After Blanton Collier retired as coach of the Browns in 1970, Cleveland’s football team has been in a perpetual state of flux, outside of the late 1980’s. Owner Art Modell was impatient and either ran the football operation, something he wasn’t really qualified to do, or made poor choices as to who should run things. Whenever a coach had some success, Modell fell in love and gave the coach too much power.
This is ironic because when he bought the team, Modell thought that then coach Paul Brown had too much power. After Ernie Accorsi built the teams that Marty Schottenheimer coached to back-to-back AFC title games, Modell decided to give Schottenheimer power over all football operations.
There is a fine line between being an owner whose hands are on all phases of the operation and one who lets his football people run the football operation. Modell crossed the line too many times; leading to signing guys who weren’t needed like Jerry Ball and Andre Rison.
However, it is difficult to think the Browns’ organization today with Randy Lerner at the helm is any better than the Modell regime, although I agree with Lerner’s style of hiring football people and letting them run the show.
First, Lerner hired Romeo Crennel as head coach before he had a general manager in place. After Phil Savage’s first year as General Manager, Lerner took the advice of team President John Collins, and decided to unload Savage. The outrage from the fans and the media saved the GM’s job. In the end, it was Collins who left the organization.
The problem was Lerner listening to a guy with no football credentials (Collins) in the first place.
It has been reported that the owner is now talking to former Steeler head coach Bill Cowher about the head coaching job and probably total control of the football operation. Has Phil Savage been consulted on this possible hire? I doubt it. However, if he is running the store, shouldn’t he know what is going on?
Let me say that Phil Savage has made mistakes, such as not calling players in the hospital and emailing fans, but he has upgraded the talent on the Browns’ roster. I believe that his biggest disagreement with his head coach is the playing time for some players that Savage brought in, players like Jerome Harrison, Alex Hall, Beau Bell, and Brady Quinn. He deserves the chance to work with a coach on the same page as he is, one that he hired.
Cowher did an excellent job as Steelers’ coach winning a Super Bowl, and would be an excellent candidate to coach the Browns. But, has he ever run an entire football operation? It appears to me that Pittsburgh was a contender before his arrival and they continue to be two years after he left. It is a huge gamble to give him a boatload full of money and have him in charge of the football operations.
If Lerner is going to replace Savage it should be with someone like Bill Parcells, a person who has a history of building, not coaching, a winning organization. Otherwise, Savage should keep his job and should hire someone to “run the office” while he is out scouting players. It is said that one of the things that bothers the owner is that Savage isn’t in the office enough. Did he make that clear to Savage during the interview that’s what he wanted?
The Browns need leadership and Lerner isn’t providing it. He needs to hire a voice for the team, perhaps someone like Bernie Kosar. That voice needs to give the team a direction, convey this direction to Savage, who will in turn hire a coach who will carry out this message.
My suggestion is to return to what made Cleveland a great franchise in the past: A strong running game. This is the franchise of the greatest runner of them all, Jim Brown, but also Marion Motley, Leroy Kelly, Ernie Green, Greg Pruitt, Mike Pruitt, Kevin Mack, and Earnest Byner. Sure, Otto Graham and Kosar played here, but it was the running game that fueled the team.
Right now, the Browns are a rudderless ship. Someone has to take charge, and if Lerner can’t do it, he needs to hire someone who can.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 