nation have now publicly pledged their support for Mangini.

None other than Joshua Cribbs and Jim Brown.

Here are a couple of excerpts that are extremely telling of just how much better the Browns have played over the last two weeks:

From Peter King’s MMQB column today, which included the following Josh Cribbs comments on Eric Mangini:

I asked Cribbs Sunday after the game: If you polled all the players on the team, what would be the vote on whether to keep or get rid of Mangini?

“I think it’d be unanimous,” Cribbs said. “I think the guys would definitely want to keep him. You can’t judge coach Mangini on one year. The camaraderie in the locker room is great. You hear things in the media about coach Mangini being too tough on us. But I think we’re building something here, and I think the players are behind him.”

And from James Walker’s AFC North blog on ESPN.com, which included the following Jim Brown comments on Eric Mangini:

Following Sunday’s win, Brown, an executive advisor for team owner Randy Lerner, said Mangini should be back in 2010. Brown believes the team is improving with “a lot of young people who we don’t know who are playing good football.” Brown also said he didn’t want to contradict his boss.

I cannot think of two people more important for Mangini to have on his side than Brown and Cribbs.

Brown is obviously the most legendary Brown of all, and someone whose word still carries immense influence both inside and outside of Berea.

Cribbs is the most beloved and decorated current Brown, whose effort and selflessness endear him to everyone. Add in the fact that he now holds the NFL record for career kickoff return TDs, and is the most complete and explosive special teams player in the NFL, and he has emerged as a bona fine NFL superstar.

Remember earlier this year when the Browns looked listless as they lost game after game after game in embarrassing fashion? And remember when Jamal Lewis was extremely critical of his coach publicly?  I think it is now fair to ask if perhaps Lewis was a lone wolf, balking at a routine that was different from what he had known under more laid back regimes in Baltimore and under Romeo Crennel.

Jamal Lewis was placed on IR on December 2nd. At the time, the Browns were 1-10. Since then, the Browns are 2-1 after battling the hottest team in the NFL, San Diego, to a 7-point defeat, and then beating the Steelers and Chiefs in back-to-back weeks.

I’m not close enough to team to draw any sort of direct correlation between Lewis’ absence and the drastically improved play and attitude of the team (at least from my vantage point), but I do think that the timeline is interesting.

Either way, Mangini’s job status has gone from a foregone conclusion to very much an unknown – and rightfully so. The Browns were dreadful for the first three months of the season, but the fact that they are winning games in December with so many starters injured has got to come back to the head coach in the form of credit. Doesn’t it?

Had the Browns simply played out the strong and continued losing badly, the decision for the future czar would have been easy. But if the Browns get to four or five wins and Mangini has Jim Brown, Joshua Cribbs, and the majority of the locker room in his favor, he just may have done enough to buy himself another year.

And with the way the team has played the last two weeks, I no longer think that would automatically be such a bad idea.

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* – Eric Mangini photo credit: Sports Full Circle

Mike Holmgren, who met with Browns’ brass earlier this week, is expected to announce today whether or not he will accept Randy Lerner’s offer to become the head of the Browns’ football operations.

With Seattle apparently not wanting Holmgren back – or least not publicly showing any signs of wanting him back – and Washington announcing the hiring of Bruce Allen, it is expected that Holmgren will accept the daunting task of turning the Cleveland Browns into a winning franchise again.

From Tony Grossi’s column this morning on the impending Mike Holmgren decision on the Browns’ offer:

Mike Holmgren may disclose on his weekly radio show in Seattle today whether he will accept a conditional Browns’ offer to become their new senior executive of football operations.

And even if he doesn’t tip his hand, signs point to Holmgren taking the job contingent on finalizing a deal with the club.

In breaking their silence Thursday on Holmgren’s two-day visit to their facility, the Browns did not deny a report that the job had been offered.

