In the midst of a two game winning streak, which a month ago seemed impossible, Browns’ owner Randy Lerner hired former Packers’ and Seahawks’ Mike Holmgren as team president. It’s a move that is ten years late, but better late than never for Lerner.
The Browns needed a football man to run the entire operation, and Holmgren has been involved in the NFL since 1986. He has been a coach of three teams that went to the Super Bowl, including one winner, and handled the general manager duties with Seattle for several years.
He has never run the whole show, but he knows what is going on in an NFL front office.
Holmgren is not a glorified public relations man who has no background in personnel like Carmen Policy. He’s not an assistant coach with some experience as a college head coach like Butch Davis. He’s not a scout without any management experience like Phil Savage, nor is he a young coach with one playoff appearance like Eric Mangini.
He’s an NFL lifer, one who has been involved with the building of two teams. He’s worked with some of the best quarterbacks in league history, like Steve Young and Brett Favre. He has the best pedigree of any of the men Lerner has entrusted his franchise to.
Finally, a bona fide face of the franchise that has had success in the league is working for the Browns.
Now, Holmgren has to assemble the rest of the organization. He needs to hire a general manager, ideally someone he has worked with before, and let that man hire a new coach, or keep Eric Mangini. Sort of like a real organization works.
With 11 picks in next spring’s NFL Draft, Holmgren needs to get a scouting staff in place because this is where the rebuilding of the Cleveland Browns begins. They simply must find some impact players in the next draft. With all of the choices they had last year, only first round pick Alex Mack looks like a future Pro Bowler.
There is no guarantee that Holmgren will turn things around and make the Browns a perennial playoff team. In fact, there’s no guarantee that anyone can do it.
However, Mike Holmgren has the best pedigree of anyone that Randy Lerner has hired. He should have recognized this several years ago, but better late than never.
The new president will start putting his people in place soon after the season is over. The speculation about who will have what job will make talking football fun again in Cleveland. After this debacle of a season, that’s a welcome thing.
On another Browns’ note…With Brady Quinn out for the rest of the season, why not play Brett Ratliff in the last two contests. There is nothing to be gained by starting Derek Anderson.
Either Anderson will have a spectacular game against the Raiders, which will cause everyone to get excited about his big arm, or he will be awful thus lowering his already plummeting trade value.
Why not give Ratliff a shot? After all, it’s not like a playoff spot is at stake.
JD
Cleveland Sports Perspective 