The Arizona Cardinals are going to the Super Bowl. This is a little like the Los Angeles Clippers going to the NBA Finals or the Washington Nationals going to the World Series. The Cardinal franchise has long been regarded as the dregs of the NFL, but they will be in the Super Bowl before the “storied history” of the Cleveland Browns. Let’s put an end to that crap right now. The Browns are one of the worst run franchises in the league, ranking right with the Detroit Lions, who went 0-16 this year.
Today, owner Randy Lerner will have a second interview with George Kokinis, and he likely will be hired as the new Browns’ General Manager soon, perhaps as early as today.
The delay in hiring the GM came as a result of hiring Eric Mangini to be the head coach after talking to just four candidates, one of those being former defensive coordinator Mel Tucker, who was likely interviewed in compliance with the “Rooney Rule”, which makes sure minority candidates are considered.
The rationale the Browns will give you is that it is more important to hire good assistant coaches than to get a highly qualified leader for the organization. That’s why they decided to go ahead and hire Mangini before a general manager was in place.
Now the Browns are in a position where many fine candidates for the position didn’t want to come here because they would like to bring in their own coach. That’s why Scott Pioli went to Kansas City, and not Cleveland. He wanted the ability to hire or fire the coach.
The other problem is that some view Mangini as a pariah because he broke the unwritten code by turning in his old boss, Bill Belichick, in the “Spygate” controversy.
Giving your head coach the most power in the organization works when your head coach is Bill Parcells or Belichick. Eric Mangini has not earned that type of trust in his three years in New York with the Jets. And because owner Randy Lerner made the decision to put his eggs in the Mangini basket, he can’t find anyone to take the General Manager gig.
These candidates know there is no power in their position. They likely are coming into the position with the okay of Mangini, so if they don’t get along with the head coach, they will reappear on the unemployment line. I understand that Mangini has talked about working together with the GM, but why would a guy like Pioli or Rich McKay take the job knowing they are here at the mercy of the head coach, especially one with a whopping three years in that job in the NFL.
That’s why George Kokinis will be the new GM. Eric Mangini recommended him. Hopefully, he will feel free to speak his mind if he and the head coach disagree, and there will be meaningful dialogue. Eric Mangini has not done enough in the NFL to merit a dictatorship. Unfortunately for Browns’ fans, there is no one in charge of both of them to monitor the situation. That’s why the team needs someone to be in charge of all football operations.
Again, Mangini and Kokinis could be a great duo, and could lead the team back into the playoffs. It’s the process that troubles me. Lerner needed to uncover every stone in turning this franchise around. Instead, he hired one of the first people he was impressed by, and let that guy pick the General Manager.
It doesn’t seem like a winning combination.
JD
Cleveland Sports Perspective 