One of the not-so-secret secrets of the waltz that the Browns and Mike Holmgren have been engaged in is that Holmgren has some interest in returning to Seattle. However, many recent reports have suggested that the Seahawks are not interesting in bringing him back.

I have to admit, this gave me a little bit of pause.

Holmgren was in Seattle from 1999-2008 and helped make the franchise a consistent winner in the NFC. He groomed Matt Hasselbeck into a legitimate Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback. He even took the Seahawks to a Super Bowl that, with different officials, just might have been won by the Seahawks.

So why wouldn’t they want him back? Is he that much of an a-hole? Did his energy level and drive dip that much during his final season? Considering that Randy Lerner is about to make a $10 million investment in the man, these and other such questions are certainly legitimate.

I felt a little better today after reading this article by Steve Kelley in the Seattle Times, who basically said that the Seahawks had one final chance to “do the right thing” before Holmgren makes his decision on the Browns’ offer.

Inexplicably, Holmgren has been courted by Cleveland, while Seattle, the franchise that knew him for 10 years, publicly has given him the silent treatment. The place that knows him the best is heralding him the least. It makes no sense.

…

The Seahawks need somebody with a whole lot of wisdom and NFL experience, who will surround himself with top-rung lieutenants, to replace recently resigned general manager Tim Ruskell.

The Seahawks need Holmgren.

Kelley goes onto explain that the primary reason why the Seahawks have not expressed in Holmgren is because of a few “skirmishes” that some of the holdovers from Holmgren’s regime had with him. Kelley says it’s time for perceived wrongs and egos to be put aside to bring Holmgren back because it is in the best interests of their rebuilding franchise.

And when you look at Holmgren’s resume, it is certainly hard to argue.

He is a student of the Bill Walsh school of passing offense and breathed in more football knowledge than most people have forgotten during his tenure with the 49ers as an assistant from 1986-1991. He then went on to coach the Green Bay Packers from 1992-1998, winning 67% of his games, a Super Bowl, and helping to turn a reclamation project (Brett Favre) into a Hall of Fame QB.

Holmgren then went to Seattle, which had been awful for years, and won 56.3% of his games, captured four straight NFC West titles, and led the team to the aforementioned Super Bowl.

Simply put, Mike Holmgren has been successful everywhere he has been. The Cleveland Browns, on the other hand, have failed with every leadership team that has been brought in since the franchise returned. Kelley may think that the Seahawks need Mike Holmgren, but the Cleveland Browns need someone, anyone who brings a winning pedigree and can supply a successful vision for the future.

There isn’t anyone else out there right now who fits that bill like Holmgren. If he decides to accept Randy Lerner’s offer today, Christmas will have come early for Browns fans. And if that does happen, the next question would be whether or not Holmgren’s arrival amounts to a lump of coal for Eric Mangini.

Let’s all hope that after today that is the question we are pondering, while actually believing in – based on past successes – the person who will be making the decision.

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* – Mike Holmgren photo credit: STEPHEN BRASHEAR / AP via Seattle Times

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.

Even though Browns owner Randy Lerner said he would not fire his incompetent, arrogant little field general and dictator this season, a seriously injured Cribbs would have had Mangini packing, as well as his clueless offensive (yes, his lame playcalling is offensive) coordinator Brian Dabold.  Cribbs, a brilliant kick-off and punt return man, is a fan favorite and heart of the team.

It was in the final seconds of the 16-0 game that Cribbs was blindsided and knocked to the turf. This came after lateraling the ball to a teammate in a desperation mad dash to score six points. (Why? Because losing 16-6 would have looked better?)

The nearly empty stadium became even more silent as Browns and Ravens players surrounded Josh while he was lifted gently onto a stretcher. Cribbs was released Tuesday morning from the hospital, and Mangini, admitted in a conference call (yes, Coach opted to skip his regular face to face press conference)that he should not have allowed the hook-and-ladder play.

Brady Quinn did what he could with Daboll’s calls for five-yard bubble passes, a non-running game and receivers who let the ball slip through their hands. Game analysts figured Quinn had 2.5 seconds to take the snap, read the defense, find an open receiver and throw the ball — before getting leveled by Baltimore’s D.

After the last interception, Quinn tackled the wrong Raven too low, knocking his feet from under him and causing serious injury. This led Baltimore defense captain Ray Lewis to call Quinn out for the dirty hit. Quinn said he didn’t mean to hurt anyone — and I believe him.

Brady was so distraught, he probably didn’t know who had the ball.

Quinn has got to be lobbying his agent for a ticket out of Cleveland. Back-up quarterback Derek Anderson is also demoralized by Mangini and his schizophrenic quarterback shuffling.

The result is, neither Quinn nor Derek Anderson can move the offense into the red zone. Their egos are bruised, their confidence shot and trade value practically nil.

After a short practice week, the Browns head to Detroit to face the Lions on Sunday. (The first team to score a touchdown, wins the game.)

There is one flickering light at the end of the tunnel: Word came down from Berea Tuesday that Randy Lerner met with former Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Mike Holmgren about a director of Browns operations position, with authority over personnel — including the right to fire the coach.

One can only hope.

Pittsburgh sucks.

Everyone nod in agreement, put down the Stadium Mustard, and now prepare to be separated into two distinct camps (both of which still hate Pittsburgh, no worries there).

In one corner: supporters of Dawg Pound Mike Randall and the walk-in-late protest that he and Mobile Dawg Tony Schaefer are planning for next Monday’s Browns-Ravens game in Cleveland Browns Stadium. If you side here, you most likely think Eric Mangini should have been shown the door with George Kokinis.

In the other corner: supporters of the opinion held by fellow die-hards like Peter Pattakos of ClevelandFrowns.com, who do not understand what will be accomplished by purposefully settling into their seats after kickoff. If you are on this side, you most likely believe that the correct next step for the Browns is something other than a knee-jerk firing of the head coach.

And now we bring you what I am officially dubbing The Debate by the Lake in which Dawg Pound Mike and Cleveland Frown Peter go head to head discussing their beloved Browns.

Two men with the same ultimate goal, but vastly different opinions on what the franchise and its fans should do next in an effort to get there.

Enjoy.

MSF Podcast: The Debate by the Lake

featuring Peter Pattakos of ClevelandFrowns.com and Dawg Pound Mike Randall

(Note: You can subscribe to the MSF Podcast and listen to every episode via iTunes.)

Peter and Mike engaged in a very lively and spirited debate last night and both make their opinions quite clear. I’ve excerpted a few of the exchanges and quotes that stood out to me, but you’ll have to listen to the podcast to decide what stands out to you.

And even if you’re not a Browns fan, this is a podcast that you will enjoy. When was the last time you heard of two fans getting an audience with an NFL owner to voice their displeasure? As Peter says, whether you agree with Dawg Pound Mike or not, you have to respect the fact that he and Mobile Dawg Tony were able to get a face-to-face meeting with Randy Lerner.

After listening to the podcast, what do you think?

In case you don’t have the time nor inclination to listen to the entire podcast, I did cut out to two short (approx. 90 seconds) clips from Peter and Mike that sum up their positions. If you want to hear only the Cliff’s Notes versions of their viewpoints, listen to the following two clips:

Dawg Pound Mike on how he will determine success for the planned late-walk-in protest for the Browns-Ravens Monday night game:

Peter from ClevelandFrowns.com on why he will be in his seat at kickoff:

Where do I stand on this issue?

I respect his passion, his influence, and the access that he has received, but I disagree with what what Dawg Pound Mike is planning for Monday night. I don’t disagree with it so much from the standpoint that it will embarrass the Browns organization — it will do that, and I suppose I’m okay with that part of it — I just don’t really understand what there is to be gained.

As Mike explains in the podcast, he feels like he has to go through with the late-walk-in to sustain the momentum he believes has been created this week. I’m not so sure.

I don’t doubt his claim that Randy Lerner wants to win, and wants to win now, but the will to win has never really been Lerner’s problem. His problem has been the aptitude to make good front office personnel and head coaching decisions. If Lerner does not believe Mangini is the right guy for the job, he will fire him regardless of whether or not a portion of the fans aren’t in their seats at kickoff Monday night.

The problem is that none of us — not even Mike and Tony — have any legitimate reason to believe that Lerner’s next decision will be any better than his previous ones.

In this sense, I find Dawg Pound Mike’s dogged support of Lerner to be somewhat curious. No, Eric Mangini has not given Browns fans much of anything to pin their hopes on either…but has Lerner? At all?

So why align yourself so strongly with the guy who has failed in Cleveland for nine years as opposed to the guy who hasn’t even failed for one complete year yet?

Sadly, the one through line of that pathetic question is what we all can agree on, and what we all are frustrated by: failure. That ugly word has defined the Browns since their rebirth in 1999.

I don’t think the late-walk-in does anything to help reverse the culture of failure that has taken ahold of the Cleveland Browns franchise. In fact, I think it further perpetuates it.

That said, I applaud Dawg Pound Mike for his commitment, his initiative, and his passion. I just respectfully disagree in this case with his direction.

And now, as promised, here are some excerpts I transcribed while listening to the podcast after we recorded it:

Dawg Pound Mike defending the integrity of the protest:

“This is no disrespect, this is not done to embarrass, this is showing that we care, and we’re supporting this team. We’re here. I’m telling people to buy tickets.”

Peter’s counter-argument:

“Aren’t you still undermining Eric Mangini? Aren’t you still undermining the players? It’s an embarrassment frankly. It’s an embarrassment for the organization. Its an embarrassment for the franchise.”

Dawg Pound Mike responding to claims that the late-walk-in will be an embarrassment to the franchise:

“That’s why I came on here. Because I want to shut all these people up that think it’s a damn embarrassment. Because Randy Lerner, the owner of the Cleveland Browns, doesn’t think it’s an embarrassment.”

One of the questions posed by Peter that serves to sum up his argument regarding Dawg Pound Mike’s responsibility to use his access and voice to represent the Browns’ fan base more completely:

“What about the people that just want Eric Mangini to be given a chance to do his job?”

Mike and Peter argue about Brian Daboll and the Browns’ offense…easily my favorite exchange of the podcast:

Mike: “My biggest thing about Mangini: you hand-picked Brian Daboll. Okay? He’s terrible. He shouldn’t be offensive coordinator for a high school football team. He sucks that bad.”

Peter: “What plays has Daboll called that the Browns, with no wide receivers, with two yay-hoos at quarterback, with a geriatric running back, what were they supposed to do? Where was Brian Daboll supposed to come up with these great calls that a team with no skill position players was supposed to be able to succeed with?”

Mike: “Listen, there is talent on the team. They are put in bad decisions, bad formations…Daboll is an idiot. And I will say that to his face, and I did to him against Buffalo when he looked right by me and I go “You suck” and Eric Wright looked over and laughed.

Mike and Peter boil down the Randy Lerner debate into one exchange:

Mike: “He says ‘I’m the owner, it was my fault.’ Now, we told him and he knows he needs to find a good football operations guy in here instead of these bean counters that don’t know football, and he’s doing that. And he looked at us and he said ‘Guys, I don’t care about the money. If that guy’s the best guy, and he’s the best guy, and he wants this, I’m gonna get him in here because I want to win now. And if that doesn’t psyche up anybody out there that’s listening to this, then you’re not a true Browns fan.”

Peter: “So this wasn’t true before but it’s true now? That somehow, right now, Randy Lerner is going to get it right even though he apparently hasn’t gotten it right in the last decade.”

We’ll leave that last question posed their Peter as a rhetorical one. All Browns fans know it’s the question that has been haunting — and that will continue to haunt — this franchise until Randy Lerner is able to start making smart hiring choices.

I sincerely thank Peter and Mike for their time, and do hope you enjoyed the podcast. Use the comment section liberally to debate this issue. There certainly are plenty of valid points on both sides.

Ultimately, no matter happens with the walk-in, at least we can all agree on one thing that we want to see next Monday night: a win over the Ravens.

And maybe, just maybe, the NFL gods will decide to throw us another Monday night bone. Then, instead of arguing and focusing on another loss, we can go back to doing what Browns fan do best.

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* – Dawg Pound Mike photo credit: DawgPoundMike.com

* – The intro song for this week’s podcast is Awake the Day by Austin Bridges. The intermission song is I Won’t Wait by Records Record Records.

Two Browns fans recently announced their plans to lead a protest during the 1st quarter of next week’s Monday nighter between the Browns and Ravens in Cleveland. The plan has received plenty of national pub and even merited a meeting with Browns owner Randy Lerner yesterday.

In Kansas City, fans are petitioning Chiefs GM Scott Pioli to not allow Larry Johnson back on the field.

Their reasoning?

He is close to becoming the franchise’s all-time rushing leader, needing 80 yards to pass Priest Holmes, and they do not believe that Johnson is worthy of sitting atop that esteemed list.

Here is an excerpt from the petition sent by Chiefs fans:

While we are thankful for his service, we feel that Larry has been a black eye on the organization and has no business being mentioned with some of the above names.

During his first few years in Kansas City, Larry Johnson ran through holes created by one of the greatest offensive lines ever put together. He was handed the ball and was asked to follow Tony Richardson, the best fullback to ever don a Chiefs helmet. Because of those early successes, Larry Johnson now sits on the cusp of becoming the all-time leading rusher in Kansas City Chiefs history. Not to discredit anything he has accomplished, but we believe it would be a travesty if Larry were to surpass the great Priest Holmes as the Chiefs all-time leading rusher.

It’s not a hidden fact that Larry hates being in Kansas City. He doesn’t like the organization, he doesn’t like the fans, he doesn’t like the city. He has been more than vocal about how he feels about being a Chief. We’ve waited for years for him to be traded and we don’t believe that there is an offensive line that can open a hole big enough for Larry and the chip on his shoulder to run through.

I don’t often cite what I hear on Mike & Mike in the Morning, frankly because I don’t listen that often and rarely find much of the discussion overly insightful, but I do think that Mike Greenberg made a great point this morning.

He said that while sports leagues are a business, the teams too often treat their fans like sheep rather than consumers, mainly because fans allow it to happen. If more fans viewed themselves as consumers, and voiced their displeasure through both words and actions, teams and leagues would be forced to listen more carefully and act with the fans’ interests and desires more in mind.

At the end of the day, the money that fans spend on tickets, parking, concessions, merchandise, etc., is the lifeblood of professional athletics. Without the constant flow of money from fans, as well as the money that comes from TV contracts (the amount of which is a function of how many fans are watching), sports leagues would not be able to operate as they do now.

I hope that we see more fan bases follow the lead of Browns and Chiefs this year (similar to what Bengals fans did last year with movements like the Who Dey Revolution) and act more like consumers than sheep.

We give our hearts, souls, time, and money supporting these teams. Fans don’t always know what’s right, and team management has to be wise enough not to let the tail wag the dog, but the voice of the fan is important and needs to be heard.

Kudos to Randy Lerner for listening, and hopefully Scott Pioli does the same. They ultimately have to make the decisions, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with them being extra cognizant of how those decisions affect the fans.

**********

* – Larry Johnson photo credit: SpyonVegas.com via The Pitch

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.

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.

Lerner apparently is beginning to see the mistake he made as owner in hiring Mangini, shortly after he was relieved of his head coach duties for the New York Jets. That mistake was compounded by hiring Mangini before a hiring a general manager and naming a team president with football knowledge. More than one critic has said it was Mangini who hired his own immediate boss — General Manager George Kokinis, a man even more vague and distant with the media than Mangini. Kokinis has also seemed very much out of the loop.

Now, Lerner indicated to The Plain Dealer that it is time to bring in a football authority to help straighten out the mess. Ya’ think?

“The highest priority that I have is a strong, credible, serious leader within the building to guide decisions in a much more conspicuous, open, transparent way,” Lerner told The Plain Dealer. “I think my highest priority is to have a stable figure that represents the voice that explains the decisions.”

Over the last week or so, Lerner brought former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar in to serve as “another pair of eyes.” But Lerner did not respond when asked if Kosar would serve as the team’s “serious leader.”

Kosar told espn affiliate wknr AM850′s “Really Big Show” host Tony Rizzo that he was first trying to learn what everyone at Browns headquarters was supposed to do for the organization.

Kosar also said the Browns organization would be meeting and making some decisions during this bye week.

Kosar was the owner of the short-lived Cleveland arena team, taking it from near obscurity to the playoffs in one year. The arena league was dismantled, then discontinued last year.

Kosar has said he would love to get back into football at some capacity. But at the same time he has been hamstrung by four children and an ex-wife living in Florida.

In his impromptu interview at Soldier Field Sunday, Lerner also said the Browns current quarterback fiasco didn’t make sense. Mangini made it a priority to give both quarterbacks Derek Anderson and Brady Quin a fair shot during the mini-training camps and the pre-season exhibition games. Quinn started the first three games of the season, but was yanked at the half against the Baltimore Ravens.

Mangini thought Anderson could provide a spark — and he did manage to connect a few times early, but only got worse with each week. Lerner admitted the whole quarterback fiasco “doesn’t look sensible. As to why Mangini has not played Quinn. Lerner said he had no idea since he “wasn’t told about anything.”

In my opinion, Lerner should have been asking questions all along, and holding these coaches responsible.

Lerner could make the Browns right. But it will take the time to actually evaluate the abysmal parade of coaches — and players — since 1999

But taking the time could finally right this Cleveland Browns titanic before Browns fans drown in its wake.

Today Lerner is “soul searching.” Hopefully, he will be taking some action — soon.

Stay tuned.

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?

Open letter to Browns owner Randy Lerner:

“As a successful billionaire businessman, you must know the hiring of Eric Mangini is a mistake. The man is incapable of teaching, coaching, drafting or motivating the players on the Browns, the team that your father, Al Lerner, willed you on his deathbed. Al must be screaming obscenities from his grave.

“If a manager you appointed in your business failed to deliver on his promises, you would fire him — or at the very least — relocate him.

“Mangini believes he is a football god with all the answers. He is incapable of self-criticism — and those kind of individuals do not change or grow.

FIRE MANGINI TODAY. Take the hit to your wallet and find a better coach.

Sincerely,

Cleveland Browns fans from across the world”

The Cleveland Browns not only lost big to the Baltimore Ravens, but lost its team; and perhaps worse, demoralized so-called starting quarterback Brady Quinn and killed the confidence of Derek Anderson who was told right before the second half kick-off he was going in to face the Raven D.

Derek being Derek, his big gun drove the team down the field to a field goal, but his gun also misfired for three interceptions and a QB rating of 30.9. Quinn’s was 42.7. Baltimore’s Joe Flacco’s QB rating was about 110.

Perhaps Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer columnist said it best: “Until further notice, the Cleveland Browns have become the franchise where quarterbacks go to see their careers die.”

Quinn, who led the Notre Dame offense in college and put up 30 and 29 point respectively against Denver and Buffalo last year, suddenly can’t move the ball?

To quote a frustrated Buffalo Bill Terrell Owens after Sunday’s game, he runs “the plays that are called.”

The lame, vanilla plays called by rookie offensive coordinator Brian Dabold depend on a running back that equals the resurrection of a young Jim Brown. Two running plays up the middle with puny Jerome Harrison and a weak offensive line? Then it is third and seven and Braylon Edwards is not free, everyone else is covered or not looking — so what does a QB do? Either check down and complete a three yard pass (Quinn) or force the throw and wind up with three interceptions (Anderson).

The pathetic thing is, the Browns could have had better players like Cincy’s Rey Maualuga or Clay Mathews Jr. or Knowshon Moreno. And if Mangini was so unimpressed with his QBs, Mark Sanchez was there for the taking.

But Noooo! Let’s get a few Jets retreads instead.

Good draft picks were made in the second round with Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie. But Massaquoi has been a ghost on the field, barely there for one play, then *poof*…disappearing into the Browns bench. And Ohio State stand-out wide receiver Robiskie has not been allowed to dress. (Did Robiskie maybe voice his opinion to Coach or fail to bow with deference? Only the shadow knows.)

And now we hear that up to five Browns players are filing grievances against Mangini, at least two for being charged $1,700 for forgetting to pay for $3 bottles of water from a hotel.

Other players have quit on the field. When Baltimore gets three running touchdowns without any Cleveland defensive player even touching him … can they be this bad? Or have they given up?

You decide, midwestsportsfans.com readers.

**********

*- Derek Anderson photo credit: SI

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.

Here is the intro, which perfectly encapsulates how many Browns fans feel right now:

Today we offer a juxtaposition of three bits of Browns-related news that might result in something of an emotional roller coaster ride for folks who care about the team. We start with complete helplessness, move on to depression, then wistful remembrance, to hope, before returning to the depths where Browns fans have grown accustomed to dwelling.

An excerpt, from the section about Lerner, which itself includes an excerpt from an interview Lerner gave recently (in italics):

“Are the football teams really satisfying him creatively, I wonder? ‘That’s a good question,’ he says with an expression that suggests the internal answer is another screaming and heartfelt ‘NO!’ [NO F*CKING SH*T!!! F*CKF*CKF*CK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!] It might actually be an excellent moment to send him a begging letter.” [YES! YOU SEND ONE TOO! PLEASE HELP US GET OUR BROWNS BACK FROM THIS GUY! F**************************************CK!!!!]

Now, an excerpt from the section about Lavelli:

Lavelli exemplified the greatness that the Browns once represented, and his memory provides a stark reminder of how far this franchise has fallen in the custody of the Lerner family.

And now, we send you theie way. Head over to ClevelandFrowns.com and read the full article. Sure, it may make you even more depressed to be a Browns fan — or it will give you pleasure if you are a Steelers or Ravens fan — but we might as well not hide from the truth: the Browns are an organization in complete disarray and it definitely starts at the top.

LOTD: Cleveland Frowns: Randy Lerner and Dante Lavelli (1923-2009): A Study in Contrasts, In Orange and Brown

And now some more links for you on a beautiful Friday morning here in sunny Dallas, Texas. (And while I do not wish for weather in the teens, it is January — it shouldn’t be 70 degrees outside. I am nothing if not a true Midwesterner. Where is the chill in the air? I have t admit I kinda miss it…)

What is front office end game for the Browns? — (Orange & Brown Report)

Michael Curry going with small ball in Detroit — (Hardcore Detroit Fan)

Recent Browns Lay-offs blamed on the economy — (WFNY)

Pretty sweet double alley-oop in a basketball game — (Black Sports Online)…and for the record, I don’t think you’d ever see similar video on White Sports Online, if such a site existed. Just saying…

Forbes 2009 Most Valuable Franchises breakdown — (The World According to MoonDog)

Chaos ensues in the Big Ten — (Off the Tracks)

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?